Music as vaccine against xenophobia – Diversity in Europe

Political parties with xenophobic agendas are growing in Europe. They promote cultural ideologies which claim that local and national cultural traditions should be separated from traditions of minorities and foreign cultures. Folk and world music has taken an active stand against racism, not only in Sweden. We discuss experiences from the cultural field. What are the results of in intercultural meetings for traditional culture? About methods and ways to work with music and dance for a better world and investigate possibilities to create a network to strengthen the genre internationally. 

Participants: Festival organiser/project manager Joanie Crump Folk Against Fascism England, project manager Jan Lothe Eriksen SafeMUSE Norway, directeur artistique Philippe Fanise L’Arcade, France, Sofia Joons, Sweden/Estonia, Xavier Arnijas, Generalitat de Catalunya Departament de Cultura, Director David Ibañez de la Fira Mediterrània de Manresa, Spain, musicians Isak Bergström and Sara Parkman, Folkmusiker mot främlingsfientlighet, Lydia Ojala and Erik Rask, Folk You Sweden, representatives from European organisations, stabschef Marcus Hartmann (m), Kulturdepartementet, riksdagsledamot Gunilla Carlsson (s) ordf. Kulturutskottet. Arr: Riksförbundet för Folkmusik och Dans i samarbete med Folkmusiker mot främlingsfientlighet, Katapult för mångfald – Postkodlotteriets kulturstiftelse, Scenkonst Sörmland.