Recent years have seen a marked change in migration trends: as of 2019, more people have immigrated to Lithuania than emigrated, and by the beginning of 2024, 221,848 foreigners will have settled in Lithuania, representing 7.69% of the country’s population. The emerging social diversity can add value to organisations and society, but it requires an openness that helps newcomers to integrate and succeed in society.
Aistė Ulubey, founder of Artscape, moderated a discussion that raised the issue of openness and invited to discuss the accessibility of the cultural field for foreigners – not only as creators, but also active actors in it. The discussion was attended by Daiva Price, an art curator, researcher, cultural producer, lecturer at the Faculty of Arts of Vytautas Magnus University, and Farah Mohammed, a Syrian creative who has been living in Lithuania for eight years and is active in the artistic, social, and educational fields.
Why ask questions?
Lithuania’s rapidly changing social picture encourages a rethinking of societal phenomena. Aistė Ulubey, Director of Artscape, a performing arts producer, has been actively involved in initiatives targeting vulnerable social groups for more than a decade, combining arts, education and social action, stresses that open discussions are crucial for the inclusion of foreign citizens.
“Foreigners change the experience of Lithuanian society and broaden social diversity, which is one of the European Union’s core values. However, having worked for many years with both socially vulnerable groups and foreign creators, I have noticed that foreign residents do not always have the same opportunities to take part in social activities, and are challenged by the accessibility of culture and the ability to create cultural services themselves. We want to talk about it and discuss it out loud – after all, openness is the only thing that can open the door to societal growth and added value creation”, says Ulubey.
“Over the years, there have been more opportunities to initiate projects or take part in cultural events, but both eight years ago and now, there is still a distinct difference between events for locals and foreigners. This is a bit frustrating, because as an artist I just want to be a full part of society, to be active and useful. Of course, this takes time, proactivity and a lot of effort. But often it’s not enough – if you don’t have a very wide circle of personal contacts, it’s difficult, sometimes impossible, to establish yourself and achieve your creative goals. Although my time in Lithuania has helped me to build a community around me, I still find it challenging to embrace the initiatives of foreign creators,” Farah shares her observations and personal experience.
She also shared her experience of the system for supporting cultural activities, which is quite difficult to access, not only because of the requirements, but also because of the lack of information.
How does social diversity change the audience?
The concept of audience, which takes on a new meaning in the context of growing social diversity, came up repeatedly in the discussion. The participants in the discussion stressed that the audience is not only Lithuanians or tourists visiting Lithuania for a short time, but also foreigners who have been living in the country for two, eight or more years. The impression is that this group of people may not be visible to the public, but this does not mean that they do not exist and are not interested in participating in public events. So the question was: how well are they adapted to these groups?
The issue was first examined from a broader perspective. As Daiva Price was the curator and the application manager of Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022 from 2014 to 2023, the discussion also asked about her experience and her strategy to adapt the event’s programme for foreigners. Daiva mentioned a few key aspects: communication in different languages and the importance of context. In other words, the preparation of information on social networks, websites and exhibitions in several languages. Although this seems to be a given, it did not escape discussion within the team as to why it was necessary. Another aspect is providing context. Foreigners are still expected to do their own homework, and if they have difficulty understanding the history of, say, Vilnius or Kaunas when they arrive at an exhibition, that is their problem, not the developer’s or the organiser’s. In her opinion, it should be the other way around – it is necessary to provide a broader context that allows for engagement and a clear understanding of the cultural phenomena of the country in which one lives.
Ms Ulubey echoed this sentiment, sharing that a more planned cultural context is a must, as well as an openness and willingness to share, to reduce exclusion and to grow the interest and involvement of this group. Of course, this is true not only for specific events, but for all cultural context in Lithuania.
What would improve access to the cultural field?
The discussion also mentioned the social bubbles that have formed between communities of different nationalities for the reasons mentioned above. According to Daiva Price, it is not always easy to reach them, let alone unite them. In this case, according to the participants, community ambassadors could help by establishing direct contact with other groups and cultural institutions, thus gradually building bridges between them and the general public. Farah confirms the importance of ambassadors when she says that even after almost a decade, Lithuania still faces challenges in finding spaces for its creative ideas. She believes that it is particularly important to have people who advise, accept and help find what is wanted.
For all participants, empowering social diversity is a long-term project for which collaboration, openness and sharing of experience are crucial. The good example mentioned was the civil mobilisation towards Ukraine, where everything is done to make people feel welcome and accepted; to help them integrate into cultural activities.
Artscape, an arts agency, acts as an ambassador. It focuses on vulnerable people, ethnic groups, immigrants and refugees – people who have been forced to leave their country for various reasons. It invites artists into the community and, by bringing together different social groups, works to tackle stigmas and together create positive social change.
The Lithuanian National Museum’s festival “My Migration Story” featured a discussion on the involvement of foreigners in culture, aimed at learning more about and gaining a deeper understanding of migratory experiences. The discussion raised questions about the possibilities for foreign nationals in Lithuania to engage in social and cultural activities, in cooperation with Artscape Arts Agency and Diversity development group.