4604.pdf

Media

extracted text
the »e @F
QN EWEWMEMT

SIDA/Education Division

SIDA’s strategy for promoting
development through cultural
co-operation

The Role of Culture
in Development

SIDA, Education Division
Section for Culture & Media

Preface
This strategy for SIDA’s cultural development co-operation has been
worked out during 1994 by the Section for Cultural & Media at the
Education Division. The strategy will be revised from time to time.
We therefore welcome commets.

Mars 1995

3

Contents
1. BACKGROUND.............................................................................................. 5

1.1

Cultural development co-operation, contents
and characteristics.................................................................................. 5

1.2

The cultural sector in developing countries.................................... 5

2. WHY CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION?.................. 6
2.1

The democracy aspect...........................................................................7

2.2

Cultural pluralism.................................................................................. 8

2.3

Tradition and renewal........................................................................... 8

2.4

Cultural industry.................................................................................... 9

3. CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION
IN THE FUTURE.............................................................................................9

3.1

Concentration and pluralism............................................................... 9

3.1.1 Specific goals within respective cultural area............................... 10

3.2

The gender aspect in cultural development co-operation ........... 12

3.3

The south-south and south-north co-operation........................... 12

3.4

Culture in development projects...................................................... 12

3.5

Other...................................................................................................... 13

4. CO-OPERATION......................................................................................... 13
4.1

Co-operation with governmental
and non-governmental organisations............................................. 13

4.2

SIDA’s internal work ......................................................................... 14

4.3

Institutional co-operation and resource base................................ 14

4.4

Coordinating with other donors....................................................... 14

5. SUMMARY..................................................................................................... 15

4

the projects have been carried out in Africa.
Budgetwise, nearly half has gone to program­
mes in Africa, while the other half has been
divided about equally between Latin America
and Asia.
Many programmes are implemented in
direct co-operation with non-governmental
organisations (NGOs), independent groups,
and institutions in the recipient countries sometimes via Swedish organisations.

1. Background
In 1975, SIDA initiated an internal
investigation. The results were presented in
1977 under the title “Cultural support to
developing countries”. Two governmental
investigations were other elements in the
process. In October 1979, the formal
decision about guidelines for cultural support
were made by SIDA’s director general. In
1981, the government decided on an experi­
mental programme for cultural exchange with
developing countries. This involved SIDA
and the Swedish Institute (SI). In yet another
investigation “Cultural co-operation with
developing countries”, it was stated that
cultural co-operation is a symbiosis of
cultural support and cultural exchange.
SIDA’s cultural development co-operation
in African, Asian, and Latin American
countries includes support to cultural projects
within a large number of cultural areas.
Since 1988, upon SIDA’s request, SI deals
with the cultural exchange program between
Sweden and mainly (but not exclusively) the
co-operating countries. A working group
with representatives from SI, the National
Council of Cultural Affairs, the Foreign
Ministry, and SIDA meets regularly to consult
about the exchange programme.
The strategy presented here applies to
cultural development co-operation and not to
the cultural exchange programme.
1.1

Toward strategic support
When the cultural development co-operation
programme started in the early 1980s, it was
mainly governed by different types of
applications from institutions, NGOs, groups,
and individuals in the recipient countries or in
Sweden. The amounts were often small and
used for short-term projects: a concert, a
theatre performance, or a workshop for
painters and sculptors. The great number of
projects that grew during these years, and the
experiences that were gained, constituted the
basis for a direction toward today’s more
strategic sector support in the cultural area.
In some countries, cultural support is
included in the bilateral agreements and are
most often multiple-year or long-term
projects. But the funding is still financially
modest in relation to other types of
development co-operation programmes.
The past years, cultural development co­
operation has, in several recipient countries,
developed to include an increasing number of
long-term and large scale projects not only in
bilateral programmes but also in co-operation
with non-governmental institutions and
organisations.

CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT CO­
OPERATION, CONTENTS AND
CHARACTERISTICS

SIDA’s cultural development co-operation
focuses mainly on artistic creativity within
theatre, dance, music, literature, art and crafts
- ranging from the amateur to the
professional level. Cultural development co­
operation also includes support to museums,
libraries and preservation programmes.
Throughout the years, the majority of

1.2

THE CULTURAL SECTOR IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

In the industrial world, we often see only
the economic and social poverty of
developing countries. But in the cultural
areas, expression is plentiful and rich.
5

Culture blooms despite material deprivation.
Indigenous cultural expression survives despite former colonial oppression or
prohibition in many countries. In certain
cases, perhaps the fight against a common
discernible enemy helped preserve the
traditions.
In the post-colonial countries, the situation
is different. The threats against an indepen­
dent pluralistic culture are more difficult to
identify - it includes global and internal
resource distribution, changed ideals, values,
models, and so on. In many countries those
now in power have accepted the culture of
their colonisers, which often means that they
disdain their own.

need not cost anything, or as an unnecessary
luxury. The cultural sector's need for
economical provisions and support is seldom
responded to.
Cultural practitioners and NGOs pressure
power holders and decision makers in many
ways to upgrade culture in their respective
countries. Part of this work is to prevail upon
governments to create a cultural policy.
There is great interest for acquiring
knowledge and experience from among
others, Sweden. This applies, for example, to
questions about copyright, interest organisa­
tions for cultural workers, and how to pre­
serve an independent cultural life despite
governmental subventions.

From rural to urban
After independence, the social picture has
quickly changed due to migration from rural
areas to rapidly growing urban areas.
Naturally, this affects the role and situation
of culture. Culture is to greater extent an
integrated part of life in agrarian societies in
everyday life and on festive occasions.
Because of the connection to religious and
other ceremonies economical and
organisational needs have not been noticable.
In the urban society, on the other hand, .
the role of culture and its conditions have
changed to activities in leisure time. This
does not mean that cultural experiences are
less important parts of people’s lives. But the
urban societies need an infrastructure of
organisations and institutions that in turn,
require training, knowledge exchange, and
capacity development.

2. Why cultural
development co-operation?
The importance of the cultural dimension for
development work, for the democratisation
process and socio-economic growth has
attracted more and more donor organisations’
attention during the past years. In 1987, the
United Nations declared the forthcoming 10
years to be the Decade for Cultural
Development, and appointed in 1992, the
World Commission for Culture and
Development. SIDA can count itself among
the precursors in this area. While many
donors see culture as a means to achieve good
results in development co-operation projects,
SIDA emphasises that vital culture has an
intrinsic value.
People in all corners of the world, all social
groups, women, men, and children need
stimulation for their imagination, dreams,
and inner development. So we seek aesthetic
experiences. The benefits are hard to
measure. To mention some, they are such as:
• Self-confidence
• Identity

Low priority
Culture is low on the priority lists of
politicians and responsible authorities. In
tough economic times, culture takes a back
seat in developing as well as in industrialised
countries. Culture is viewed as a given that

6

longing for freedom, formulated criticism,
and interpreted wishes and needs.
Individuals and groups that participate in a
creative process, at the same time, are trained
in decision-making and co-operation. No­
body is born with democratic values. It is
something acquired. Culture is one tool
among others.
Freedom of speech is a fundamental
requirement for a democratic society. One of
SIDA’s most important tasks is to support
projects that protect freedom of expression
within literature, theatre, music etc. Regional
and global networks and organisations, which
guard against the breach of freedom of
speech, are found in SIDA’s program for
cultural development co-operation.
The democracy concept has many
subheadings. The requirement for a fair
distribution is one: equal access to
opportunities for cultural practitioners and
cultural experiences as well as access to
artistic training from a social, geographic,
ethnic, and gender point of view.
A normalisation of life is essential to move
the democratisation processes forward.
Culture can have many missions in these
processes, for example, to build bridges
between different groupings, to put forth
peace aspirations, reconciliation, and to heal
traumatised minds.
Culture can be an important bridge builder
between:
• The old and the new
• Ethnic groups
• Rural and urban societies
• Black and white
• Women and men
To counteract isolation and to promote co­
operation, an openness is needed for other
ways of looking at things and for values, an
openness that promotes and consolidates the
democratisation processes.
Cultural experiences also have a healing

• Fellowship
• Confidence
• Quality of life
• Hope for the future
The goals are long-term and concern
primarily other aspects than the economic.
But there are also financial gains to be made
from a creative culture.
Even when the results of cultural projects
are not as measurable as programmes in other
development co-operation areas, it is
important to be aware that both the material
and non-material values must be
acknowledged for a holistic view of people
and society. They are dependent on and
support each other.
Taking stock of earlier and ongoing
cultural development co-operation
experiences, SIDA emphasises the role of
culture in the material and the non-material
development processes, by especially stressing
its role in the democratisation processes and
the value of cultural pluralism. These aspects
mingle and branch off into a discussion about
tradition and renewal and the global mass
culture.
2.1

THE DEMOCRACY ASPECT

SIDA’s cultural development co-operation is
directed in a high degree toward such
activities, which in different ways, work as a
spearhead for development in a democratic
direction.
A rich culture constitutes a cornerstone in
a vital democratic system. Every society is
stimulated, enriched, and dependent on the
fact that humanistic and creative forces have
the opportunity to live, survive, and develop.
Free, creative thought is needed to find
unconventional solutions in situations of
chaos and conflict. Often, new trends and
ideas first show up among cultural
practitioners. Throughout the ages, authors,
musicians, actors, and artists have expressed a
7

role in countries torn apart by war or affected
by other forms of power abuse. Cultural
experiences infuse the will to live and provide
an opportunity to treat traumatic experiences.
These are some essential ingredients in
efforts to strengthen the civic society, an
important part of a vital democracy.
2.2

West Africa, where people rediscovered their
own past.
2.3

TRADITION AND RENEWAL

S1DA supports such projects that seek to
safeguard cultural heritage and projects that
push development further and lead to creative
renewal.
During the past years, the importance of
cultural identity for self-esteem and self­
appreciation has been profusely certified and
emphasised in the cultural and development
debate. It applies to individuals, groups, and
nations. It is important to:
• Know one's roots
• Feel proud of oneis traditions
• Care for and preserve the collective
cultural memory
At the same time, events in different parts
of the world have brought up the question of
how to hinder national cultural self-esteem
from developing into intolerance and chauvi­
nism.
On the other hand cultural development
co-operation, which is only directed towards
the preservation of the traditional cultural
heritage, hinders creativity and development.
New cultural expression, which often has
great difficulties in finding indigenous sup­
port, should also be stimulated.
It must be noted that renewal and further
development presume insights into and
knowledge about the indigenous cultural
traditions. This provides conditions for new
creativity’ and capability to highlight
contemporary problems and point to
guidelines for the future.
To protect freedom of choice and plura­
lism, there must be opportunities for both the
indigenous and the global, the traditional and
the renewal. And possibilities should be
created for the mingling of the differences, the
so called fusion.

CULTURAL PLURALISM

On the cultural scene all over the world,
common questions exist about the global
mass culture. Everywhere, also in Sweden,
people live in a media world that bombards
them to a great extent with the same popular
music, images, and similar messages that are
directed by multinational media companies.
In a positive way, this puts forth a common
frame of reference - especially for young
people.
But this also constitutes a risk for a
slanted, distorted conception of reality with
heavier elements of violence and pornography
or of unrealistic dreams and expectations.
The multinational media material, which is
offered to developing countries at a low price,
is of the worst quality. Indigenous culture has
a hard time competing (mostly for economic
reasons), and at the same time, people’s
knowledge of their own background weakens
and risks being lost.
The western world’s messages are certainly
not alone on the scene. Islamic, Hindu, and
popular Hong Kong cultures are also strong
ingredients in the melting pot.
At the same time, many exciting examples
exist where the meeting between cultures
leads to friction, and an embryo for new
expression begins to grow. One condition is
that the meeting occurs on equal ground, that
is, that the culture specific to a certain coun­
try or group is also kept alive. West African
music is an interesting example. Slaves took
it to the Caribbean. It developed over the
centuries and returned in modern times to

8

2.4

CULTURAL INDUSTRY

3. Cultural development
co-operation in the future

Non-material values are often threatened in
the development processes. Tradition,
heritage, continuity, and new thinking are
assets - cultural, social, and economic which belong to and should be managed by
indigenous institutions and organisations.
The risk that the old knowledge is not
passed on to the younger generation is, in
many ways, a constant threat.
Documentation and other preservation
programs are not sufficient. The knowledge
must be passed on to stay alive. To this end, as
well as for new cultural expression, access to
new technology is needed and new knowledge
about new ways to reach out to the public.
The industrialised world’s interest for
cultures other than its own is increasing. This
requires that the developing countries have a
cultural industry of high quality, adequate
local industrial equipment, and infrastructure,
so that it can exist under equal conditions as
in the industrial world - not to be exploited
by the rich world.
SIDA can support:
• Qualitative cultural industry that
strengthens the recipient country’s
capacity to use its own culture and to
raise the status of culture in the country
• Industrial projects that are essential in
the development process.
For example, publishing is an important
factor in the preservation and development of
cultural identity. The indigenous publishing
industry cares for literature and languages
that are of little interest to the large, multi­
national publishers with large profit motives.
In many developing countries, the presens of
these large publishers threatens to put the
indigenous publishers out of business.
Assistance to projects within the cultural
industry should mainly have the character of
support to getting started, capacity building
and exchange of knowledge.

Requests for long-term support for building
and strengthening institutions and functions
within different culture sectors quickly
increase. So do requests for one-time funding
for particular activities.
The cultural development co-operation’s
basic idea, especially as a component in the
democratisation processes, is to support
pluralism, freedom of choice, and flexibility.
The problem to make all ends meet is
obvious.
3.1

CONCENTRATION AND PLURALISM

It is desirable to reach a balance between a
diverse, creative cultural development co­
operation and a concentration on strategic
sector support for the purpose of achieving
both concentration and pluralism.
Concentration is achieved by:
• Reducing the number of co-operating
countries.
• Forming country-specific cultural co­
operation programmes. For this pur­
pose, the cultural sectors were surveyed
in Nicaragua, Vietnam, Laos, Mozambi­
que, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia,
Tanzania, The West Bank and Gaza.
This work shall continue and be revised
when necessary.
• Striving to attain specific directions
within each cultural area and support
components that strengthen each other.
• Giving the cultural development co­
operation the qualities of sector support
with space within SIDA’s bilateral
programme for certain recipient
countries. Programmes outside bilateral
agreements shall mainly have the
caracter of support to getting started
and one-time activities.

9

3.1.1 SPECIFIC GOALS WITHIN
RESPECTIVE CULTURAL AREA

to books, newspapers, magazines, and so on.
The development co-operation shall
strengthen the documentation of oral story­
telling traditions, author organisations,
independent indigenous publishing, the
printing industry, distribution channels,
libraries, and so on - all links in the complete
chain.

Three basic conditions of importance for
cultural development co-operation are:
• The needs, wishes, and aspirations of the
recipient country
• Competence within the Swedish resource
base
• Aspiration for a holistic view within the
development co-operation

Theatre
The activities within the theatre area directly
reaches a large audience. In many recipient
countries, community and popular theatre is a
well-functioning instrument for sending out
messages about, for example, AIDS,
education, gender and environmental issues.
The theatre format is a traditional part of
society, which engages and involves many
people in rural as well as in urban areas.
The interest for other forms of theatre also
increases. The simple messages are
complemented with more complex
descriptions. National and free groups as
well as theatre organisations are being built.
Children’s and young people’s theatre play an
important role, among others, in
reconciliation and healing processes, for
example, in El Salvador, Mozambique, and
South Africa.
Outreach programmes and theatre
training, both in community theatre and
theatre as artistic expression, should be
prioritised in order to decentralise and even
out an unfair distribution of theatrical
activities. Children’s and young people’s
theatre should be noted as a special interest in
future support for children’s culture.

Literature
The SIDA project Words-Books-Democracy
is one example of an attempt to get a holistic
perspective within the literature area. The
objective is to create and maintain a literate
and reading environment and to protect
freedom of expression. This requires access

The African Publishers Network
(APNET) is an example of an ongoing
project within the literature sector. It
does training programmes for all
categories within the publishing
industry, works on the problem of trade
barriers between the African states,
develops the information flow, and co­
operates regionally.
The Advancement of Librarianship in
the Third World Programme (ALP)
organises training and seminars for
librarians, from public to university
libraries, in developing countries, in the
entire world. During the summer of
1994, a seminar was held in Botswana
on the theme: Libraries in Rural Areas.
In Nicaragua, the National Library
has received support for training, for
creating a national bibliography, and
for starting local libraries around the
country. Today, the National Library
in Managua is a resource institution for
the entire region.

Museums
Technical assistance, exchange of experience,
and networking shall also in the future
continue to characterise support within the
museum area. SIDA has good experiences
with, among others, the Swedish African
Museum Project (SAMP). This co-operation

10

between the Swedish and African twinning
museums includes training and employee
exchange on all levels within the respective
museum organisations.
Support to the regional co-operation
within the museum field will increase.
Networking and exchange of experience
occurs more and more by regional initiative
as opposed to previously having been driven
from the western world. The museum organi­
sation in the SADC region (SADCAMM), the
West African Museum Program (WAMP),

SAMP was started in 1989 by the
Swedish International Council of Muse­
ums (ICOM). Thirteen Swedish central
and regional museums met colleagues
from 13 African museums. In the spring
of 1995, 11 twinning museum projects
were operating. “The friend museum
idea is built on personal contacts
between colleagues. They discuss com­
mon problems,” wrote Anna Westholm,
curator at the Gavleborg regional mu­
seum, in connection with an exhibition,
which was produced in co-operation
with the Moto Moto museum in Zam­
bia. Moto Moto’s technicians worked
in parallel with Swedish colleagues for
several months. The attendance at the
exhibition and the activities was record
high.
The programme achieved several
effects. Technical assistance, exchange
of knowledge, and commitment for
African museums was brought up to an
international level. The Swedish muse­
ums view their own operations with
new eyes, and information about
developing countries goes out in Sweden
to engage many people. The picture it
conveys of our co-operating countries is
one of power and creativity - not only
starvation and poverty.

and the African Council of Museums
(AFRICOM) are examples of organisations
that developed in past years.

Music
Traditional music is an artistic branch that is
strongly threatened by changes in society.
Musical training and knowledge of old
instruments is at risk as a generation of
musicians dies out. The dominating interna­
tional music industry especially in urban areas
is another threat. Documentation and preser­
vation programmes are urgent and should
therefore be prioritised within the music area.
Music is the most international art form.
For many years, throughout the world,
musicians have had a big interest in the
encounter between the traditional and the
new, between the indigenous and the
externally generated music. Cultural
development co-operation shall support such
meetings.

Dance

Music and dance are intimately bound in
many cultures. Within dance, the
documentation of traditions is urgent, for
much the same reason as described within the
music field. Meetings between the traditional
and the modern dance shall be supported and
encouraged.
Art
In the artistic area, SIDA emphasises training
and further education (for example, through
seminars and workshops) and on work with
developing art education curricula, regional
exchange and co-operation.
In SIDA’s recipient countries, the most
economic and socially neglected groups
have never had access to training in artistic
skills either in school or outside school.
SIDA’s support to training within many
cultural fields fullfils part of this great need.

DE'Ho

OM6oiz

3.2 THE GENDER ASPECT IN CULTURAL
DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION

The enthusiasm and hunger for artistic
creation is enormous.

Many cultural activities involve women or
highlight in different ways the gender issue,
for example, within theatre and literature.
SIDA puts heavy emphasis on equal sex­
distribution in organisations, boards, and
consumer groups.
The gender issue will receive a more pro­
minent role and a more conscious profile in
the continued planning.

Crafts
Handicraft products and artifacts are strongly
linked to the function of the actual item.
Therefore, they bear the historical and
cultural identity. In the meeting with current
times, knowledge about traditional
handicrafts is essential for continuity,
awareness of the common heritage and
community feeling. Thar knowledge is also a
source for revived handicrafts. Preservation
programmes and exchange of knowledge shall
be prioritised.

3.3 THE SOUTH-SOUTH AND SOUTH­
NORTH CO-OPERATION

SIDA supports regional and cultural organisa­
tions and networks to promote and encourage
co-operation and exchange across geographic,
cultural, and ethnic borders.
Although SIDA mainly wishes to support
the south-south dialogue, south-north co­
operation is essential for reciprocal under­
standing and for counteracting isolation - out
of both the southern and northern
perspective.
SIDA encourages international organisa­
tions, which have traditionally been totally
west or north-centered, to highlight and
include colleagues from developing countries
by enabling their participation in seminars,
conferences, and workshops.
The past years, an interest in the
industrialised world for cultures of developing
countries has grown. Western institutions
and organisations have arranged cultural
manifestations, festivals, film weeks, and
exhibitions - primarily in large western cities.
SIDA can contribute to facilitate the
participation of cultural workers from
developing countries.

Archaeology and preservation
Besides the previously described programmes
within oral story-telling tradition, music,
dance, and art, support can also be given to
the preservation of buildings and
environments via preparatory studies,
surveys, and documentation but not for large
restoration projects.
Within archaeological research, many
exciting projects are going on, which have
most interesting implications from a histori­
cal and development perspective. SIDA can
give funds mainly for the spreading of infor­
mation and knowledge to the public about
the results of archaeological research and
preservation programmes. To cover the
overall costs of an excavation, other
resources are needed.
Film
The culture section has chosen a restrictive
attitude regarding 35 and 16 mm film especially for production support for feature
film. Certain support for the distribution of
film and training of video film makers can, in
special cases be considered. Documentary
films and videos can be considered for media
support.

3.4

CULTURE IN DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS

There are certain differences between cultural
development co-operation, culture as part of
development programmes and the cultural
aspect of other development projects.

12

4. Co-operation

Cultural development co-operation is what
has been described above.
Spreading information and knowledge
about important social questions such as
AIDS, environmental issues, prostitution,
juvenile delinquency or democracy are
examples of areas where theatre, music, and
literature is being used within other
development programmes. The culture
section has supported several such program­
mes, e.g.:
• Information about AIDS - with the help
of music and theatre, in the SADC
region in the early 1990s
• Voter education in South Africa in 1993/
94
Finally, cultural aspects should be taken
into consideration when planning for
development projects within other sectors
where SIDA is active, i.e. the consequences of
the project’s implementation for the material
and the immaterial culture, that is, the culture
concept in a wider sense of the word.
3.5

This section discusses ways of co-operation
with partners in development countries,
internally within SIDA, and with Swedish
embassies - as well as other donors and with
institutions and resource persons.
All cultural development co-operation
shall eminate from the wishes, needs, and
plans of the recipient parties.
Those projects that originate in Sweden
must carefully and sensitively be examined
with regard to how well the project is rooted
in the recipient country.
In all cases, the recipient organisation’s
capacity to implement and take advantage of
the support shall be considered and judged.
4.1 CO-OPERATION WITH
GOVERNMENTAL AND NON­
GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS

SIDA has to a larger degree co-operated with
independent organisations and groups than
with the recipient country’s government.
There are some exceptions.
In 1987, Nicaragua decided to include
culture in its bilateral programme.
Botswana had already then received funds to
build a national museum and libraries, as
part of the support to rhe educational sector.
Vietnam, Laos, Kenya, and Mozambique
included culture in the bilateral agreements
in the 90’s.
Bilateral programmes often contain long­
term and economically more encompassing
institutional development such as museums,
libraries, archives, archaeological and preser­
vation programmes, bearers of the collective
memory.
When a country wishes to include culture
in the bilateral agreement, it can be seen as a
token that politicians upgrade culture and
cultural work. The initial donor support has
highlighted a need. Mozambique is one

OTHER

Within the UN’s ongoing Decade for Cultural
Development, support will continue for
cultural activities in Sweden. The support
shall promote the meeting between cultural
groups and thus highlight opportunities and
problems of the multicultural society and seek
to counteract racism and xenophobia.
SIDA should also in the future arrange
international seminars or meetings that can
promote cultural co-operation with
developing countries (e.g., the Seminar on
Culture and Development in Stockholm in
1991 and participation in the Book and
Library Fair in Gothenburg in 1993 and
1994.

13

example. There, co-operation started in the
museum sector as a support outside the
bilateral agreement. Since 1993/94, the
programmes have been financed within the
bilateral co-operation, which puts museum
activities on the agenda and ensures that it is
seen as a national concern.
On the other hand, facilities for indepen­
dent cultural groups and for creative
initiatives must be ensured. This is needed to
protect free debate. It is also important that
the cultural life contains different levels on
the scale from amateurs to professionals, as
they are dependent on and stimulate each
other.
The conclusion is that although institu­
tions run by the government need to be
strengthened, a large portion of the cultural
development co-operation - also in the future,
should be directed towards NGOs to promote
an independent diversified cultural life.
Although the cultural development co­
operation is gearing toward a more
concentrated and strategic programme, SIDA
will maintain a certain flexibility and
continue funding small-scale programmes and
occasional cultural activities as long as it can
be kept on a manageable scale.
4.2

of regional cultural programme officers could
lead to an efficient way of working.
Cultural development co-operation is
work-intensive, but SIDA’s experience is that
it is an important component in the co­
operation between Sweden and the recipient
countries. To improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of handling some programmes,
SIDA seeks different solutions such as
through foundations, or umbrella organisa­
tions. In some cases, a small sum for a
cultural fund can be delegated to the Swedish
development co-operation office.
4.3

INSTITUTIONAL CO-OPERATION AND
RESOURCE BASE

Outside SIDA, the section co-operates with
Swedish institutions, NGOs, and consultants.
Institutional co-operation has sometimes
proved to demand large efforts by SIDA’s
programme officers, while in other cases, it
has worked out very well. Increased
institutional co-operation is planned.
The section will work for an expansion of
the Swedish and Nordic resource base.
4.4

CO-ORDINATING WITH OTHER
DONORS

More and more donor organisations show
interest in incorporating culture into their
development programmes. Above all, this
applies to the Nordic development authorities
and also to other donor organisations such as
Novib, CIDA, Rockefeller and Ford
Foundations, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, which
are involved in support to the cultural sector.
SIDA’s cultural section meets regularly
with its Nordic colleagues to discuss policy
questions, co-financing of projects and
exchange experiences.
SIDA wishes to expand the co-operation
with other international, governmental, and
non-governmental donor organisations that
work with cultural development co-operation.
Co-ordination is especially needed in the case

SIDA’S INTERNAL WORK

Cultural development co-operation should be
part of the total picture of SIDA’s
development programme in those countries
where larger cultural projects are going on or
are planned. It should also be taken into
consideration to what degree culture can
strengthen other programmes.
Because cultural development co-operation
often is conducted outside the bilateral
agreements, there is less preparedness at the
Swedish embassies or development co-opera­
tion office to handle it in the same manner as
other bilateral development co-operation.
SIDA should investigate if the establishing

14

Cultural pluralism
Cultural development co-operation shall
support cultural pluralism by making it
possible to:
• Decentralise and give equal access to
activities and experiences in the cultural
area for everyone - regardless of race, sex,
or ethnic affiliation with consideration for
geographic, economic or social situations
• Document and preserve indigenous
traditions, stimulate renewal and fruitfully
bring together the old and the new
• Aspire to strengthen individual, group,
and national identity and self-knowledge
without it leading to intolerance

of large and long-term projects to:
• Avoid double financing
• Avoid one-sided economic dependence
on the part of the recipient
• Ensure that one donor’s financial
responsibility is not too large
• Exchange experiences and information

5. Summary
For future cultural development co-operation,
SIDA especially focuses on these key words:
• Democracy
• Cultural pluralism
• Strengthened infrastructure in the
cultural sector

Infrastructure
To strengthen the status of culture, the
cultural development co-operation shall
support programmes that:
• Strengthen the cultural infrastructure
• Promote artistic training, competence
development, and charing of experience
• Build up regional and international
networks
• Contribute toward the upgrading of the
status of culture and the cultural worker
among politicians, those in power, and
decision makers
• Result in legislation within cultural
areas, for example, copyrighting, illegal
export of cultural objects, and preserva­
tion of culturally valuable sites
• Lead to the establishment of a cultural
policy in countries where such does not
exist

Democracy
SIDA’s cultural development co-operation
shall be aimed at projects that promote
democratic development by supporting:
• Freedom of speech and freedom of
expression
• Artistic and cultural pluralism
• Popular participation in artistic creation
• Independent cultural activities for
individuals, groups and organisations
• Programmes to build bridges between:
- Ethnic groups
- Political factions
- Rural and urban communities
- Tradition and modernity
• Effort to achieve a normalisation of
people’s lives in societies that have been
wounded by war, missuse of power, or
natural disasters.

15

Swedish International Development Authority
S -105 25 Stockholm
Tel: +46 8 728 51 00

Position: 4700 (1 views)