With the eyes of the world focused on the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, ACMHangouts turns the spotlight on art in times of conflict.
Guests include Carmen Sammut, an associate professor at the department of international relations and Karsten Xuereb, a researcher in the cultural field.
The session kicks off with a discussion of art’s role in shaping and addressing conflict, with Sammut noting that art can be used to promote global understanding but also as propaganda.
Xuereb speaks of political sanctions extending into the cultural sector, leaving practitioners in impossible situations. He uses the example of Russian music conductors as a case in point. The situation, he adds, has even impacted the bicentenary celebrations that had been planned for celebrated Russian author Dostoevsky.
Sammut recalls artists who have persecuted in times of conflict, such as Salman Rushdie, Charles Chaplin and Orson Wells.
Both Xuereb and Sammut explain that there is a duality of approach for arts in times of conflict, with freedom of expression being threatened and artists that are affiliated with the government being pushed aside by the opposite faction.
The discussion then moves to the responsibility of the individual artist – something both guests agree is a tough issue.
The session also addresses the fact that artists continue to create their art even in times of conflict. Sammut offers some examples and asks whether these artistic pieces can actually be more effective and deliver a stronger message than news reports about war.
What does the future hold in store for Europe’s creative industries?
Xuereb argues that the sector needs continued support, especially given external factors, such as climate change, can also impact cultural spaces.
Sammut notes that culture wars are nothing new in Europe. Artists must maintain artistic freedom, she says, but if they wish to contribute positively to humanity they need to stop short of propaganda that has a destructive role. One of the most negative aspects of history is that propaganda was never successfully stopped, and even now continues adding a layer of fake news and manipulation as we are seeing in Russia.
This session of ACMHangouts also includes an intervention by Damien Helly, chair and founder of Culture Solutions Europe, who discusses the importance of international cultural relations and their role in the conflict that’s currently ravaging Ukraine. Basing his intervention on a recent article that he authored on the Culture Solutions Europe site, he notes the importance of implementing a strong cultural strategy and a monitoring framework, adding that in the case of Ukraine this will mean joining forces for a team Europe culture approach, with a specific fund that would be mobilised for the years to come. A Europe-wide space for debate on what is happening in Ukraine is needed to make sure all the energies are converging towards these collective goals, he concludes.
The session was recorded on March 7, 2022 and moderated by host Elaine Falzon.