Day 1 Highlights – Freedom of Artistic Expression Conference
What a start!
We kicked off today with inspiring speeches from Eric Thill (Minister for Culture of Luxembourg), Claude Conter (Director of the National Library of Luxembourg) and Anna Villarroya (Chair of the Association of the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends) reminding us: No culture, no democracy.
Across sessions, experts explored how to protect and defend artistic freedom, from legal frameworks under UNESCO’s 2005 Convention (Klara Koštal) to the real-world pressures artists face (Robert Spoták, Audronė Rimkutė). Andreas J. Wiesand and Sanjay Sethi explored how we define artistic freedom, from words and law to the shrinking spaces for expression shaped by funding and control.
Discussions led by Carmen Croitoru, Bettina Steinbrügge, Daniil Khochabo, and Kimmo Aulake challenged us to ask: When should political alarm bells go off?
In this session, we came together around one clear message:
Culture is not a “nice to have” – it’s a must-have.
Critical, reflective, and sometimes controversial, that’s what keeps our democracies alive.
A big thank you to Luxembourg for hosting this vibrant exchange of ideas and action.
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