Forum Amsterdam - 10-12-2006
The Role of the City in building Europe
This anual event this year is about the role of the city in Europe.
That the major geopolitical and social changes taking place in Europe today go hand in hand with feelings of uncertainty on the part of its populace need surprise no one. It may be more of a surprise that national governments, particularly concerned about their own national unity, are embracing cramped policies. This, however, is also understandable: they do not want to fall out of favour with their own indigenous populations. In apparent diametrical opposition to this tendency is the increasing effort on the parts of cities to present themselves as international, cosmopolitan and cultural centres. The economic potential of Europe’s cities are, of course, at stake. Cities are functioning more and more in the global marketplace, while national governments still focus on their specific national markets. If we fail to see such phenomena as a cultural process, we risk coming up with only financial, economic solutions. The limitations of such solutions can be seen everywhere around us. What is needed is a vision, in the first place at the urban level, in order to see the interrelationships between culture, economy and social issues. To this end, Forum Amsterdam will focus this one-day event on all three of these factors.
Programme
Concert hall
Host: Ab Cherribi (City of Amsterdam, district De Baarsjes)
12.00 - 12.05
Welcome: Linda Bouws (director The Felix Meritis Foundation)
12.05 - 12.10
Statements Young Europeans
Kyrylo Bulkin, Journalist at Radio Liberty (Kiev, Ukraine), Gabriella Gönczy (SignandSight.com), Elisabetta Carnevale (EUSTORY) and Helene Grenzebach (EUSTORY) will give their view on the role of the city in building Europe.
Language: English
12.10 - 12.50
Keynote speech: Can Cities survive without being Creative Cities?
Giovanni Padula (CityO and Creativity Group Europe)
Language: English
12.50 - 13.00
Questions and Answers
13.00 - 13.30
BREAK
Parallel programme in various Felix Meritis Halls
13.00 - 16.30
A Soul for Europe: Cities and Regions workshop
Closed meeting
13.00 - 15.00
Café Metropole (part 1)
Interviews with young Europeans from The People Network (screen) and a presentation of The People Network, an interactive database which creates a flexible memorial of today’s Europeans.
13.30 - 15.00
The Parade of Ideas: Intercultural Dialogue
Which are the factors which determine a successful intercultural dialogue?
With Soheila Najand (Foundation Interart), Odile Chenal (European Cultural Foundation), Dragan Klaic (Permanent Fellow Felix Meritis), Hugo de Greef (European Festivals Association), Haci Karacaer (Foundation Marhaba and House for Arts and Culture Amsterdam), Joanneke Lootsma (The Felix Meritis Foundation / AMSU).
Moderator: Ab Cherribi
Language: Dutch
13.30 - 15.00
Amsterdam-Berlin, Berlin-Amsterdam
What makes a city a metropolis? What is the importance of cultural co-operation?
With Ferry Houterman (Association of small and medium enterprises in Amsterdam, MKB), George Lawson (Centre for International Cultural Activities/SICA), Jan Heeren (City of Amsterdam), Joachim Umlauf (Goethe Institute, Amsterdam) and Giovanni Padula (CityO and Creativity Group Europe).
Moderator: Kathinka Dittrich van Weringh (board The Felix Meritis Foundation)
Language: English
15.00 - 16.30
Cities and Citizenship
Presentation of Signandsight.com (an example of practical implementation of a European Public Space). Young Europeans of The People Network, the Körber-Stiftung, the European Cultural Foundation and others will present their visions on what a city represents for them. How important are cities in the European integration process?
Moderator: Dragan Klaic
Language: English
15.00 - 16.30
Café Metropole (part 2)
With several presentations, a.o. The People Network, Amsterdam Index Live! (Diana Krabbendam), the book ‘Patras-Amsterdam’ by Alexandra Zoi, the documentary ‘Orange Revolution’ by Kyrylo Bulkin and The Strategic Importance of Culture for Europe (the European Cultural Parliament) by Bert Mulder.
Moderator: GJ van Veggel.
Language: English / Dutch
15.30 - 16.30
Istanbul and Europe
Presentation on Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture by Serhan Ada (Bilgi University, Istanbul).
Language: English
16.30 – 16.45
Launch of the EFA publication Still so much to be done: Challenges for Culture in Europe, Anne-Marie Autissier, Frans de Ruiter, Rik Pinxten, Volker Hassemer and José Manuel Barroso on the legacy of 100 years of Denis de Rougemont. With Hugo de Greef and Frans de Ruiter (Universiteit Leiden).
Moderator: GJ van Veggel.
Language: English
16.45 - 17.15
Conclusions: a representative from each workshop will present the results of their workshop in a plenary session.
Moderator: Simon Mundy (Permanent Fellow Felix Meritis)
Language: English
17.15 - 18.00
Drinks in the Foyer
Short speech by Anne Graumans (City of Amsterdam, PvdA)
Note: this is a preliminary programme. Sessions and speakers are subject to change.
Language: English & Dutch
This event is organized in collaboration with a.o. the city of Amsterdam, A Soul for Europe, Stiftung Zukunft Berlin 2006, The People Network, CityO, Creativity Group Europe, Foundation Interart, European Cultural Foundation, Goethe Institute Amsterdam, European Festivals Association, The Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University, Association of small and medium enterprises in Amsterdam (MKB), European Cultural Parliament, Foundation Marhaba, Leiden University, Signandsight.com and EUSTORY.
