Re-establishing and re-vitalising transborder artistic and cultural ties within the Balkans, between its nations and with other European countries, is not only important for the return of mutual trust between different peoples. It is, as well, a precondition for the moral and economic reconstruction of this Region and for upholding cultural diversity in all parts of Europe. It is therefore imperative to initiate concrete projects which can lead to mutual understanding, tolerance and pluralism. Interregional co-operation among independent practitioners in the arts and media as well as through the culture industries are key to help to fulfil these goals. The Conference is designed to identify suitable projects, to explore possibilities for organising and financing them as well as to facilitate dialogue among the relevant actors, including policy makers and international organisations.

Concrete projects should be initiated in two fields: First, cultural exchange among artists and art institutions from in- and outside of the Balkans and, second, the development of independent culture industries. While problems of artistic and intellectual exchanges have been addressed frequently at other meetings during the last months, the crucial role of the culture industries and media production in the reconstruction process has been largely ignored. As underlined in the Declaration of the EU-Conference in Essen, May 21, 1999, the culture industries (including, book publishing, film, music and AV production, fine art trade etc.) "can reinforce endogenous regional potentials and improve the underlying conditions affecting general economic development"; in other words, they could contribute to a democratic cultural environment in the Balkans.

Sustainable transborder projects will certainly, under the present conditions in the region, need resources, bank guarantees or at least some "seed money". Given the well-known economic and societal dynamics of the culture industries, the new Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe will surely have to consider such projects or programmes in its reconstruction agenda. If, in addition, more specific funds or sponsorship programmes are required, the European Cultural Foundation has, in principle, expressed its willingness to act as an administrative host.

The Programe Committee for the Conference includes: Dubravko Bibanovic (Sarajevo), Danielle Cliche (Bonn), Ritva Mitchell (Helsinki), Dimitrije Vujadinovic (Sremski Karlovci), Andreas Joh. Wiesand (Bonn).

Thursday, DECEMBER 2 1999

Arrival of participants at the Hotel "Bosnia", Kulovica 9, Sarajevo, Tel. +397-71-471251

18h00 Opening (Hotel "Bosnia", Congress Hall)

Addresses:

• Mustafa Mujezinovic (Guverner -The Canton of Sarajevo)
• Pirkko Rainesalo (Vice President of the Culture Committee of the Council of Europe)
• NN (German Embassy, Sarajevo and/or Hans Koschnick)
• Norbert Riedl (Austrian Fed. Chancellery)
• Andreas Wiesand (ERICArts / Zentrum für Kulturforschung, Bonn)

• Ritva Mitchell (FINN-EKVIT / ERICArts,


Helsinki)

offered by the Goethe Institute Sarajevo
(Hotel "Bosnia")

Opening by: Carmen Scher (Director)*

Friday, DECEMBER 3 1999

09h00 First Plenary (Hotel "Bosnia")

Chair: Nada Svob-Djokic (Culturelink, Zagreb)

• Dimitrije Vujadinovic ("The Blue Dragon"-Association, Sremski Karlovci)


The Cultural Situation in the Balkan Region

• Philip Krippendorf (Literaturwerkstatt Berlin)


Why East-West Cultural Exchanges?

10h30 Second Plenary (Hotel "Bosnia" – Congress hall )

New Modes of Creation, New Modes of Co-operation:
Presentations of Case Studies, Experimental Programmes and Research Results

Chair: Kathrine Winkelhorn (Danish Culture Institute, Copenhagen)

• Annemarie Türk (KulturKontakt, Vienna)


The new Translation Programme of the European Cultural Foundation and Kultur Kontakt – A Model of Culture Funds for the Balkans?

•  Enver Hadziomerspahic (Ars Aevi, Sarajevo/Florence)


Sarajevo Museum of Contemporary Art – An International Project

• Vera Boltho (Council of Europe, Strasbourg)


The MOSAIC Programme and its Potential Role in the Follow-up Process

• Uros Djuric (Belgrade, Serbia)

REMONT – new possibilities for transborder co-operation in the visual/multimedia arts

12h45 Introduction of the Workshops

Danielle Cliche (ERICArts):

Workshop participants will be asked to:

• Discuss the practical results of transborder co-operation
• Identify concrete problems/barriers for transborder co-operation and formulate suggestions for how to overcome them
• Produce ideas for future common transborder projects between:

1. South East European partners
2. South-East Europeans partners with other European countries (projects originating in both regions)

14h30 to 17h30 Parallel workshops:

WORKSHOP 1: Hotel "Bosnia", Hall A

The role of the culture industries in regional development and economic, political and social reconstruction in the Balkans

Chair: Ralph Ebert (STADTArt Dortmund)

Rapporteur: Gojko Miskovic (City Council of Sombor)

WORKSHOP 2: The National Theatre, White Hall

The role of performing arts including: theatre, music, festival and other cultural events

Chair: Dubravko Bibanovic (Theatre director, Sarajevo)

Rapporteur: Ferdinand Richard (Aide aux Musiques Innovatrice, Marseille)

WORKSHOP 3: Hotel "Bosnia", Hall B

The role of literature incl. publishing industries, writers, translators, press, libraries, bookshops

Chair: Liisa Steffa (Otava Publishing, Helsinki)

Rapporteur: Darko Hohnjec (Gutenberg/MARITIMA, Novi Sad/Podgorica)

WORKSHOP 4: Gallery "Roman Petrovic"

The role of visual arts including: design, painting, multimedia art, art museums, galleries

Chair: Mensud Keco (President of Associations of Bosnian Painters, Sarajevo)

Rapporteur: Dean Zahtila (Labin Art Express, Labin)

18h00 Third Plenary (Hotel "Bosnia", Congress Hall)

Progress Reports from Workshops

Chair: Norbert Riedl (Austrian Fed. Chancellery)

Discussion

20h00 Dinner (Restaurant "Press Club")

Saturday, DECEMBER 4 1999

09h30 Continuation of the Workshops 1-4
(same locations as Dec. 3)

12h00 Visit to the National Gallery ULUBH

Exhibition by the Bosnian painter Alije Hafizovic-Haf

12h30 Lunch (Restaurant "Aeroklub" – with a possibility to visit the old market in the centre of
Sarajevo afterwards)

15h00 Fourth Plenary (Hotel "Bosnia" – Congress Hall)

Presentation of Workshop Results by the Rapporteurs

Chair: Dimitrije Vujadinovic (The Blue Dragon - Association, Sremski Karlovci)

Discussion

Coffee

16h15 Fifth Plenary (Hotel "Bosnia")

Chair: Ritva Mitchell (FINN-EKVIT / ERICArts)

Conclusions:

• Christopher Gordon (Regional Art Boards, England)
• Milena Sesic-Dragicevic (Faculty of drama art, Belgrade)
• Ibrahim Spahic (International Festival "Sarajevo Winter", Sarajevo)

• Pirkko Rainesalo (Vice President of the Culture Committee of the Council of Europe)
• Stefan Dreyer (Goethe-Institut, Munich)
• Other Comments

• Andreas Wiesand (ERICArts/ZfKf)