Most countries in the world call their political order democracy - a system that maintains the separation of powers and stands for liberty, equality, diversity and truth.
However, when the taste of power outweighs the commitment to justice, the values of democracy are the first to be undermined, including by those who came into power through democratic elections.
It is in the nature of the contemporary arts to challenge everything that is taken for granted, thus the powerful majority has no interest in creating favorable conditions for the arts to be a critical mirror to the society - although the degrees of that unwillingness vary greatly from country to country.
But what about our own role in shaping the values and vision of this majority? What is our responsibility in making our countries truly democratic - in practice rather than simply in name?
Revolving around these questions, IETM, Gobi Dance Theatre, PanoDrama, Pro Progressione, Sín Culture Centre, Placcc Festival gathered over 400 international arts professionals in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary and part of the notorious European democracy.
Besides deeply exploring topics such as how we can promote the tools of democracy through the arts, as well as relationships with audiences and decision-makers, sustainability, arts and the digital space and more, the Open space on Arts and Democracy, a "self-organised" platform, allowed the participants to propose topics and approaches to be taken in the discussions. Read the meeting review here.
