Creative Europe: the Financing Programme for Culture and Media Projects (Part 1)

     

  

   Tomorrow is Europe Day, and I have already celebrated it today. I am sure that those of you who are working in the culture or media fields, or even those who are simply following everything that happens in these domains, are perfectly aware of all the possible transnational activities that could be carried out on the European level. But what about financing? Is there a European grant that applies to us?

      Today I attended a seminar about the Creative Europe grants, and we will talk about it for the following weeks. Let's start with some general information, for those of you who are not familiar with the programme. 

    First of all, we must know that this programme is being implemented between 2014-2020, and is replacing the past programmes of the EACEA (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency), Culture 2007 and Media 2007. The only difference is that Creative Europe is a broader programme, encompassing the two subprogrammes, Culture and Media. Through this programme and across the years, the European Union is investing 1,46 billion euro into innovative cultural and audiovisual projects from all EU member states and not only. 

       For this introductory part, we will take a quick look at the types of financed activities for each of the two subprogrammes from the Creative Europe umbrella.

        

The Culture subprogramme is about...

• transnational cooperation programmes between a minimum of three countries;
• literary translations;
• European networks dedicated to the mobility and promotion of artists and creative professionals;
• platforms for launching and promoting European artists at the start of their career, as well as their cross-border mobility.

The Media subprogramme is about... 

• formation for media professionals;
• financing for the development of audiovisual programmes;
• financing for European television programmes;
• new market penetration and promotion for European audiovisual projects;
• financing for European film festivals;
• European film distribution;
• financing international cinema co-productions.

    In the upcoming posts, we will talk about each one of these subprogrammes and financing lines, general eligibility conditions, examples of initiatives that have been financed through the Creative Europe programme, as well as the competitions your projects can enter. Stay tuned! 

     

   

  

            

Charlie Hebdo vs. the Kenya Massacre: why Solidarity Should Be Equal for All

      As we know, the world is becoming an increasingly stressful place - near and far, on a bigger and smaller scale. Lately watching the news is proving itself harmful on our general state of mind. However, there are some facts and their consequences, which I cannot help but notice. 

        If you remember, shortly after the Charlie Hebdo murders, a massacre with hundreds of victims took place in Nigeria, and two days ago another atrocity of proportions occurred at a Kenyan university. What is being rightfully contested by many people is the way the Charlie Hebdo murders, involving 12 victims, got a far bigger amount of media coverage and support from political leaders than the massacres in the two African countries. "Why is nobody sharing the slogan 'I am Nigerian' or 'I am a Kenyan student'?, "Why is nobody marching for all these innocent victims in Africa?" etc.

         Journalistically speaking, and digging up the memories of my university courses, there are many characteristics of an event that make it more or less newsworthy. These characteristics include geographical proximity and elite nations. It is not fair, but it is the way the media reason. And this is the only thing that explains the difference between the levels of coverage and attention given. 

      However, as I said before, and as I am going to emphasize again, it is not fair. In front of God, or the Universe, or whoever we believe in, we are all equal. There is not one life more valuable than another, no matter which country we come from. So, what should be done? I would say that we should, first of all, not over-analyze the level of media coverage. No matter what, we are keeping ourselves informed, remaining aware and unbiased. We "are" not any of those victims, fortunately, just some people who can at least keep solidarity and a wish for peace in their hearts, without forgetting that maybe we are luckier than we realize, simply for being alive and for being safe. Let's enjoy these things while they last!

Not so Lost in Translation

    

  During the past two weeks, I have been experiencing the role of translator and interpreter more often than before. I am not a languages graduate - I am a native Romanian speaker, with almost mother-tongue level in Italian and English. At least, these are the two languages I am mostly confident in. And I must admit I enjoy learning languages. My latest adventure was Russian, but it is still at basic level. The next one... I am contemplating German or Japanese. :) 

     Therefore, I have often been asked by friends and relatives to help with translations: legal documents, professional texts, web content and even literature. And even yesterday, I had to act as an interpreter in a professional meeting of a friend of mine. 

       What did I enjoy and what did I find challenging? 

      Translation requires creative thinking and attention to detail. We have to be careful with the nuances of a particular word, so that it refelcts exactly the same thing from one language to another. Plus, we have to make sure that the words flow naturally and not sound artificial, especially if we are translating literature, or even articles - as if they had been originally written in the language we are translating into. We have to know slang and colloquial expressions, as many of them may not make any sense to someone who doesn't know the language well. Last but not least, we have to beware the so called "false friends" - those words that sound (almost) the same in two different languages, but mean something completely different. And I have seen so many people making the latter mistake! Even an authorised translator!

        As an interpreter, an extra challenge is that you have to be mentally focused on the conversation all the time, without leaving one single detail slip away. Plus, you must be familiar beforehand with the topic of the meeting, so that you have the chance to catch up with any possible gaps in specific terminology. I must admit that it is particularly funny to be an interpreter between Romanian and Italian - very often, the participants in the discussion discover that they actually understand each other. But again, there are also many false friends lurking around! :)

           Do I think it is difficult? No. Moreover, it puts your mind to work, and if you are actually translating a more consistent text, it is even a pretty relaxing process. I am actually exploring this option as an extra activity, as it will always be needed. 

Immigration and Offensive Stereotypes - a Case against British Broadcaster Channel 4

      As it looks like, the beginning of this year really seems to be about culture and identity in relation to the media. This time, the gaffe was made by British television channel Channel 4, which recently produced the documentary series "The Romanians Are Coming". The end of the year 2013 marked the abolishment of all restrictions on the immigration procedures for Romanian and Bulgarian citizens in the European Union, the United Kingdom included.  Consequently, this translated into a higher exodus of Romanian migrants towards the UK. 

     Shock! Horror! Panic! Should the Brits be scared or not? Well, according to Channel 4's documentary, they should. The producers decided to present Romanians as some sort of low value people, of bad manners and poor social skills, and also with criminal records. Now, I am not saying that these people do not exist, but they are certainly not the majority, and most surely they are not what Romania and Romanians are all about. 

     While I was living in the UK, most of the people I met there were fundamentally good people. However, in many cases I have to admit that their knowledge about other countries and cultures left a lot to be desired, with the exception of intellectuals. Some of them were willing to learn more. But some of them were often asking questions such as "Do you have showers in Romania?" or "Are there universities in Romania? Ah, there are? And why did you come here?" All true stories, by the way. 

       But is it not a vicious circle? Stereoptypes and erroneous knowledge are fed by the media, and the average person would take it at face value, without being minimally interested to verify what they are being fed. And who suffers the most?  Of course, those highly-qualified, upper-class Romanians who have come to the UK in order to complete their studies or build a career. 

         As for Channel 4, I remember that even during my stay there, at the beginning of the years 2000, they have made some similarly outrageous documentaries, which we were apalled by. Now, to be honest, such media "professionals" could do some thorough research if they wanted to. They surely have the means, and it is their job. But they do not want to. As a journalistic term says, "bad news is good news". Why not create scandal? Plus, what can you expect from a channel which produces tacky shows such as Big Brother? How desperate should Channel 4 be in order to go to such lengths and insult an enitre nation, for the sake of attracting audience? 

             Action was taken by the Romanian Ambassador in the UK through an open letter to the producers, and also by the Romanian population through an online petition. What was being requested was either a positive and negative balanced approached, either to stop broadcasting the documentary. And this afternoon a peaceful protest will take place by Romanian immigrants at the Channel 4 headquarters. At least if they reached the expected result! 

             As for my British friends and aquaintances, I know they are able to learn, and to develop curiosity. Then, why not find out the truth about other cultures, and fight against stereotyping? The media is not the most ideal platform for developping that knowldege, so why not start packing and take a nice holiday in our BEAUTIFUL Romania? :)

Charlie Hebdo and Freedom of Speech: the Other Side of the Coin

     

  

   We spoke about how wrong it is to do evil in the name of religion, and I will never stop condemning what happened in Paris during the past few days. In spite of being very saddened by the tragedy which occurred at the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo, there are always two sides of the story. Therefore, today I will tackle another issue, which is quite tricky in this case: freedom of speech. 

      

         Yes, the media should be free to express its views in an uncensored manner. But what about satirical media (which is actually what Charlie Hebdo is)? Charlie Hebdo has had a long-term reputation for being a controversial and irreverent publication. It has not been denigrating Islam in particular, given the fact that they did the same with the symbols of Christanity. Most probably, a very religious Christian would find them offensive, whereas someone who is not religious would just have a laugh. Charlie Hebdo was not xenophobic, given the fact that once upon a time they also pointed their satirical arrows towards Charles De Gaulle, a nation's hero and one of the most prominent figures of the history of France, shortly after his death. So, Charlie was like that nasty kid who has fun by being mean - but, just like in life, with this sort of people you should not take them seriously, but you don't go killing them either.

          The staff of Charlie Hebdo were brave: they ignored past threats from enemies and warnings from authorities, and continued with their merry ways. However, can we REALLY talk about defending freedom of speech? Or rather, defending the traditional "naughty" identity of Charlie Hebdo as a publication? I don't know about you, but I'd be more inclined towards talking about freedom of speech if it were the case of a "serious" publication serving public interest, or really tackling crucial issues for society in a mature manner. 

            I said it before and I will say it again: nothing justifies murder, nothing justifies killing in the name of God, or Allah, or Buddha, or whoever we believe in. Satirical humour has the purpose to make people laugh, although sometimes it can be "too much" or just plain unfair. Should they stop in the future? Probably not, and I have the feeling that they WILL not. Because they are brave. I just hope that nothing like this terrorists attack will happen again. Yet, the fact that the cartoonists "died to defend freedom of speech" is a highly debatable theory. What do you think? Is it about freedom of speech or freedom of humour? I would go for the second option. 

Charlie Hebdo: when Tragedy Meets Humour to Create Solidarity

       

    My night was far from happy and peaceful, after what happened yesterday in Paris. The Charlie Hebdo attacks are far from justifiable, and, no matter how offended someone must have been from their drawings, that is not a reason to pull out the rifles and kill people. Period. Just imagine: if everyone did that, for every single remark, text or media product that is not politically correct, we'd probably be all dead. 

               

              However, apart from the debates related to religious issues and freedom of speech, which were to be expected anyway, what I was impressed by was the worldwide solidarity shown by the media, and mostly through humour, just like the Charlie Hebdo team deserved. These symbols spread accross publications from France and from many other countries and on social media. The "Je suis Charlie" slogan, in several languages, has been spoken and posted by all of us. Even news anchors have been using it this morning, right after introducing themselves, at the beginning of the news programme. 

                

             Most of these drawings, created by various international cartoonists and from which I selected my own favourites, use humour as a weapon to soften the tragedy: making analogies between drawing tools and weapons of mass destructions, depicting the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists in heaven, or simply expressing encouragement for the remaining staff of the magazine to rise again and keep fighting for their values. 

                    

              Charlie Hebdo is a magazine with a long, and certainly not boring history. It started off from the 1960s magazine Hara-Kiri, and it has always been famous for its irreverent humour. Bannings and warnings of being banned have periodically marked its history, since the times of Charles De Gaulle. And some of the victims of the attack, some of the most famous French cartoonists, were actually members of its original team, since the early days. Even I was familiar with the naughty 1970s work of Wolinski. ;) And if I was saddenned by their loss - I can imagine the French people, who were far more familiar with their work and their humour. 

           Personally, from now on I will also commit to follow more closely the progress that is made in relation with the media and freedom of speech, but also what will happen with the future of Charlie Hebdo. I wish them to rise back stronger than before, and, as much as possible... try to stay safe. 

          Aujourd'hui nous sommes tous Charlie! 

In Theory, Religion Counts as Culture. Then, why Kill in the Name of It?

     

   Unfortunately, the year 2015 on Culture Coffee Break will start with a controversial matter, and an event we wish never had happened. Today, the whole world has been shocked by the terrorist attack on the headquarters of the Charlie Hebdo weekly satire magazine in Paris. Twelve people, mainly staff members of the magazine, including famous caricaturists,  have been shot dead by Islamic extremists. Charlie Hebdo was famous for its controversial satires, and it was not the first time the materials it published created controversies, or received threats by extremists. This time, unfortunately, the threats became reality. 

     During my university studies of intercultural communication, an emphasis has often been placed on the inter-religious aspect as well. In other words, religion counts as culture, apparently. It counts, or should count, as tradition and ritual. It is the set of habits of each nation, ethnic group, and even individual, used to praise the divine force. The religions of the world are diverse, and with their own separate history and geographic location. However, just like nations, religions inevitably interact as well. At the end of the day, adhering to a particular religion and its practices, or even choosing to believe in a supreme spiritual power at all, should be a personal choice of each one of us, and acceptance and tollerance should be practiced. In an ideal world, that is. If you think in a different way, please don't shoot! ;)

       I never understood any extremist or even radical behaviour in the name of religion, whichever that religion may be. In theory, no religion in the world promotes violence, and all religions preach peace and love. I don't even agree with trying to convince or impose upon another individual your own beliefs. Like that excessively-religious relative who gets scandalized because you're not a church-goer. 

        However, what about the freedom of speech? Yes, it is one of the main values of the modern western world, but obviously not everyone seems to think this way. Do you think that the media should avoid tackling sensitive topics, especially on a humorous or sarcastic note? Everything is like a vicious circle, and if things continue this way, the future will keep seeing people and groups provoking each other, and violence continuing. Nothing justifies killing in the name of religion, and these people must be condemned, but neither was it worth for the journalists and humourists to risk their lives over it. Do you think there is a way to prevent these tragedies from happening again? What will be the future of Charlie Hebdo?

        This day will not, and must not be easily forgotten. My thoughts are with the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack and their families, in the hope of peaceful co-existence between nations and religions.