Mynd: Felagsmynd av norðurlendsku mentamálaráðharrunum
Røða hjá Rigmor Dam, landsstýriskvinnu í mentamálum, á seminarinum Re-shaping Cultural Policies for Development Promoting Diversity of Cultural Expressions and Artistic Freedom in a Digital Age í Helsinki 2. mai 2016
New challenges in cultural policies
Director-General
Ministers
Ladies and Gentlemen
From the western periphery, with the largest island in the world, to an archipelago consisting of some 6,500 islands and skerries in the east. In the middle, a group of 18 small islands, which tiny rocky shore has been compared to a grain of sand on the floor of a dance hall - the diversity of the Nordic Region is immense.
Titled autonomous territories in the Nordic co-operation Greenland, the Åland Islands and the Faroe Islands are facing different conditions, but they still share the fundamental Nordic values on democracy and freedom of expression. I am sure that the current challenges in cultural policies and how they are met are different but as minister of culture in the Faroe Islands, I now speak on behalf of all three autonomous territories.
The Faroe Islands are not yet part of the 2005 convention, but the associated membership of UNESCO that the Faroes obtained in 2009 and the formation of a national commission for UNESCO in 2012 have connected the Faroe Islands to the wider world. Especially we have benefitted from the close cooperation among the National Commissions for UNESCO in the Nordic countries.
Greenland has signed the convention, and participates in the cooperation as a part of the Danish National Commission.
In terms of challenges for development in cultural policymaking, I will point out these three issues:
- Culture in sustainable development and gender equality
A governmental report from 2013 states that the main issue challenging the Faroe Islands is a declining and aging population. Like in other peripheries, the reason can be found in especially women seeking the opportunities of the centres, but in the case of an island society, they move abroad and will therefore not contribute to the economic, social or cultural development of the society. A survey from 2012 claims that in the Faroe Islands out of the 54 % of women receiving a higher education, 61% of them study abroad, and less than 50 % of them will return to the islands after their studies. Lack of opportunities in the periphery and the traditional hunting society of the Faroe Islands were stated as possible reasons, as it is in Greenland.
Even though the latest figures show that the population in the Faroe Islands is now slightly increasing, the circumstances call for a cultural policy development in all autonomous territories where the possibilities of cultural and creative industries development are pursued and where gender issues are taken into consideration.
Current actions of the government in cultural development include a strengthening of the Faroese Cultural Fund. The aim is to double the financial support on art and culture over the next three years.
Although there is a growing awareness of the importance of cultural and creative resources, in general the shortcomings of statistics contributes to the perception of art and culture as an expense rather than a value to the society.
- Promoting mobility and access
One of the key findings in the Global Report on the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions is that the mobility of artists and other cultural professional is crucial to maintaining a heterogeneous world of ideas, values and views.
The fostering of mobility and diversity of cultural expressions should be central issues in cultural policymaking in societies situated in the periphery.
A recent action taken on as a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Tórshavn, the Nordic House and the national airline company is an “Air Bridge” aimed at supporting Faroese professional artists travelling abroad.
I would like to mention the Nordic Houses and institutes as valuable contributors to the diversity of cultural expressions. Bringing the Nordic region and the wider world on stage and acting as facilitators for artists accessing the international market, the Nordic Houses and institutes over the last 30 years have been drivers in the cultural development. Over the years, the Nordic Houses and institutes have also pushed the boundaries by expanding the variety of artistic expression.
- Media diversity and the challenges of the digital age
Being among the world’s smallest languages by number of native speakers, the Greenlandic and Faroese languages face challenges in the digital age. Living and thriving languages in every respect, the dominant position of English on the digital platforms will eventually have an impact on the languages of future generations.
A main issue in the cultural policymaking is to ensure that the small languages are available for a wide range of media and platforms including mobile devices, television for kids, teaching materials and more. To islands with less than 50,000 inhabitants that is a major task.
In terms of civil participation and inclusion, we believe that cultural institutions like libraries and museums could play a vital role in responding to the challenges of the society in the digital age.
The digital age will provide opportunities for islands societies and peripheries to overcome some of the boundaries previously maintained by distance. In 1624 John Donne wrote “No man is an island”. In the digital age, not even islands are islands. That has to be reflected in the re-shaping of the cultural policies in the digital Age.
Thank you for your attention.