Culture can change our lives for the better

  • 2011-02-16
  • Interview by Isabel Ovalle

Diana Civle is head of the Riga 2014 office and of the Artistic Council of Riga. Along with various and important activities she has been director of the Riga Department of Culture for eight years. She was among the organizers of the Riga 800 anniversary celebrations in 2001. Civle lent The Baltic Times some time in her busy schedule to talk about her participation in the Baltic Brands Conference, held this week, and the program for the European Capital of Culture 2014 that Riga will
share with Sigulda and Umea.

How does Riga 2014 fit in with the Baltic Brand Conference?
Our official nomination was last year; we are now in preparation [for it], so it will be very interesting to speak about our program. It’s a very important event, especially because such kinds of large scale events aren’t usually cultural, and also because the Latvian presidency of the European Union will be in 2015. This event will be like an announcement of our presidency.
 
The name of the program that made Riga and Sigulda European Capitals of Culture, together with Umea, is ‘Force Majeure.’ Why this strong statement? How is the preparation going?
Yes indeed, the title of the program is ‘Force Majeure.’ Why such a name for a cultural program? We are using this title as a provocation, because culture is very strong and it can change our lives for the better. The program is divided in six thematic lines that we hope will help us find creativity, especially from our [country’s] inhabitants. One key of the program is the creativity of everybody, and another is the expanding of borders, in a wider meaning, it is synergy between different spheres, like science and art, mathematics and music, even though they don’t always fit together. Special features can join and give new impulses to be creative, and work towards new forms of interaction between people and groups. Integration between younger and older people is also possible.
 
Does this mean Riga is ready for a new challenge?
Yes, the challenge of being constantly in transformation. I believe culture can become an invincible force that works as an instrument of salvation, a survival kit, a springboard for new and bold ideas, which helps change the world and allows us to look at it from a different angle.
 
What are the guidelines of the program that will help Riga in this transformation process?
There are six: the thirst for the ocean, freedom street, the survival kit, road map, Riga carnival and amber vein. These include, respectively: international conferences and exhibitions, multimedia events in urban environments, cinema and concerts; art and music campaigns, theatrical tours, literary readings, open-air cinema, digital laboratories, and creative trade fairs; creative workshops, seminars, research projects, interactive events with an ecological bent, art in the public space, talent shows, performances; bicycle routes, circus performances; festivals, concerts and interactive games; and interdisciplinary expeditions and photography campaigns.
 
How many people participate in the process to get the program ready?
From the very beginning we based our work to make this bid on an open source principal. There was participation of representatives from every cultural institution in discussions, focus groups, brain storming and from all those activities to get this bid ready. If everybody is involved and finds something for their selves in this program, it will be successful. This approach can work very well. In the bid book there are examples of each thematic line. The official nomination was in the beginning of May and by the end of that month we were already getting the projects ready. We are now working with 340 projects from very different spheres and organizations to make the program framework.
 
What can Riga learn from Vilnius and Tallinn?

It is too soon to say what Riga can learn from Tallinn because it’s just the beginning, but from Vilnius it’s essentially the political understanding of such events, especially if there are different political coalitions in the city. It is very important to have a common understanding of such events because in our case, our small country, compared to other countries in Europe, these kinds of events are of national importance, especially for Latvia because of what is coming up in 2015. What is important as well is the organizational structure that responds to the advice from our sponsoring experts, who gave us some good guidance.
 
Are you satisfied with the cooperation with Umea and Sigulda?
Sigulda has been our partner city from the beginning. This partnership shows our original way of thinking. We would also like to have partners in all of Latvia, that is why the mayor of Riga invited practically every municipality to take part in this program. With Umea there were good relations from the start. Sweden and Latvia share a history. There is a Latvian-Swedish dimension because we have common history and also a population that would like to cooperate and show how cultural diversity can contribute to the program. Umea and Riga have very good ideas in how to cooperate. There is a joke known in the circle of European Capitals of Culture that refers to marriages of convenience between cities that have nothing in common. Every case is different, some cities work together and others have totally different programs and results. But in our case we are like a family from the very start; we have very friendly relations with the people involved. Umea is a very active and target-oriented city; we have already hosted many concerts of the Umea choir in Riga and have delegations from different spheres. We learn more and more about one another every day.
 
What is the budget of Riga 2014 and how is the city dealing with the cuts?
When we started working on this bid two years ago the situation was not yet so critical, but there were already clouds in the sky. On our bid book we had two scenarios, first from a very realistic point of view about the financial circumstances. We can, in a very elastic way, operate in this situation. One scenario is pessimistic, according to the current situation. And another is based on an economic prognosis. This prognosis, made by the Riga City Council Finance Department, is to give us a different view, what would happen if the financial situation was to develop in a very positive way. In any case, the Riga city budget is now in discussion, so I have no numbers yet.
 
Do you have any forecasts about an increase in the number of visitors Riga will receive as European Capital of Culture in 2014? Is the city ready?
We have analyzed other cases, like the experience of Liverpool, which was very respectable. The number of tourists expanded by over 100 percent in Liverpool so the impact of these events, with the appropriate marketing, can increase the number of tourists that visit Riga. We are working in partnership with the Riga Tourism Development Office and with the Riga Tourism brand. In this way, putting together our strengths, I think our results will be better than those of Liverpool. Riga is quite ready. Riga is also a candidate to organize the World Choir Games in 2014.
 
Have you had a chance to share your successful experience with other cities that aspire to be the European Capital of Culture in the future?
Yes, we visited Las Palmas de Gran Canaria [Spain] last year. They invited us to help them, to advise them [in how] to prepare their proposal and bid for the European Capital of Culture in 2016. So far I know that they have passed to the second phase, so I hope our advice has been useful. But I know that in Spain the competition is very tough, so it’s really not so simple.
 
Did you do the same while you were getting your proposal ready?
There is a formal network of European Capital of Culture cities; it’s very open to discussing real problems. We have shared our experience with Polish cities and other candidates. It’s a very friendly cooperation.
 
How would you ‘sell’ Riga 2014?
Best enjoyed slowly, something to enjoy and be inspired by. It is something worth seeing and feeling deeper, to go deeper in the programs we are preparing. Best enjoyed slowly is a very good way to feel cultural things.