INCD media release: Artists around the world speak out for cultural diversity at the WTO's 5th ministerial meeting in Cancun

This is an excellent initiative - what a shame it was
not previously circulated more widely.
I'm sure lots of people on this list would have
liked to add their names.
On a related note, if anyone London based is reading
this, there's an open planning meeting of the European
Social Forum Cultural Committee tonight at the
back left hand (east) corner of the Royal Festival
Hall foyer at 7pm to talk about possible
British contributions to art seminars and workshops
for the ESF in Paris in November.
For further details mail Nancy Lindisfarne
[email protected]
best
michael

— A Virtual Memorial <[email protected]>
wrote:
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> Artists around the world speak out for cultural
> diversity
>
> ".we celebrate and encourage our cultural diversity
> and embrace and respect
> our cultural differences." INCD Artists Letter
>
> Sept 10, 2003 - The International Network for
> Cultural Diversity (INCD -
> www.incd.net) will launch the Artists Letter on
> Cultural Diversity during
> the World Trade Organization's (WTO) 5th Ministerial
> Meeting in Cancun,
> Mexico. Leading Mexican actress Angelica Aragon
> will release the letter at
> a Public Forum being held on September 12th.
>
> The INCD brings together artists and cultural
> organizations from 70
> countries who are working together to counter the
> negative effects of
> globalization on our cultures.
>
> Signed by artists from 15 countries and all of the
> cultural sectors, the
> Artists Letter calls on governments to protect
> cultures from the
> infringements of trade agreements, to work to
> encourage more balanced
> exchanges between cultures and to recognize the
> unique status of cultural
> expression as a reflection of human identity. It is
> imperative that culture
> not be reduced to its economic value as the WTO
> negotiations threaten to do.
> Many governments are under pressure to bargain away
> their cultural identity
> in the race to liberalize all sectors of the
> economy.
>
> This is why Harry Belafonte, Ingmar Bergman, Nadine
> Gordimer, Danny Glover,
> Sam Neill and 36 other artists have added their
> names to the growing
> international movement to secure the right of all
> artists to practice their
> craft and share the wealth of the world's cultures.
> The artists also
> support the proposed new Convention on Cultural
> Diversity, currently under
> consideration at UNESCO. This Convention would
> provide a permanent legal
> basis for the promotion and protection of cultural
> diversity and ensure that
> cultures can thrive in the era of globalization.
>
> The Artists Letter is below with the list of the
> initial signatories. For
> more information on the artists, please go to
> www.incd.net/letter/letter.htm
>
> Public Forum:
> Friday, Sept 12, 2003, 10:30-12:30
> Hotel Best Western Plaze Caribe
> Tulum Uxmal Lote 19, Cancun Mexico
> www.incd.net/events/seminars.html
>
> Media contacts:
> Tammy Ballantyne
> Artists Letter Project
> [email protected]
> cell: 27 83 440 4984
>
> Alexis Andrew
> INCD Associate Coordinator
> Tel: 1 613 238 3561 ext 17
> [email protected]
>
> In Cancun:
> Garry Neil
> INCD Coordinator
> Cell: 1 416 518 1256
>
> Rafael Segovia
> INCD Steering Committee/Mexico
> Cell: 555.413.0306
>
> AN OPEN LETTER FROM ARTISTS
>
> It is time to secure the rights of artists globally.
> These rights are at
> risk because international trade courts are ruling
> on artistic matters.
>
> We are artists and citizens of the global village.
> We come from every
> community and work in all artistic fields. Through
> our words, music, films,
> dance, paintings and plays, in every language on
> earth, we entertain, inform
> and engage our fellow citizens in the adventure of
> being human.
>
> It is an exciting time to be an artist.
> Technologies can overcome physical
> distance and allow our works to be shared more
> widely than ever before. We
> have the potential to exchange and blend our rich
> diversity of cultural
> practices in ways our ancestors could only imagine.
>
> It is also a dangerous time. Many human conflicts
> arise from a failure to
> recognize cultural complexities or from perceived
> threats to cultural
> values. The road to security and prosperity
> requires that we celebrate and
> encourage our cultural diversity and embrace and
> respect our cultural
> differences.
>
> Some believe artistic creations are no different
> from conventional goods and
> services and they deny or ignore the powerful
> cultural importance of works
> of the human imagination. For some of the world's
> largest corporations,
> artistic works are commodities to be bought and sold
> like any other. They
> seek to dominate the world's markets with
> homogenized forms of popular
> culture and thus marginalize artists in many of our
> communities.
>
> Our world of unequal economic relationships has
> created unequal cultural
> relationships. We believe governments have a
> responsibility to resist the
> economic push by implementing policies that support
> diverse local artists
> and cultural producers, and ensure pluralism in the
> media and the arts.
> This will create more choice and bring about a
> greater balance in exchange
> between cultures. Governments must also preserve
> threatened cultures and
> languages, especially those of indigenous peoples.
>
> An important struggle between these incompatible
> visions is underway in
> trade negotiations. Trade officials negotiate rules
> that would hasten a
> global monoculture and make it virtually impossible
> for communities to
> support their artists. We oppose these efforts.
>
> At the same time, discussions have started within
> and outside UNESCO to
> develop a new global Convention on Cultural
> Diversity to provide a legal
> foundation for government measures that support
> cultural diversity and to
> encourage governments to use that authority
> domestically. We support this
> initiative.
>
> As artists, we come from different disciplines; as
> citizens, we come from
> different countries.
> But, we are united in our call to the world's
> leaders:
>