Moldova/ 3.4 International cultural co-operation  

3.4.5 Cross-border intercultural dialogue and co-operation

To date, there are no government programmes to support trans-national intercultural dialogue in Moldova.

Until 2001, the former Ministry of Culture supported artistic productions (literature, artistic performances and poetry recitals) in the Ukrainian regions of Odessa and Cernauti, which are mainly populated by Romanian speakers. It has also offered assistance to cultural associations of Moldovans in the Russian Federation.

In 2007, a Council was established for the administration of the project "The financial support for individuals from Moldova, organised in communities abroad". The Council is composed of three representatives of the Department for Inter-Ethnical Relations and by one representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the Ministry of Finance, the government administration, the Ministry of Culture and the Academy of Science. The Council will administer MDL 450 000 from the state budget for supporting the associations of Moldovans in Italy, Greece and France.

There are no funds and programmes available for specific trans-national activities for young people in the Republic of Moldova. On the other hand, there are many non-governmental organisations, foundations and associations which have specialised programmes contributing to the development of young people, including artists: the Centre for Contemporary Art, "Contact" Centre (with branches in Balti, Cahul, Comrat and Soroca), Soros Foundation, Centre for Youth Development, NGO Junior Achievement, International Centre of Modern Languages, "Papyrus-studio", "Ars-Dor", "Oberliht", "New Alternative", "Unlimited music" associations etc.

The Centre for Contemporary Art (Chisinau), in collaboration with the Swedish Institute in Stockholm and the Fine Art College "Al. Plamadeala", organised the exhibition "From Tradition to the Future – Swedish Graphic Art 1980-2005". The exhibition included more than 70 works that represented practically all graphic techniques, from woodcuts to modern video installations. The Centre for Contemporary Art has elaborated a development strategy, the implementation of which requires about 617 800 EUR. The Centre' projects are implemented with the support of donors such as the European Cultural Foundation, Kulturstiftung (Germany), Centre "Contact", Soros Foundation and other local and international organisations.

During the last years, the art association "Papyrus-studio" has organised 4 camp-workshops for local young artists, also with participants from Romania, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany. The association works in close collaboration with the State Pedagogical University "Ion Creanga", Soros Foundation, National Commission for UNESCO, Latin Union, Moldova's Union of Fine Art artists and individuals.

The association "Ars-Dor" gathers together a new generation of arts-managers, artists, poets and intellectuals from Moldova. Since 2002, "Ars-Dor" implements social-cultural projects aimed at the re-generation of society through culture. It organises international conferences, consultancies for young artists, educates artists in the field of art promotion through information technologies, organises camps for creation, exhibitions, workshops, etc. Among the partners of the association are: UNESCO IFPC (France), Felix Meritis Foundation (Holland), European Council of Art (France), Heinz Schwarzkopf –Stiftung (Germany), AEBR, Caucas Foundation and ArtLinkGeo (Georgia), UNDP, UNICEF, BICE, Soros Foundation (Moldova), Euronews, BBC, etc.

The Soros Foundation Moldova (SFM) has supported a large number of trans-national projects in theatre, visual arts, contemporary music, dance and choreography, and literature (e.g. the International Festival of Young Poetry "Poetry without frontiers"). During 2007, the Soros Foundation Moldova is playing a key role in the implementation of the three-year Pilot-Project "Reinforcing Moldova's Development Capacities by Strengthening its Cultural Sector", acting as the partner of the European Cultural Foundation (see chapter 4.3).

For more information, see our Intercultural Dialogue section. 

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