Cultural Participation
The «Nationaler Kulturdialog», a Swiss cultural policy forum, has issued a manual with various contributions on the subject of cultural participation. Pro Helvetia as a member of the forum provided one of them, entitled «Häuser und Förderung öffnen. Interkultur im Schweizer Kulturbetrieb» (opening up institutions and promotional opportunities – interculturality in the Swiss cultural scene)
The «Nationaler Kulturdialog» (national cultural dialogue) was jointly founded by the Swiss Confederation, cantons and municipalities in 2011 with the aim of boosting collaboration between the various parties involved. One of the key topics of this cultural policy forum is how to strengthen cultural participation in Switzerland. A manual has now been published on the subject under the heading «Kulturelle Teilhabe» (cultural participation). With around 30 contributions written on invitation, adding up to nearly 400 pages, it gives an overview of the understanding and the history of cultural participation, explores fields of action and presents practical approaches. The articles are written either in German, French or Italian, and are each accompanied by a summary in all three languages.
In connection with its Intercultural Society programme, Pro Helvetia is committed to in-depth reflexion and research on intercultural diversity in the Swiss cultural scene, with a special focus on participation by cultural practitioners with a migratory background. For the publication, Pro Helvetia organised a discussion between three experts in the field: Carena Schlewitt (former artistic director of Kaserne Basel), Anja Dirks (director of Belluard Festival Freiburg) and Martin R. Dean (writer and journalist). The resulting contribution makes it clear where the topic is currently located in the Swiss cultural landscape, between which areas of tension it must develop further and which paths of support could be taken. Pro Helvetia’s contribution called «Häuser und Förderung öffnen. Interkultur im Schweizer Kulturbetrieb» (opening up institutions and promotional opportunities – interculturality in the Swiss cultural scene) can be found on pages 248 to 255.
