Brussels, 21/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - While attending the European Culture Forum, in Brussels on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 October, Polish Culture and National Heritage Minister Bogdan Zdrojewski granted an interview to Agence Europe. He discusses the importance of artistic creation as a potential source of growth, the role of culture in bringing states closer together and the approach chosen by the Polish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers to promote both its national cultural wealth and the diversity of cultural expression in Europe. (JK)
Agence Europe: An event such as the European Culture Forum provides an opportunity to consider the place of culture in the EU. How can artistic creation be built into the EUROPE 2020 strategy, for example?
Bogdan Zdrojewski: For many years, culture has been looked upon as something very pleasant but, from the point of view of European politics, of lesser importance. That view is changing slowly, but noticeably both in the perception of culture as a potential source of creativity and success and as a player in an economic area which is undergoing profound change. It has often been said that culture is not simply a free meal ticket, just living off budget handouts, but is, above all, a source of income and potential economic success. Culture also contains industrial aspects, which may be directly related to it or operate around the edges. The Polish Presidency provides proof positive of the importance of culture in overcoming Europe's difficulties. The forum which I opened today provides a clear indication of how precious culture is. It also provides an indication of the dangers attached to it. Let me mention four dangers which are of particular importance. On the one hand, we speak of technological changes and civilisation changes. These are at one and the same time an opportunity for culture and a serious threat to it. Next, of great concern to social reality, is exclusion. We have social exclusion, skills exclusion and economic exclusion. Exclusion related to skills is the most difficult to get rid of because it requires huge effort, a long-term policy not episodic attempts. The third very important point relates to the desire in Europe to agree on standards for everything, to unify everything so that it all abides by the same rules. But with culture, the exact opposite is the case. We have to fight for diversity and richness. In this diversity, this richness, we have to find tolerance and openness of spirit, and also strength for Europe. The final major point for me, as I look at what is happening in the world, is building mutual respect for differences. This respect comes when there is knowledge and skill. It is very difficult. In this area, Europe must lead the way. For the moment, it handles this issue sometimes well and other times less so - though most of the time it is good.
AE: You stated that culture needs an approach that is the opposite of what usually happens in the EU. How can this diversity, the importance of which you highlighted, be retained without reducing culture in the EU simply to allocation of money?
B.Z.: To a large extent, this process has already begun. In many member states, culture brings in more money than it receives. If we look at culture more broadly, not reducing it simply to opera but incorporating cultural tourism, creativity, cinema and television, we see that, for Spain, culture is the largest source of budgetary revenue, generating five times the revenue of agriculture, for example. If we look at Italy and the place culture has in state revenue, it is easy to see how essential culture is there. If we look at what makes the Germans so strong, at the sums they devote to culture, the national heritage, music teaching and how that is translated by the dominance they have on the economic market, we will see that culture has a place of major importance. There are, of course, other states where what is spent on culture is not recouped in revenue generated. We all know that nowadays there are sectors which will always have to be subsidised. Nevertheless, in other cases, investment of 50% will bring a return of 100%. That is what is happening in the European cinema industry, for example in France, Spain, Germany and Poland.
AE: Your visit to Brussels coincides also with the opening of the exhibition here “The Road to Unity 1945-2004. Communism. Solidarnosc. European Union” which forms part of the cultural programme of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU. What link do you see between history, culture and the promotion of this joint construction that is Europe?
B.Z.: The exhibitions put on during the course of the Polish Presidency should form a complete whole. On the one hand, we show that something like Solidarnosc, which was born in Poland, paved the way for a majority of European countries. Without the Solidarnosc movement, without all that Poland achieved, without the efforts of John-Paul II, without all the factors that existed in the other freedom movements built with such persistence in Poland, the Berlin Wall would not have fallen, and we wouldn't have today's unified Europe. We don't want to claim all the glory because that belongs to many other states, too. We look with great respect, friendship and admiration at what has been achieved by the Czech intellectuals, and first and foremost the achievements of Vaclav Havel. But we know very well that the sources that were the strongest and the most far-reaching flowed from Solidarnosc and from the person of the Pope, firstly in Poland and then in the rest of the world.
During the Polish Presidency, there are other exhibitions, such as the one in Berlin “Poland - Germany. 1,000 years of Art and History”, which is breaking firmly entrenched obstacles in relations between Poland and Germany. Culture is what builds bridges most quickly and most easily, especially through the exhibitions of recent years. (…) This is a process that France and Germany followed many years ago. It is something that is possible in a common Europe. If we look at the following exhibitions, the one on Alina Szapocznikow, here in Brussels, it is the finest example of feminism in art from the other side of the Iron Curtain. (…) If we show modern Polish painting at the Beaux-Arts, it is to show just how unique and diverse it is and also to underline that it is very much part of the European tradition of narration and how it is able to react to what is happening in the world. What is important for me is that the Polish Presidency has been designed in such a way as to be able to promote culture which is not only turned towards Poland. Many Polish works are being interpreted, broadcast by various channels and foreign artists at the moment. This is happening in cinema, in music and in theatre. And, at the same time, many foreign works are being interpreted by Polish artists. (…) Through this, we want to underline the meaning of culture in Europe and its power through its influence beyond the borders of Europe. (transl.rt)