Pro Helvetia is launching FolkDEBATEculture, a series of five debates on folk culture and cultural promotion that will explore issues of cultural policy thrown up by the joint projects in the «echoes - folk culture for tomorrow» programme.
Representatives from the worlds of folk culture, cultural promotion, politics, science, economics, religion and the media will pose questions such as: When does folk culture play a role in identity? Does folk culture strengthen democracy? Does folk culture promote a national feeling of togetherness? Does folk culture contribute to the integration of non-Swiss sectors of the population? Is folk culture a product of globalisation? Why bother promoting folk culture? Does public promotion of the arts have a particular obligation towards folk-cultural creation? What are the criteria for promoting folk culture? Does cultural promotion distort folk culture?
The joint projects and the accompanying debates will be evaluated at a cultural policy conference. The central question will be: What conclusions can be reached from the «echoes - folk culture for tomorrow» projects?
A debate on folk culture and cultural promotion
Pro Helvetia,
29 August 2007, Switzerland