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28 / 05 / 2004
CAC president asks broadcasting authorities to get involved in promoting cultural diversity
Chantal Akerman, winner of the Fellini medal, calls for measures to be taken to guarantee diversity on TV
Today, the president of the Catalan Broadcasting Council (Consell de l’Audiovisual de Catalunya-CAC), Francesc Codina, called for broadcasting authorities throughout the world to collaborate and show support in promoting cultural diversity on radio and TV. “We would like broadcasting councils around the world to discuss here in Barcelona how regulatory bodies can contribute to diversity among cultures”, explained Codina during the opening act of the “Global Audiovisual Communication, Cultural Diversity and Regulation” Dialogue, which is being held at Forum Barcelona-2004 on May 28 and 29.
Codina suggested that regulatory bodies establish mechanisms for collaborating with one another so they can offer a unified response to the problems affecting communication. “I do not want this to be just the beginning of this Dialogue, I want it to be the beginning of a closer collaboration to offer a joint response to the problems presented.”
Unesco Fellini Medal Award Ceremony
As part of the Dialogue, the Unesco Fellini Medal was awarded to Senegalese film-maker Ousman Sembene and Belgian film-maker Chantal Akerman. Unesco has granted this annual award since 1994 to directors, actors and film-makers from around the world to acknowledge their contribution to heightening awareness of and respect for cultural diversity.
Akerman thanked Unesco for the award and mentioned all of the institutions and bodies which work to give support to productions that reflect cultural diversity. “I ask you all to work to keep diversity alive so that every time you watch a TV station, not all of the programs are the same and are not in the same language,” said Akerman. Ousman Sembene was unable to attend the award ceremony. Senegal’s Minister for Information, Mamadou Diop, accepted the award on Sembene’s behalf.
Plenary Session
The director of the Globalization Observatory, Ramon Torrent; the general manager of the Catalan Radio and TV Corporation (Corporació Catalana de Ràdio i Televisió-CCRTV), Joan Majó; vice-president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Bonnie J.K. Richardson; and the co-president of the Coalition pour la diversité culturelle del Quèbec, Pierre Curzi, were present at the first plenary session of the Dialogue.
Ramon Torrent, the director of the Globalization Observatory, explained that the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) does not include any specific provisions on the matter of broadcasting culture, and, therefore, this sector is subject to the free circulation agreement just like any other. “There is an aerial exception, but not a cultural exception”, he said. Torrent also noted that the European Constitution project will allow for all agreements on broadcasting matters to be unanimously approved by all members, rather than on an individual, state-by-state basis, as they have been up until now.
Joan Majó, general manager of the Catalan Radio and TV Corporation (CCRTV), stated that the media must promote democratic values and civic responsibility, as well as cultural, linguistic and national identities, where they are not duly recognized.
Majó is also in favor of a universal service of telecommunications networks and argued that private management of a public service is possible. “We have mixed up privatization with the eradication of the public service. A change in management does not necessary imply a change in the essence of the public service”, he explained. Finally, Majó said that “state-run and private media should be regulated in the same way, as it is a matter of people’s universal rights of people.”
Bonnie J.K. Richardson, vice-president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), denied the fact that the US considers audiovisual content as a mere product for consumption and entertainment. However, Richardson is in favor of audiovisual content being included in trade agreements “because they are involved in many exchanges” and “cultural diversity is achieved through trade, as otherwise it remains in a purely local reality.”
Finally, Richardson emphasized that is possible to reconcile the free circulation of cultural products and the protection of cultural diversity. She said that there is enough room for every country to regulate this aspect.
The last speaker, Pierre Curzi, co-president of the Coalition pour la diversité culturelle del Quèbec, explained that, to preserve cultural diversity, each country needs to implement its own cultural policies. “We cannot guarantee cultural diversity by making cultural policies within the framework of the WTW, as cultural services are--due to their very nature--different from other products and services.” He added the following: “We do not wish for a single culture, we want there to be free circulation of all of the world’s cultures and for there to be free, easy access to all sorts of cultural expression.”
Curzi closed his speech by expressing that he is hopeful about the Unesco Convention scheduled to take place in fall of 2005, which will deal with the protection of cultural content and artistic expression. Curzi said he hopes the Convention, which is still in the making, will establish a binding legal instrument that will make it possible to preserve cultural diversity.
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