Karl-Erik Norrman - Cultural Freedom in Europe 2006

Karl-Erik Norrman, SG of the European Cultural Parliament (ECP):
Cultural Freedom in Europe 2006
Speaking notes
The story of the King of Crete Idomeneo is a well-known dilemma about Man´s
relation to God and religion. The German stage director Neuenfels illustrated this
dilemma in a drastic way in his production of the Mozart opera Idomeneo at the
Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2003. The decapitated heads of not only Poseidon, but
also Jesus, Muhammed and Buddha were exposed in the final scene.
This production was again put on the general programme for the ongoing season
2006-07. A lady with a season ticket on the DOB remembered the scene and
called the Berlin police warning that the scene with the decapitated heads might
provoke religious, notably Muslim spectators. The police called the Interior
Senator of the City, who called the Intendant of the Opera, who asked the stage
director to cancel the scene.
Of course the stage director refused. The production was then cancelled from the
season programme “for security reasons”. The effect was immediate: the whole
cultural world in Germany and all politicians up to Bundeskanzler Merkel stood up
as one man and said:
“No self-censorship!” The rather over-careful decision of the Opera Intendant
became the turning-point in the debate about Cultural freedom and religious
consideration. The Idomeneo production has now been put back on the season
programme and it does not seem likely that any Director of any cultural
institution will embark upon self-censorship in the near future.
The Idomeneo scandal reflects a feeling in many European countries that
“enough is enough”. The worldwide overreaction of radical islamists on
Muhammed caricatures and on a speech by Pope Benedict XVI created a climate
of fear and self-censorship. In a climate of increasing religious fundamentalism –
Christian as well as Muslim – some intellectuals in Europe even started
questioning and relativizing our Tradition of Enlightenment. The old Voltaire
principle “I hate what you say, but I am prepared to die for your right to say it”
started to become suspect or even dangerous.
We have to remember that Cultural Freedom and Freedom of Expression are
fundaments of our modern civilisation – not only in Europe. These freedoms are
important parts of the UN Human Rights charter.
Opposition against Cultural Freedom has a strong tradition:
- In the 19 th Century and still in the 20 th Century it was a typical
conservative bourgeois attitude to be opposed to modern exponents of
Cultural Freedom. But at least this opposition was non-violent. There are
worse examples:
- Hitler and his nazi apparatus not only killed thousands of brilliant artist of
Jewish origin but also campaigned against “entartete Kunst” (for instance
the expressionist painters)

- Stalin killed and deported thousands of artists and intellectuals who had
fallen into disgrace with him
- Mao deported artists and intellectuals to die in camps and forbade
musicians to play Beethoven
In retrospect we can note that as a matter of fact Great Art was created as
opposition to dictatorship. This is comforting, but not necessarily an argument
for repression of Cultural Freedom…
Quite frankly, the contemporary conditions for artists also involve a lot of
hampering factors.
The Market is a ruthless animal, which limits many possibilities of creative
freedom. According to some East European author friends of mine the Market
has become the new Censor and has taken over the role of the communist party.
The enemies of Cultural Freedom have many faces:
Yesterday – the SA troops of Göring, Gestapo, the KGB, Stasi.
Today – Neonazis, right extremists and racists, Islamists, Christian
fundamentalists and various terrorist groups.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The strength of Europe is its Culture!
European artists and other culturally active creative persons have always been
the spearhead of Development. It is the conviction of the ECP that they will
continue to lead the development. Culture and Arts is the fundament on which
European Integration can be successful and Europe can assert itself in a global
competition. The ECP has recently presented a Research Report, where we
demonstrate how Culture is the Heart of a Knowledge-based Economy and
consequently the motor for implementing the ambitious so-called Lisbon Agenda.
Culture could be considered the Comparative Advantage of Europe.
We, people who are engaged in European cultural cooperation and networking,
have an important task in defending our cultural freedom. When defending our
Culture, including the unique European Cultural Diversity, we should certainly be
open for exchange and influences from other regions, but there is no reason to
compromise about our Cultural Freedom or about the main ideas of European
Enlightenment.
Globalisation does not have to mean that everything becomes the same
everywhere. There are regional characteristics which should be preserved and
respected:
- East Asia has a cultural identity to be respected
- South Asia has a cultural identity to be respected
- Sub-Saharan Africa has a cultural identity to be respected
- The Arab World has a cultural identity to be respected
- And Europe has a cultural identity to be respected.
In this perspective it is important for the Europeans to defend its multifaceted
Identity, also within a multicultural society.

Here in Greece we are reminded that Europe has a very old culture. We should
be proud of this fantastic cultural heritage. On this basis we can be very open
and respectful towards and curious about other cultures.
But with all respect: As a representative of artistic personalities in a European
enlightened tradition I have to insist: Religions should respect Culture! In
European Cultural tradition artists and intellectuals are allowed to provoke
people, to shock people, to irritate people.
Politicians of whatever ideological colour should keep their hands off the contents
of the Arts and so should religious representatives!
And both politicians and religious leaders have to accept the right for Artists to
provoke and to make fun of politics and religion. The trend – to be easily insulted
– is dangerous.
The Word - the Image - the Tone belong to the creative artists. They should
have their right
to produce their word-image-tone as they please, as long as they act and create
within the frameworks of legislation.
Don´t touch the European Cultural Freedom!