The Roberto Cimetta Fund (RCF), an international association providing support for transnational artistic and cultural mobility in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, is pleased to publish the report on the seminar “International Artistic Mobility and Territorial Diplomacy” that took place in Guimarães, European Capital of Culture 2012 on 24th May last.
This document is the first step in discussing and identifying local and regional strategies to develop transnational artistic mobility. We hope to continue and enlarge this working process with local and regional authorities in Europe and the Arab world taking into account the impact of globalisation and the models of cooperation that could be possible and relevant in this context.
50 stakeholders (artists, cultural operators, local and regional representatives or institutions) from 8 Arab, 10 European countries shared their expertise on these complex issues.
At a time when geographical concepts are adapting to the new axes of global exchange and alliances are being formed at regional and local levels as a consequence of the building of Europe, RCF would like to reassert the need for a cultural partnership between Europe and the Arab world. Investing in artistic mobility is not only an individual moment of political responsibility but has long term spin-off effects on the appropriation of global cultural products, identity building and new forms of cultural expression that can be source of renewal in the country of residence as well as the country of origin.
The Roberto Cimetta Fund extends its sincere gratitude to the partners of this seminar, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Guimarães, European Capital of Culture 2012.