The Valletta 2018 Foundation cordially invites you to attend the
First Annual International Conference on Cultural Relations in Europe and the Mediterranean
Date: 4th & 5th September
Venue: University of Malta, Valletta Campus
The conference aims to explore contemporary cultural relations within the Mediterranean in the framework of Valletta as European Capital of Culture 2018. A broad range of international speakers are invited to reflect upon how this project can contribute to a dialogue on shared cultural experiences within the Euro-Med region. Keynote speeches will be delivered by Professor Henry Frendo and Professor Mostafa Hassani-Idrissi.
The conference is being organised in conjunction with the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival from 4-6 September.
For more information on the conference, including registration details, kindly visit http://www.valletta2018.org/euro-med-international-conference
Kindly disseminate information on this conference among your contacts.
Valletta 2018 Foundation
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The Valletta 2018 Foundation is launching a series of annual international conferences addressing different aspects related to cultural relations in Europe and the Mediterranean, with the first conference to be held on 4-5 September at the University of Malta, Valletta Campus.
Particular importance will be given to matters related to the common histories and geo-political realities of Europe and the Mediterranean within the spheres of international relations and cultural diplomacy.
The First Annual Valletta 2018 International Conference on Cultural Relations in Europe and the Mediterranean aims to address aspects of contemporary cultural relations in the Mediterranean in the framework of Valletta as European Capital of Culture (ECoC). The conference is being organised in conjunction with the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival organised by Inizjamed from 4-6 September.
The ECoC is a European flagship project aiming to raise positive awareness of ‘Europeanness’ among EU citizens and beyond, and following 25 years and circa 50 such cities, results are mixed.
The variety of international speakers are invited to reflect on how this project can contribute to a dialogue and exchange of experiences in terms of cultural experiences and expressions in the Euro-Med area, also in light of the chequered history of super-national initiatives such as the Union for the Mediterranean and the Anna Lindh Foundation.
The conference will feature four panels of three speakers each, with two panels per morning. The speakers have been asked to address aspects of Valletta related to its European and Mediterranean vocation, and, arguably, a road map. Their interventions will act as a starting point for discussions to follow, and refer participants to this particular point in time and space when Valletta, and by extension Malta, may have a particular role to play.
The anniversaries celebrated in 2014, the holding of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2015, the 450th anniversary of the foundation of Valletta in 2016 and the Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2017 can also provide a backdrop to this narrative.
Dates
The conference will take place on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th September 2014 at the Valletta Campus. The conference is being organised in conjunction with the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival organised by Inizjamed from 4-6 September.
Collaboration
The Valletta 2018 Foundation is collaborating with the Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government, University of Malta for academics and students, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for diplomats and the Ministry for Education for younger students and teachers, particularly with reference to those engaged in the areas of history, social studies and geography.
The Valletta 2018 Foundation is happy to collaborate with various institutes, depending on the particular area of interest related to the conference which can be extended to engage different sectors of Maltese society and international participants.
The Foundation has struck strategic relationships with significant partners in devising these conferences in order to relate discussions to Malta’s hosting of important international events over the coming years, namely the CHOGM in 2015, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) general meeting, previously held in Australia, Asia and South America, in 2016, the cultural programme of the Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2017 and the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) in 2018.
Keynote Speakers
– Prof Henry Frendo – various, including UNESCO national commissioner
– Prof Mostafa Hassani-Idrissi – various (edited manual on the Mediterranean as part of Marseille 2013)
Speakers
– Lluis Bonet – ENCATC (European Network of Cultural Administration Training Centres)
– Dr George Cassar – Institute for Tourism Travel and Culture, UoM and Valletta 2018 Foundation Research Coordinating Committee
– Dr Jason Dittmer – Reader in Human Geography, University College London
– Khadija El Bennaoui – various, including EUNIC (European Union National Institutes of Culture)
– Hatto Fischer – various, including ECOC network with base in Athens
– France Irrmann, Responsable Pôle événements, Espaceculture_Marseille
– Emilano Paoletti – BJCEM (Biennale of young artists from Europe and the Med) secretary general
– Ferdinand Richard – various, including Roberto Cimetta Fund
– Anna Steinkamp and Christine Merkel – German Commission for UNESCO (responsible for, among other things, monitoring and the implementation of the UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity)
– Dr Enric Olivé Serret – UNESCO Chair for Euro-Med intercultural dialogue, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona
– Carlo Testini – BJCEM responsible for the Biennale of Young Artists of Europe & the Mediterranean/ARCI (Rome)
– Dr Nadia von Maltzah, Orient-Institut Beirut
More Information
For registration please log on: http://www.um.edu.mt/events/culturalrelations2014
For information on registration please email Lucienne Bugeja lucienne.bugeja@um.edu.mt
For more information on content please email imagine@valletta2018.org
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