SESSION 5 - What are the common values which are at the basis of the European cultural exchanges in front of the new totalitarianism: capitalism religious fundamentalism, nationalism, xenophobic movements...

Europe between humanist and logic of market principles:

Of progress made since the first agreements on coal and steel in 1958, and the stage of the Treaty of Rome, to the EEC, and the EU. The challenge of European leaders after two terrible world wars was to build a large space of peace, viable economically, rich in its cultural and open diversity on the rest of the world, and with a process of gradual enlargement. This challenge due to the action dynamic and sustained several visionary leaders to pay tribute, because they were able to go beyond the vicissitudes of history and the contingencies of the present to project themselves into the future. This area of peace and stability, which the Europeans can be proud about, could not emerge without the energy and motivation of its creators. As well bringing resisters as lawyers and politicians, these personalities from different backgrounds were driven by the same ideal: build a space of peace and prosperity in a continent ravaged by many intra-European wars and both world wars, and its procession of million dead and genocide. The merit of these great men is to have been able to draw prospects, overcoming many obstacles and deep scars, age-old antagonisms, religious, territorial, between resurgence of empires and military powers-related.

Because as much the Greece Rome, through the arts, philosophy, technical knowledge formed, founding bases that were fertilized European thought. Of ancient Greece, Rome, European nations crossed and exchanged for centuries. These mixes have somehow shaped the foundations of a European identity. What Jean Pierre Chevènement called a " genuine European Republic ", in other words, a system of communicating vessels fed cultural and intellectual exchanges constant from the means age:

From Machiavelli to Giordano, passing through Galileo, Bacon, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Kant, Marx Freud, Gramsci, Spinoza Locke, Descartes, these are just a few enlightened minds that amply contributed to the emergence of rationality, triumph of dogma, to fertilize the modern thought, roll back the limits of the world and the sacred in laying the foundations of a unit European based on principles of democracy and human rights. We saw how the Italian renaissance has spread, in Western Europe, how the ideas of the enlightenment in France influenced the destiny of Europe and worldwide (universal declaration of the rights of man in 1789, taken over by the League of Nations in 1946.

But the great progress over the last fifty years, the fall of the Berlin wall and German reunification have ended with nationalist overtones, nor attempts of full identity and community, especially in times of crisis political, economic and societal. The last war in Ukraine, and the dismemberment of the former Yugoslavia with its cortege of horror at the heart of Europe, woke the old demons of the legacy of the cold war antagonisms still present in people's minds. The conflict between the Russia and the Ukraine, is actually the sequel to the consequences of 'collateral damage' integration with forced March of the former republics of the Soviet EU and NATO bloc experienced by Russia, as a disguised attempt to his encirclement.

It reminds us that peace-keeping is an incessant effort of European leaders, but also of any civil society who must work at the strengthening of European integration, which passes by a federating project of the nation’s European, but based, not in economic terms but through the promotion of the values of citizenship, democracy, solidarity and respect for cultural diversity not exclusively. But specifically, the future of Europe remains largely dependent on its ability to reinvent a new draft which takes into account the democratic aspiration of Europeans, but also its ability to build a sustainable partnership with its South that is the Mediterranean.

In a context of globalization, of resurgence of nationalism, of terrorist threats, risk of nuclear proliferation, demographic imbalance, European leaders and peoples are facing major challenges. Either to be able to reinvent the European project that can re enchant the European dream, and beyond in contributing to the resolution of global problems (globalization, financialisation of the economy, climate, immigration, terrorism), or persist in this suicidal process which condemn Europe to disappear, as paving the way for the sovereigntists, nationalism, with the full including the speech to food specifically for the failure of Europe submitted to the injunctions of the financial power markets, the extinction of the political authority of democracy to the profile of technocrats and submission to the laws of the powerful multinational companies and trusts with the disastrous results which it has not yet taken for disaster multi-dimensional. Millions of unemployed in a rich continent, and excluded from access to health care, to education in culture, drop credits to education to culture, as many derivatives accentuating the sense of marginalization, which is a favorable breeding ground withdrawal speech, communitarianism, and resurgence of nationalism, and the authoritarian powers.

In addition, the risk of loss of values and identity markers feeds both hate speech, racism, including the extreme right while providing as many niches captured and operated by the new gurus of Islamic fundamentalists. The last attacks in Tunisia, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq, Indonesia, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, reminds us dramatically that this phenomenon has 'international vocation' and ignore borders, and States. It is nevertheless necessary to recall that the emergence of religion in public space is not recent yet less its instrumentation for power purposes, proof of war and conquests of territories. (1). of the Romans to the Kings of France and Europe, passing through shipments Spanish in Latin America and the South which, on behalf of Jesus and the Catholic faith, have decimated Indian populations, causing the extinction of brilliant civilizations that were the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs. Religions have always formed a formidable instrument of conquest of power, authority and territories. Due to his extraordinary power of attraction on the people, religion and the use of God have been ubiquitous in the history of humanity, and regularly still 'summoned' nowadays to justify and celebrate "just wars", proclaimed and carried the name 'good against evil '. (2)
The complexity of the international situation, the escalation of tension and the resurgence of religion, the perverse effects of globalization, the dominance of the liberal system and the financialisation of the economy, which gain and profit as the only logic of functioning of our economies, fragmented societies, in loss and ideal identity markers.
Proponents of political Islam is are rushing into the breach, and offer as a palliative, communitarian confinement and the return to religious practices the more puritanical, structuring a large part of these young candidates to Jihad, as substrates of a conqueror fundamentalist Islam (3)

Rehabilitate the Republican principles of citizenship and secularism:

Even in the practice that in speech we must take outs necessary with smooth forms of thinking, demagogic and populist, and work to rehabilitate the Republic, secularism and citizenship which principles should more be subjected to species of electioneering, or seedy fool's bargain negotiations haggling for a local election, or a folding seat, in Exchange for concessions which also 'light' they seem to appearances at first glance, participate in reality a subsidence programmed of the Republic.

Reinventing a unifying project Euro-Mediterranean:

The abandonment of the Mediterranean and the ignorance of sociological, cultural and religious realities, the drifts of the ultra-liberal strategies and the unilateral vision of the countries of the South in exclusive terms of market, their cultures, their history peoples have are excluded; reduced to a simple digestive tracts, '300 million consumers' status, to use the terminology of Brussels officials, when they evoke the market North African, an exclusively commercial approach that has led to political stalemates, and have compromised the various projects for the construction of a regional set of homogeneous and viable.
Projects launched in great media masses, as the process of Barcelona I and II, just like most recent of the UFM participate all of this vision of the Mediterranean as a market to conquer. Shadowing the historical cultural and sociological realities, we apprehended the Mediterranean that only angles of conquest of raw material and commercial outlet, and mortgaged the chances of a true dialogue with the diversity of leader of the complicated Mediterranean countries it is true by their internal rivalry, and regional conflicts and leadership.
The Mediterranean is therefore at the heart of Europe and France because its economic military power, its language, its influence cultural, historical ties that have helped shape a large part of the Eastern Mediterranean (North Africa, Syria, Lebanon), he gives a historic responsibility to contribute to a better approach to problems that undermine this region. But the France ceased to play the fundamental role that should be hers as the engine of Europe. The long process of reintegration of NATO, formalized by Sarkozy, has cut the France of his abilities to weigh in the Mediterranean and the Middle East both his role was overshadowed by the American power and more recently by the meteoric rise of diplomacy German embodied by Merkel.

The France preferred to follow Germany in its strategy of "reconquers" of the former countries of the East, and which the latter has ordered integration despite the reluctance of some European countries, which he would have preferred other forms of cooperation. Conscious of its interests, which she now earns benefits (cheap labor, extension of zones of influence, close to new markets and business opportunities for its products), while the France has not had its 'share of profits "of enlargement. On the contrary some French politicians and specialists consider that it had only the perverse effects of this hasty enlargement (unfair competition, immigration, workers seconded, relocation), etc...
Therefore, the France must regain the initiative in the Mediterranean, in order to rebuild a true partnership, solidarity and cooperation project, involving the peoples through civil societies, which should encourage and support the dynamics, and involvement in the choices political and economic as true agents of change, in a perspective of construction of a democratic Euro-Mediterranean people.

Conclusion:

It is imperative that the culture, the theatre arts in General and civil societies are better able to build a democratic and social alternative and thus create bases and the conditions for a new era of exchanges and cooperation between Europe and the Mediterranean. By facilitating exchanges, the Euro-Mediterranean projects based on civil society, will help to entrench democratic practices, restore the floor people called to be actors and the promoters, and not mere consumers, or the make out public policies and determined choice without them, and sometimes against them. (4) the failures of the great masses as Barcelona 1 and 2 or more recently the union for the Mediterranean are the proof that we cannot consider the construction of main economic groupings, regardless of the good intentions announced, they will have only an incantatory effect, both civil society and their organizations are excluded.
The countries of North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia) have a Mediterranean vocation despite attempts by certain circles to detached from to substitute a peg to a mythical World Muslim Arab, or that there, and which relies on the sharing of the Muslim religion and language, while inter-Arab trade represents less than 4% exchanges economic and European countries weighs more than 70% in economic and commercial transactions with the Arab countries.
It is say that European and French in particular commitment in general for culture, theatre, arts, and in the direction of civil society will have a positive impact in terms of dissemination and cultural radiation, prelude to more sustained cooperation with considerable economic impacts, sustainable economic development, so stability and security.

1- “We are still in the anthropological triangle of the concept of truth which is at the center of this historical construction based on the defense of truth as an absolute value... " Odon Valet-historian of religions,
1-Ibid: The execution of Giordano Bruno, who did not recant what he believed, on 17 February 1600, he y'a yet nearly five centuries is not so distant. Bruno said as a very modern ideal: the autonomy of reflection philosophical, nourished by the scientific research of his time. He did face the dogmas that, today as yesterday, want to impose contempt the reason.

2- It should be remembered that 60 American intellectuals signed a manifesto endorsing the vision of war just D.W Bush, while paradoxically, a group of Cardinals and bishops have denounced the instrumentation of religion and God cannot approve wars.

3- "The fact is that political Islam has gained ground since the 1980s due to the crisis of the nation-States, the Iranian Islamic revolution, the dynamism of the Saudi Arabia and its diplomacy of the portfolio. In those circumstances, the word of the Democrats became less and less audible" Djamila Behadid - “the soldiers of Allah to the onslaught of the West,” Montréal, H & o, al. ' current bias" 2011

4- Many projects with some interesting and large scale brought by the EU and African States North and Mediterranean didn't have the expected results, such as the Euro Med Heritage project. Conversely of smaller projects and small actions financed by the EU and worn by civil societies have had a considerable impact (League of human rights, citizens projects in education, and women's rights).

Axes of reflections and Impacts:

• Propagation of dynamic cultural multi sectoral will promote the strengthening of Exchange and Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, and to strengthen the bonds of solidarity,
• Support projects cultural and associative women and cultural minorities will initiate a process of social transformation and mutations gradually reinforcing social cohesion and prevent identity, and ethnic conflicts which we saw extensions and terrible as in the former Yugoslavia or Rwanda, consequences
• Finally if Europe should financially support the civil societies of the Mediterranean and in particular the North Africa to build integrated projects by facilitating access to financing and benefit support and support in terms of training and conduct of projects. The EU developing effect of large programs but too bureaucratic judges, (multiply records, bureaucratic obstacles), conditions of eligibility in the calls for projects, and far from the level of local associations, and their projects.
• Formation by the transfer of knowledge skills and the emergence of an elite and skills able to foster political and economic transitions smoothly without drama.
• The arrival of new generations trained and resolutely turned towards the future will help to initiate other policies for economic and social development, and meeting the challenge of employment and social requirement with a double impact contribute to reducing migratory pressure, and open a new era in economic cooperation winning Mediterranean euro winner,
• Will promote the process of appropriation of a cultural and artistic heritage, product of a common heritage of the Greeks, in Rome from the Pharaohs, (writers, playwrights, musicians, artists, architects, thinkers, philosophers), etc.
• Initiatives undertaken by many associations in North Africa and Europe, confirms that can be treated by art even issues of dark periods of our history common, although this raises rancor or polemical, Kateb Yacine, cinema, or works by Camus, Sartre, Bertol Brecht, Giono, Victor Hugo, Feraoun, Mammeri, Leclézio),
• Contribute to the language and French culture, which has died in North Africa and particularly in Algeria, because of the process of Arabization implemented in the aftermath of the independence of Algeria, the French know hindsight, even if the majority of the population still speaks in the language of Voltaire, it is essential to support associations that contribute to the maintenance and promotion of the French language. The adaptation of authors French, Algerian, North Africans and Europeans has a double impact. make them know more than do school curricula, and at the same time to promote the ideas, the values of democracy, tolerance and human rights,
• The organization of event as the European in Algeria festival, is a commendable initiative, with a double impact: moments of fruitful exchanges between artists Algerians and Europeans and make discover European culture to the Algerian public, and promoted common projects. An example of actions to encourage, to multiply but nevertheless with a flat. Indeed, it is an event that has a side too rigid and institutional, which despite the ambitions, amputated them of greater autonomy that it would have conferred greater involvement of local actors.
• It y' be facilitated the mobility of people between Europe and North Africa, by supporting cultural projects, forums, meetings, cultural and artistic themes, lectures debates, academic exchanges, which will consolidate the process of modernization of societies (unions, rights of women, human rights, training and education).

Documents

Intervention in french : Click on this link to open this document.

Intervention in english : Click on this link to open this document.