Cultural Workers for Europe
This frequently quoted phrase by Jean Monnet, founding father of the European Economic Community, is fake news. Monnet never said these words. After the Second World War the European Community was founded on markets, not on culture.
We see Europe first and foremost as a cultural space and a state of mind, much older and less obsessed by borders than the current European project. There is a growing sense of urgency. A societal paradigm shift is needed to inspire the European political body in the making, nothing short of a ‘New Renaissance’.
We consider Europe much larger than the political capital of Brussels and the renewed axis between Germany and France.
We find Europe's political discourse lacks scenarios on how to address global issues such as migration, super diversity, climate change, the intense energy use, the financial crisis, inequality, unemployment, terrorism, ... in a substantial way.
We have shown our involvement in the European project many times already, by calling upon our leaders and by participating in numerous debates with European decision makers.
Let’s reboot Europe starting with culture.
We prepare for a European Renaissance through culture and science with artistic manifestations in Europe and Brussels from 2019 onwards. We want to reset Europe for its ‘renaissance’ as an object of desire, a matter of fun, delight, elegance, trash and humour. We will invite Europeans and non-Europeans to converge and exchange in a joyful cultural melting pot. We will present Europe as a project of unlimited propositions, of endless possibilities which involve and generate participation and activism at all levels.
Cultural workers for Europe will play their part by preserving in the production of great art, inspiring language, innovative technology and triggering actions as if nothing had been altered; something they have been doing for centuries and will continue to do for many centuries to come.
This is the first step in a series of future actions, the start of a much larger process. We call on you to join us.
To those who want to build a Europe: