Representatives of major European arts and culture festivals signed a declaration of support to the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue last week in Ljubljana together with the EU Commissioner Ján Figel'. It means that the aims and messages of the year will be reflected throughout 2008 in dozens of festivals all over the EU and beyond.

The Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth Ján Figel' considers that »the arts festivals are vital for promoting intercultural dialogue, because they enable the circulation and visibility of different cultural streams of European arts and cultures and thus offer a concentrated possibility of exchange and enrichment«.

The signing ceremony was organised by the European Festivals Association at the margins of the launch iof the European Year of Interecultural Dialogue in the Slovenian capital. The signature ensures the promotion of the Year in music, dance and theater festivals, rock, pop and jazz festivals, but also in literature, film or street arts festivals. »We are proud to offer our unique platforms to bring the message of intercultural interaction to millions of Europeans visiting festivals every year,« said Darko Brlek, EFA president and director of the Ljubljana Festival.
Altogether 22 festivals agreed to sign the declaration and others are invited to join in the days and weeks to come. Among the signataries are directors of well-known events like the Avignon Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival or the Wiener Festwochen, but also up-and-coming ones like the International Festival Sarajevo-Winter or the Vilnius Festival.

The Declaration reflects the commitment of the participating festivals to raise awareness of artists, managers, collaborators, volunteers and audiences about intercultural dialogue as a respectful and free exchange among communities and individuals that promotes and maintains cultural diversity. This diversity is understood as a condition for the protection of human rights and democracy, but also as an obstacle to stereotypes, prejudice, disrimination and ignorance.

The declaration was initiated by the European Festivals Association, a non-governemental organisation representing festivals in 38 mainly European countries, which is also a member of the steering group of the Civil Society Platform for Intercultural Dialogue (www.efah.org).

More information:
Full text of the Declaration is available at the EFA website www.efa-aef.eu

(Rapid press release)