European Cultural Foundation (ECF) Press Release: 10 December 2009: Routes AWARDS 2009

European Cultural Foundation (ECF) Press Release: 10 December 2009: Routes AWARDS 2009

AMSTERDAM, December 10/PRNewswire/ -- The winners of this year's two Routes Awards are Borka Pavicevic, the cultural activist and founding Director of Belgrade's Centre for Cultural Decontamination, and Stefan Kaegi, the internationally-acclaimed Swiss theatre-maker. They will each receive their prize of EUR25,000 during the Awards' Ceremony on 26 January 2010 at the Royal Flemish Theatre (Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg) in Brussels.

Launched in 2008, the annual Routes Awards is a way for the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) to honour and support artists, thinkers and cultural players whose work triggers us to look beyond the static idea of "diversity" in a way that engages and inspires debate and reflection around the complexities of interaction that takes place between people and cultures.

The 2009 Routes Awards' Ceremony will be more than just a formal occasion for the handing out of prizes. "We also want to create an open space for professionals involved in policy, business, arts, culture and media to exchange ideas," says Katherine Watson, ECF's Associate Director. "And in particular, we want to use the occasion to challenge the notion of diversity as it is used today. Since we regard Europe as already intrinsically diverse, the more pressing question in the current context is how people of different languages, memories, representations and beliefs can live, move, meet and mingle within Europe's changing landscape."

Borka Pavicevic is being recognised for keeping cultural diversity alive in a troubled region. For years now, the ECF has been working with partners in the Balkans on an artistic and cultural policy level, and has often witnessed the positive impact art and culture can have on this region. Since Pavicevic founded the Centre for Cultural Decontamination in Belgrade in 1994, it has become a vital cultural venue for bringing together independent intellectuals and avant-garde artists. The centre's work and her engagement are compelling examples of the power of art and expression can have when confronting the politics of fear.

Stefan Kaegi is being awarded for his work as a contemporary theatre-maker who takes his audiences on journeys to people and places that are usually inaccessible. His innovative productions-often described as "reality trend theatre"-investigate global issues on a human scale. He forces the audience to consider the identity of those "others" who contribute to the life and functioning of our societies while still remaining largely "foreign". In particular, ECF wants to celebrate his piece Cargo-Sofia, which tells the stories of truck drivers working in a world of ever-shifting borders.

Note for the editor: The Routes Princess Margriet Award is a tribute to HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands who presided over the ECF for 24 years (HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands is the ECF's current President). The Routes Award is an initiative of European Cultural Foundation in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is generously supported by the Association of Charity Lotteries in the European Union (ACLEU) and the Rabobank Foundation.

More information at: http://www.eurocult.org/we-focus-on/routes-award

Source: European Cultural Foundation

Contact and accreditation: Mascha Ihwe, mascha@eurocult.org, +31(0)20-5733868 or +31(0)6-43-08-42-05

---

Profile: International Entertainment