This document discusses strategies for promoting intercultural dialogue in Burgas, Bulgaria. It proposes that Burgas join the Intercultural Cities Network to gain access to tools and expertise for diversity. Short term strategies include organizing a Black Sea Roma Festival in 2011 to showcase Roma culture and applying to include Burgas on the map for the European Route of Roma Culture and Heritage. Long term plans involve the Open Mahala project from 2011-2015 using cultural tourism to alleviate poverty and revive the Roma neighborhood.

1. Burgas, 2010
the time for action has comethe time for action has come

2.  Interculturalism is about explicitly recognising the value of diversity while
doing everything possible to increase interaction, mixing and hybridisation
between cultural communities.
 Interculturality recognises strongly the need to enable each culture to
survive and flourish but underlines also the right of all cultures to
contribute to the cultural landscape of the society they are present in.
 Interculturality derives from the understanding that cultures thrive only in
contact with other cultures, not in isolation.
 The development of a cultural sensitivity, the encouragement of
intercultural interaction and mixing is seen not as the responsibility of a
special department or officer but as an essential aspect of the functioning of
all city departments and services.
 Cities should identify a number of key public spaces (formal and informal)
and invest in discrete redesign, animation and maintenance to raise levels of
usage and interaction by all ethnic groups; develop a better understanding
of how different groups use space and incorporate into planning and design
guidelines.
Quoting from: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/cities/Interculturality_en.pdf
The intercultural dialogueThe intercultural dialogue

3. Intercultural city: governance and policies for diverse communitiesIntercultural city: governance and policies for diverse communities
THE INTERCULTURAL STRATEGY
Focusing on the sustainability and effectiveness of the results,
the Intercultural City Strategy includes the establishment of
partnerships and alliances within each city but also on
national
and international levels. The latter ensures that participating
cities are closely linked with key international actors working
in the field of integration and diversity at the local level.

4. The time for action has comeThe time for action has come
Council of Europe meeting for Roma, 20 October
European governments act to help Roma
Representatives of the 47 Council of Europe countries,
The EU and the Roma community gathering in
Strasbourg today unanimously condemned widespread discrimination
against Roma and their social and economic marginalisation. Secretary
General Thorbjorn Jagland who called the meeting following concerns about
Roma rights during the summer, said ''the time for action has come.
Today
we have made a fresh start to actually helping the Roma population of
Europe.
Roma are fellow Europeans''. Member states agreed to a joint effort and pan
European response to meet the needs of the estimated 12 million Roma living
in Europe.
From http://www.coe.int/DefaultEN.asp

5. Objective # 1Objective # 1
Burgas Municipality to promote intercultural dialogue
in close cooperation with the Council of Europe
Dialogue between cultures, the oldest and most
fundamental mode of democratic conversation, is an
antidote to rejection and violence. Its objective is to
enable us to live together peacefully and constructively
in a multicultural world, to develop a sense of
community and belonging.

6. This site is entirely devoted to the activities of the Council of Europe to
promote intercultural dialogue on our continent, and between
Europe and its neighbouring regions.
White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue
The White Paper provides various orientations for the promotion
of intercultural dialogue, mutual respect and understanding,
based on the core values of the Organisation. The Ministers welcomed it
as
a “significant pan-European contribution to an international discussion
steadily gaining momentum” as well as to the European Year of
Intercultural
Dialogue. The Ministers emphasised the importance of ensuring
Appropriate visibility of the White Paper, and called on the Council of
Europe and its member states, as well as other relevant stakeholders, to
give
suitable follow-up to the White Paper’s recommendations.
From: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/intercultural/default_EN.asp

7. Action: organize one-day technical seminar in Burgas (November 2010)Action: organize one-day technical seminar in Burgas (November 2010)
Municipality will invite to Burgas 2 representatives of council of Europe, 2 members
of intercultural city network, the project leader of European Route of roma culture
and heritage, and the reknown Italian roma artist and musician “Alexian” Santino
Spinelli to analyse and discuss the following Agenda items:
 10 steps to an intercultural city policy:
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/cities/AG_en.pdf
(Council of Europe document)
 ways to join the European Route of Roma culture and heritage project initiatives
(Brochure on line):
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/culture/Routes/RomsDepliant_en.pdf
 a draft proposal from Institute for regional strategies and Regional Roma Union
Foundation to organize in 2011 the Black sea roma festival (2011) and the first phase
of the open mahala project (2011-2015).

8. Action: join in December 2010 the Intercultural Cities NetworkAction: join in December 2010 the Intercultural Cities Network
Intercultural Cities Network, a joint initiative of the European
Commission and the Council of Europe, was launched in the run-up to
the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
The pilot phase
The 1111 pilot cities involved in the Intercultural cities programme
assessed, during the last two years, their governance models and
policies, and developed comprehensive strategies for intercultural
integration.
Expert reviews, study visits, city-to-city mentoring, thematic
workshops and public events supported them in this endeavour.
During the pilot phase of the programme a strong network was
established which now aims at sharing its expertise and experience
with new cities and partners.

9. Next stepsNext steps
The intercultural cities program is aiming to
extend the network to make accessible tools,
strategies, policies and expertise which the
program and the 11 pilot cities developed and
collected in the last two years.
From 2011 onwards the network will therefore open
up to new cities. On one hand, national networks
within the pilot countries will be established. On
the other hand, cities from new countries will also
have the possibility to join the Intercultural Cities
learning community.

10. The joining of the intercultural cities program is strongly recommended by Mrs.
Irena Guidikova, Representative of the Council of Europe - Directorate of Culture and
Cultural and Natural Heritage. In a letter from Mrs. Guidikova She explains the
conditions how the Municipality of Burgas can join the program:
“…As I said, they could pay for the full program, or just the membership fee of 5000 €5000 € a
year…” “… for the activities of their choice…”“…The procedure to apply involves a
motivation letter from the Mayor, the sending back of the completed questionnaire for
the Intercultural city index…” “…a preliminary visit to discuss with politicians, officials,
NGOs and media and see whether the commitment to the intercultural agenda and
understanding of the concept are sufficient…”, “…we have nearly completed the new
network, which will involve as new cities Copenhagen, Dublin, Lisbon, Amadora, San
Sebastian, Liamssol, Geneva and Sundsvall, and are in the process of opening up the
network globally (Mexico city are joining and there is interest from Seattle,
Montgomery in the US and Sherbooke in Canada, as well as Tokyo. If Burgas is indeed
interested, they need to let us know asap…”
Contact information: F - 67075 Strasbourg Cedex; Tel: + 33 3 88 41 32 19, Fax: + 33 3 88 41 37 82
http://www.coe.int/Culture/ ; www.coe.int/interculturalcities

11. Objective # 2Objective # 2
Burgas to be included in the European Route’s map of Roma culture and heritageBurgas to be included in the European Route’s map of Roma culture and heritage
 The objective of the Route of Roma Culture and Heritage is to increase the
knowledge of people in Europe about Roma history, culture, values and lifestyle,
to encourage the contribution of Roma to Europe’s cultural life and diversity and
ultimately contribute to giving a positive value to an image of Roma which are,
more often than not, perceived in a negative and stereotyped way.
 To achieve this, the Cultural Route will first develop as a network of
organisations (associations, museums, documentation and cultural centres, art
and education institutions, festivals, etc;) which work together towards
developing a common set of activities. As a short term strategy for Burgas we
propose the organization of the Black Sea Roma Festival 2011 .
 As a second stage, the Route will evolve as a series of tourist itineraries across
different cities and territories of Europe, which would allow visitors to gain a
more thorough understanding of Roma culture. As a long term strategy for
Burgas we propose the OPEN MAHALA PROJECT (2011-2015) using cultural
tourism as a vehicle to alleviation of poverty and for the renassaince of the Roma
neighborhood.

12. • Conference "Visibility and Recognition of Roma
Culture: Putting Roma Culture on the
Map“: (With the support of the
Culture Programme of the EU)
• 7 October 2010, Council of Europe, Agora
Building, Strasbourg, France: This
heritage
conference marks the official launch of the 'Roma Routes' project.
Heritage partners and Roma representatives from the UK, Germany,
Greece, Romania and Slovenia, will explain plans to explore, celebrate
and develop best practice in making Roma culture visible across
Europe.
• Each country will have events showcasing Roma culture which will
lay
the groundwork of a Roma Route of Culture and Heritage, supported by the
Council of Europe.

13. Engagement through heritage is a non-confrontational and
attractive method of communication, which allows Roma culture to
be seen and understood, away from the tensions of policing, housing
etc.
Roma have the opportunity to communicate with knowledge and
confidence through a range of cultural media including song, dance,
artefacts, family history, food and customs.
 It will provide a platform from which the Roma Route of Culture and
Heritage can be developed and links can be pursued with partners
across Europe interested in furthering this process.

14. SHORT TERM STRATEGY: public events to raise awarenessSHORT TERM STRATEGY: public events to raise awareness
ACTION: Black Sea Roma Festival 2011 in Burgas
Mass events centered on music and entertainment can become a
powerful tool to promote goodwill and interest for the Roma cultural
heritage.
Hundreds of thousand of tourists come on summertime to the Bay of
Burgas, it is definitely the best time to organize an unprecedented
festival featuring concerts that will attract the visitors attention to
the
““Mahala”Mahala” lifestyles and the less known skills and home made
productions of local roma community.
The popularity of roma music is witnessed from the great variety of
Concerts that take place in many countries and continents. Here
come

15. SHORT TERM STRATEGY: public events to raise awarenessSHORT TERM STRATEGY: public events to raise awareness
Example:Example: Music Around the Black Sea, the fourth edition of the New
York
World Festival, focuses on the diverse traditions of the dynamic Black Sea
region, a crossroads between Europe and Asia, and the rich musical
Connections between communities surrounding the Black Sea and their
New
York immigrant populations. The festival begins on September 19th with
Strings of the Black Sea, and culminates at Central Park SummerStage with
New York’s Gypsy music event of the year– the Black Sea Roma Festival. A
collaboration between the Center for Traditional Music and Dance (CTMD)
and World Music Institute (WMI), two of New York’s premier presenters of
traditional arts, the festival features renowned international artists along
with New York-based master artists, and includes two US debuts.
This exciting festival provides the opportunity for New Yorkers to
become aware of the great cultural traditions of the Black Sea region,

16. The Sept. 26The Sept. 26 Black Sea Roma FestivalBlack Sea Roma Festival isis
presented by the Center for Traditionalpresented by the Center for Traditional
Music and Dance, World Music Institute,Music and Dance, World Music Institute,
NY Gypsy Festival & SummerStageNY Gypsy Festival & SummerStage
Information:
WMI (212) 545-7536 http://www.worldmusicinstitute.org
CTMD: (212) 571-1555 http://www.ctmd.org
Major funding for the New York World Festival –
Music Around the Black Sea is provided by the
National Endowment for the Arts, Heritage and
Preservation. Additional funding for the Sept 20,
Sept 25, and Sept 26 programs is provided by the
Open Society Institute under the Decade of
Roma Inclusion 2005-2015. Funding for the Black
Sea Roma Festival is also provided by the
Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, and the
Trust for Mutual Understanding.
Black Sea Roma FestivalBlack Sea Roma Festival

17. Black Sea Roma FestivalBlack Sea Roma Festival
SUN, SEPT 26
1:30pm dance workshops,
3pm concert
Black Sea Roma FestivalBlack Sea Roma Festival
A Celebration of GypsyA Celebration of Gypsy
Music from Turkey,Music from Turkey,
Bulgaria, Ukraine &Bulgaria, Ukraine &
RomaniaRomania

18. Symphonic concerts: “Romano Drom: a concert-journey into Romany Music”Symphonic concerts: “Romano Drom: a concert-journey into Romany Music”
The first concert has take place on October 7th
, 2010, in Strasbourg, France, in
the premises of Council of Europe, in occasion of the launch of the Roma
Routes project. (More: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7rTrctLztA )
Two other concerts will take place in Brussels in the European Parliament
on 18 November and in Lanciano (Italy) at Teatro Fedele Fenaroli on 6
November.
The concerts will represent an original artistic and cultural event with the
performance of Romany music and songs composed by Alexian Santino
Spinelli, a Roma from the Abruzzo region.
The concerts will be performed by the European Orchestra for Peace, made
up of musicians from a classical background from all over Europe, and
Alexian Group, which performs Romany music.
(Read more on http://www.associazionethemromano.it/progettorchestra.htm)

20. • Funding the strategy:Funding the strategy:
Action: Fundraising plan for corporate donors
and contribution from EU funds to help Roma
integration
• Cultural tourism and alleviation of poverty:Cultural tourism and alleviation of poverty:
Action: THE “OPEN MAHALA” PROJECT
Long term strategy (2011-2015):Long term strategy (2011-2015):

21. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!