ELL: Cultural production

[Jokin Garatea]

Dear all, some thoughs about it
In our opinion, with a view to undertaking the challenge of taking a more active
and innovative approach to introduce and extend the culture of lesser used
languages regions among people more effectively, prioritising actions, scaling
the necessary resources and focusing on markets, it is necessary to begin with an
initial phase of forming a strategy in which necessary data is collected, a first
assessment of the internal development capacities is completed, and the combined
commitment of the various organisations in the network are tested out.
When speaking of regions with minority cultures, culture has been left out of
regional development policy. And, yet, a basic issue is how to promote
communication between cultural focuses and ambits beyond those hermetic spaces
formed by states, in short, how to really integrate Europe.
It would be desirable to opt for a concept of an inter-territorial cultural
network in artistic, cultural and communicative training, for the horizontalised
production of small and medium enterprises (SME) and for cultural research, all
in contact with the regional Cultural Platforms which would be also networked.
The challenges demand that the absurd competition between regions be abandoned in
favour of a common strategy based co-financing initiatives, linked in to EU
programmes for promotion of creativity. In this sense a network of resources of
industries and cultural services could constitute a departure point which is
coherent with a globalising and integrated concept.
In this period of changes a reaction is more than ever needed which puts on the
agenda all the problems by convening Clusters which bring together the various
disciplines of culture, agents, generations,
 The idea would be to achieve a
common position, a diagnostic, some central ideas for the future for a cultural
strategy and sufficient consensus for a co-operative redeployment.

Non Profit and private co-operation is needed.
Opening up to the initiatives of civil society requires a model of intermediation
between the Industries and cultural Promoters, mixed, a network of independent
Clusters of Culture, integrating, global –over the different levels of culture-,
representative, autonomous, decision-making, taxable, but not ruling out links
with other administrations. The European public and private cultural industries
are part of the social heritage. A policy of social and public service which
influences both, can and must avoid both dirigisme and the mere transfer of
public funds for private businesses. In addition, resolved support for private or
mixed industrial initiatives should imply rigorous obligations for the
beneficiaries, in keeping with the strategically defined lines of development,
and their regular assessment. Assistance for creators and social institutions
involved in cultural creation and diffusion must discriminate in favour of what
experience points to in terms of quality and effectiveness.

Another important point is the Commitment to Multimedia, culture and networks of
Clusters
There is still a lack of awareness of the inherent economic potential of culture.
The opportunity is there to construct European culture, at the same time as the
economy diversifies into products with future. There is no other option than
producing for beyond the imaginary Regional frontiers, with acceptable quality
levels, specialising in culture based on the own identity. The cultural industry
becomes a strategic sector from the cultural and economic perspective. It is not
possible to generate culture solely from public funds.
The latter must promote a cultural economic structure which is as
self-sustainable as possible. However a small region is scarcely able to make a
generalised commitment to develop all the cultural industries and all their
segments. Even dealing with all the industries and arts and cultivating integral
preparation in all the specialities possible, some priorities seem necessary. For
example considering the cluster for the Multimedia-IT ambit, as a ‘new industrial
sector’ or a ‘emerging strategic sector’, particularly when the Multimedia sector
is becoming integrated in the concept of applied information and high added value
technology (creation, design of new uses and applications of programs
). This
signifies that industrialised culture must be the subject of co-ordination
between the various regions with minority cultures.

Cultural strategy
Although keeping in mind that strategically it is necessary to generate a
structure of cultural industries and facilities which are as self-sustainable as
possible, the cultural challenges of a small community can only be approached
with an indispensable cultural strategy.
Cultural dirigisme of most European States are directed towards the field of
exposition, exhibition or services–and not cultural production or creation- and
which have conditioned the budgets, and inter-institutional competition have been
the deadly sins of the cultural strategies of the various European states.
Despite the fact that a number of states have set out on other policies, reducing
the previous arbitrariness and taking some decisions jointly with the social
agents, the strategic aspects of cultural strategy needed for minority regions
have not been considered.

General objective of the Clusters
To develop the own cultural production capacity means, first, fashioning products
capable of crossing our borders attracting to young people and, second,
artistically exploiting our own identities in both their universal and specific
components. Moreover, approval abroad of minorities own production is the very
condition for the latter to satisfy the tastes of a country educated in
international quality standards.
In any case a Strategic Programme for European Minority Cultures, drawn up on the
basis of an exhaustive preliminary study of the structures, problems and
challenges of culture, and debated socially, is an unavoidable current necessity.

Best regards,
Jokin Garatea

Coelho wrote:

> At 11:10 AM 11/20/01 +0800, Mauro Tosco wrote:
> >Is English (everywhere), or a national language (in its respective country),
> >an expression of "culture"? Certainly not - or not only; they are an
> >expression of life.
> >How long can you go on having a language for the expression of your culture,
> >and another for the expression of your life? That's the question.
>
> I would expect that many stable (?) multilingual societies have just this.
> Expect that, perhaps in stable areas with not so much language decline, the
> minority language is the one used for 'expression of your life' and a
> dominant one is used for 'cultural' stuff. But I'm not sure....
>
> Gail
>
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