DENIS DE ROUGEMONT FORUM
East West Center in cooperation with the European Festivals Association (EFA) is co-organizing this year’s edition of Denis de Rougemont Forum, which will take place as part of the 5th Sarajevo Fest in November 2023.
Denis de Rougemont Forum is an exceptional event that annually gathers over 35 members of EFA; directors of top European festivals for the purpose of promoting cooperation and coproduction with other festivals and cities. The guests will comprise the following festivals’ directors: Finland Festivals, Ravenna Festival, Mittelfest, Het Theater Festival, Horizon 50/200, Tuzla Live Association, Art Lab, International Theatre Festival Kontakt, Festival of Ljubljana, Dah Theatre, Divine Comedy Festival, Theatre City Budva, Gdansk Shakespeare Festival, Flanders Festival Gent, Wonderfeel, Artlink, Cultural Center Nikola Đurkovic Kotor.
Programme:
15:00-15:45
Welcome speech:
Haris Pašović (Director of Sarajevo Fest and East West Centre)
Jan Briers (President of European Festivals Association)
Kathrin Deventer (Secretary General of European Festivals Association)
Peter Florence (Founder – European Festivals Forest)
Agenda: What are the biggest requirements and challenges for festival selectors in the world today?
15.45-16.45 Working meetings 1
16.45-17.00 Break
17.00-18.00 Working meetings 2
18.00-18.30 Key note speech – Edin Zubčević, Jazz Fest
Denis de Rougemont
Seventy years ago, Swiss writer, philosopher and European federalist, Denis de Rougemont and Ukrainian conductor Igor Markevitch launched the European Festivals Association (EFA) as a peace project, a dialogue platform, an expression of hope and reconciliation. Today the EFA comprises around one hundred individual members – music, theatre, dance and interdisciplinary festivals – as well as national festival associations and cultural networks in forty countries, whereas the East West Center Sarajevo Festival is a full-pledged member.
We live in a world that is constantly challenging our society at large and the arts and cultural sector in particular. As we have to re-think our role and responsibilities, we ask: what are our strategies, what can and should festivals do in a changed world, how will festivals define their position within the societies they are working in? Can we influence politics as a sector? Can we create dialogue platforms where the voice of the arts in festivals is taken on board? Today, it probably becomes even more important than before to foster artistic activities and cultural work through festivals across borders, as a strong tool against desperation and destruction – is the European Festivals Association’s statement on the occasion of marking the 70th anniversary in Yerevan.