ICR Romanian Cultural Institute London

With Dr Mike Phillips OBE and Guests: Dr Alex Drace-Francis, Dr Wendy Webster, and Dr Ruxandra Trandafoiu

Welcome to the Union is part of the Romanian Connections programme, the first major exercise in promoting Romania in North West England. Romanian Connections is centred on two theatre shows of the 'Radu Stanca' National Theatre of Sibiu (see full programme at www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/connections). In order to create the basis of a better understanding of the richness of the Romanian cultural phenomena, The Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural Centre in London, in partnership with ProFusion International Creative Consultancy, have initiated a series of connected events, of which this debate on contemporary Romania is the first.

Dr Mike Phillips OBE, Dr Alex Drace-Francis (University of Liverpool), Dr Wendy Webster (University of Central Lancashire), and Dr Ruxandra Trandafoiu (Edge Hill University) tackle the issues of contemporary Romania in the European context in front of a Liverpudlian audience. Join us for a fascinating and important debate.

"The status of Capital of Culture has become a new icon of European culture, a display window for European identity. On the other hand, current rhetoric about culture and the arts ignores a myriad of issues and problems, notably the cultural role and identity of accession states like Romania. The problem is that the process by which the accession states have entered membership has been discussed in terms largely dominated by politics and economics. In the last two years the issue of migration has moved to centre stage, but, once again, its importance has been framed in economic terms. In the meantime the cultures on both sides of the continent continue to be misunderstood and misrepresented, as if the closer the two parties approach, the more obscure and difficult their true natures become. Even more interesting the invention of mythologies about the nation become more and more frenzied as each one feels the impact of the other.

The case of Romania and the EU is the platform for this discussion, which sidesteps the fog of acquisition and competition, and takes the understanding and exploration of cultural faultlines as its starting point. How do we understand the history of cultural interaction and what does it mean? In cultural terms, which is more important - an encounter with a migrant worker, or the high profile artist tour? What do we believe (or more important, what do we feel) about each other? How do these attitudes affect, migrants and migration, political and social responses and the culture of Europe as a whole?" - Mike Phillips

More details at: www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/connections/

This debate is organised by the Ratiu Foundation/Romanian Cultural Centre in partnership with ProFusion International Creative Consultancy.
Romanian Connections is under the patronage of Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008.

Friday 14 November 2008, 19.00
The Contemporary Urban Centre, 41-51 Greenland Street, Liverpool L1 0BS
Tel. 0151 708 3510.
Free Entry. Further details from mail@profusion.org.uk

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