Kulturudvalget 2015-16, Udenrigsudvalget 2015-16
KUU Alm.del Bilag 132, URU Alm.del Bilag 167
Offentligt
1
Honourable Members of Parliament, fellow speakers in the panel, ladies and
gentlemen…
I am an
independent
evaluator of development assistance. I have had the privilege
of evaluating a
wide
range of different sectors over a period of 20 years. Culture
and development is one area I work in and I
remain engaged
in this area, because I
have seen the unique and
important results
it can achieve on the ground.
I would like to share with you how other countries are working in the field of
culture and development.
SLIDE 2
Why do donor governments support culture in developing countries? Well, culture
has a role in
three aspects
of development assistance:
First, Culture can contribute to
socio economic
growth through investments in the
creative industries. The UN estimates that the World trade of creative goods and
services totalled US$ 600 billion in 2011.
Secondly, culture is seen as having a role in fostering peace. This is nothing new.
Culture was the foundation of the bridge-building among the Nordic countries that
led to the close cooperation we enjoy today. Since then, culture has played a role in
the peace processes of for example, the former Yugoslavia.
Third, culture has an important role in efforts to promote
democratic development
and human rights. A strong and well-functioning democracy depends on a vibrant
and independent culture sector to
voice
social, political and moral concerns.
There are studies and reports that provide
evidence
of the role of culture in
all
three of these areas.
SLIDE 3
So how do donor countries work with culture in developing countries?
 URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 167: Oplæg fra Kulturudvalgets og Udenrigsudvalgets fælles høring om kultur og udvikling
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SLIDE 4
This roughly depends on what kind of country they are. The large and post-colonial
countries, and here I mean the USAs, Great Britains, Spains and Frances of the
world, put
cultural diplomacy
at the fore. In this work,
national institutes
(like
the Göthe Institute, British Council, etc) are central. Their main mission is to
promote
their
national culture and
their
language. While they may support
exchange & dialogue among peoples, the main aim is generally
not
reducing
poverty in developing countries.
When this group of countries do support culture as part of their development effort,
it can be significant but it tends to be ad hoc.
SLIDE 5
Another important type of donor are the larger
foundations
such as Ford
Foundation, Open Society Foundation and the Prince Claus Fund. These tend to
have
progressive
and well developed strategies that focus on
creativity
and
free
expression.
Civil society and dialogue are central components of their culture
support.
SLIDE 6
A third group of donor countries are what are often termed the
like-minded.
They
are smaller countries with a commitment to poverty reduction and free expression.
Denmark is included in this group. Leading up to the mid-2000s, this group was
relatively
active
in the culture and development arena. For example, Sweden
played a
leading
role with an average of 225 million kronor a year for its culture
programmes. Switzerland set a goal of dedicating 1% of its aid budget to culture.
Norway developed a comprehensive strategy and Denmark continued to expand its
work in the area.
SLIDE 7
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Today the situation is different. The Swiss have not met their 1% goal. Because of
organisational reform and economic downturn Swedish Sida drastically reduced its
cultural commitments in 2007. It has however expressed new ambitions in this
area, but the process is on hold for the moment. The Dutch and Norwegians have
held low profiles.
Meanwhile Denmark burst to the forefront in 2013 with its innovative strategy. Its
well-grounded and
refreshing
approach served as an
inspiration
for national
institutes and cultural organisations. UNESCO has been very interested in the
Danish approach and the UN Secretary General mentioned Denmark in reports.
The pending closure of CKU is thus of course
greatly
regretted by many in
the culture and development community. It
will
be missed internationally.
SLIDE 8
But there are also
positive
developments going on. Some of the national institutes
are starting to recognise the benefits of a southern perspective, like the one applied
by CKU. A few are being given a
larger
role in their
country’s
development work.
An example is the British Council which has established a culture and development
unit.
Second, the developments in the Middle East are creating a genuine understanding
of the importance of both culture and freedom of expression. Inter-cultural
communication and dialogue are higher on the agenda. The concept of
inclusion
is
becoming central and seen as
critical
to reverse negative trends towards
radicalisation.
And while cultural aspects make a very
minor
appearance in the
new
UN
Sustainable Development Goals, at least there is
some
recognition of them
compared to the former millennium goals.
SLIDE 9
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But there are quite a
few challenges
ahead. First, the
mainstream
development
community generally
fail
to embrace the role of culture in development. Why? For
a start, culture is a
complex
concept. It is hard to
define.
Second, the most
important results from cultural programmes involve
changing attitudes
and social
transformation. This takes time. Third, results achieved can be difficult to
measure
(but not impossible). Fourth, paradoxically it is a disadvantage that effective
cultural projects
do not cost
much
–
because this makes the administration of the
support relatively
more
expensive.
Another challenge that looms ahead is that of
rising cultural relativism.
As China
plays an increasingly large role on the world stage and in developing countries in
particular, its
influence
will increase. Its so-called
“human rights with Chinese
characters”
in which freedom of expression is
overlooked,
may inspire certain
leaders of the developing world.
SLIDE 10
What are the needs ahead?
First, there is a need for
leadership
with vision in the sector. Denmark will leave
behind a vacuum by closing CKU.
Second, there is a need for greater
championing
of freedom of expression through
culture
–
this is a prerequisite for democratic development (through critical
thinking) and socioeconomic growth (through creativity and innovation). Cultural
freedom, diversity, the voices of the excluded AND
democratic culture itself
need
to be promoted.
SLIDE 11
Third, there is a need to support peace and bridge-building
within
countries,
among
people and
between
regions. This includes supporting dialogue to find
common ground and promote mutual understanding. It also means support to
 URU, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 167: Oplæg fra Kulturudvalgets og Udenrigsudvalgets fælles høring om kultur og udvikling
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culture
in conflict areas
–
from documenting what war is doing to society; to arts
and cultural activities for trauma & reconciliation.
Fourth, there is a need for
resources.
While there are small sums available from
different donors here and there, long-term support has become practically non-
existent as has predictable funding.
SLIDE 12
These needs that I mention assume that supporting culture in developing countries
is worth it. But can the marginal funds available for culture really make a
difference? I would like to answer that by reading one of
many
quotes I have
gathered from the
ground level.
This one is from a young Palestinian man.
SLIDE 13
I used to be one of the
violent
people. I was
dangerous.
Before, my
gun
did the
talking.
Now theatre
has given me
another
way to talk. Power is not all in your
muscles. I can write, perform and I have power
within
myself. Before I did not
know how to speak out and I was afraid. I can now reach people with my
messages. I make society better by teaching
children
to think, imagine, express
themselves and act. When I had a gun, I was afraid to die. Now I am not afraid
because now I can
touch
people's hearts.