«When Tchaikovsky's concerts around the world are cancelled, our love for Chopin continues. Culture cannot be canceled»
Such billboards have recently appeared in some Russian cities. Although it would be an exaggeration to say that Russian writers and musicians are being abandoned in the West, it turned out that culture is no longer a space where the barriers erected by politicians disappear. Along with political and economic sanctions, numerous bans appear, giving rise to talk about the abolition of Russian culture.
Opinions were divided. For example, Claudia Roth, State Minister for Cultural Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, criticized the so-called abolition of Russian culture in Germany: "I consider it completely wrong to boycott everything that makes up Russian culture." She recalled, in particular that recently in North Rhine-Westphalia, local authorities refused to perform a youth orchestra that played the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Under these conditions, cultural diplomacy has a new role to play.
What is Russian cultural diplomacy?
Cultural diplomacy is interstate cooperation in the field of culture. There are no clear boundaries and definitions of this concept, but one thing is certain - this is an important part of public diplomacy. Moreover, cultural diplomacy includes both elite and mass culture. Its integral part is education and cultural exchange.
Art
Contemporary art and culture - from graffiti and rap to computer games - are also massive. The emergence of new types and trends in contemporary art (here, technical and industrial design, and various trends in cinema, types of animation, computer games, 3D graphics) - these are the very micro-revolutions. Many countries have already managed to integrate into this process and promote their values through the mainstream in art. Only here there is one difference: there is always room for dialogue in the cultural field.
Art is universal: it appeals to the feelings of people, their inner world, so this is not some kind of closed area. Is contemporary art a reflection of society? Yes, but there are groups of artists whose work cannot be called a reflection of the thoughts and feelings of all people and society as a whole.
All this is necessary to strengthen mutual understanding and trust between peoples, people and elites. This is facilitated by various exhibitions, programs in the field of cultural exchange, education, etc., even if it is a long way.
Dialogue of cultures: what are they talking about?
The dialogue of cultures has a long history. Thus, the 1930s became an important stage in the development of the Soviet Union. During this period, a cultural revolution took place in the country. The Soviet culture of the 1930s, despite totalitarian state control, did not lag behind the world trends of that time.
By the way, they started turning scientists and artists into a brand back in the USSR: its leadership actively developed cultural exchange. For example, Soviet artists (albeit selectively) toured abroad and opened the country to a foreign layman, and famous Western philosophers, writers, and photographers were invited to the Soviet Union. Did Soviet Russian culture conquer the world? Yes. Did you manage to show our country in a positive way, to talk about the ideals of the Soviet people? Undoubtedly. We have become closer and more understandable thanks to art.
So did our partners on the other side of the ocean: during the Cold War era, American cultural diplomacy included State Department and CIA-sponsored arts and education programs. With their help, a way of thinking was spread that challenged the communist ideology. It is no secret that even today it is one of the instruments of foreign policy.
Culture plus technology
Information and communication technologies give rise to new areas of diplomatic practice. Digital diplomacy involves the use of social networks. It helps to strengthen ties at the level of civil societies in different countries and, thus, reduces international conflict.
Today, almost all states of the world are involved in digital diplomacy. Russia is no exception. And although this is just a tool, albeit providing access to a huge audience, it is extremely important and relevant content is needed!
With the advent and development of technologies for communication, a new revolution in cultural diplomacy has taken place. In order to get to know the culture of any country, it doesn’t matter what language you speak, what religion you follow, how far away you are. You can receive export cultural images at the speed of pop-up ads in your browser. And this is an undoubted plus: at a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult for a foreigner to visit Russia, the possibilities of remote formats of cultural interaction can hardly be overestimated.
In particular, Rossotrudnichestvo and its representative offices regularly gather online a lot of people from different countries. These are platforms for caring foreigners, where you can greet and support Russian culture, and through it, our entire country. In opposition to the policy of canceling Russian culture, numerous online platforms contribute to the spread of Russian contemporary art. An excellent example is the Parisian online gallery Tonka, which features young Russian artists: Misha Nikatin, Alexandra Pasternak, Anton Totibadze, Masha Yankovskaya, Ksenia Obukhovskaya, Elena Fuks (Lentov), Maria Egorova. At present, state programs in the field of culture do not play a secondary role at all. This is an important component of Russian policy, both domestic and foreign. If we consider foreign policy, then Russia's cultural diplomacy is aimed at promoting its national values and interests abroad.
At the same time, it is obvious that the negative trends associated with the demonization of the image of Russia in the global information environment will intensify. This can be counteracted not only with the help of foreign information policy, but also cultural diplomacy.
Cultural diplomacy without stamps
Are the resources of cultural diplomacy used at 100%? Hardly. Often in an attempt to offer a foreign audience artifacts of Russian culture, we present them as souvenirs, crafts, «kokoshniks and balalaikas» along with portraits of Pushkin and Dostoevsky. As if every time we are trying to re-acquaint the audience with Russian culture, broadcasting rather archetypal images.
The task of Russian cultural diplomacy is to reveal the richness and depth of our culture. To show that without Russia it is impossible to imagine a whole world culture. Cultural exchange for Rossotrudnichestvo is filled with anti-consumer, humanistic meaning. We should maintain interethnic dialogue, build cultural bridges as humanitarian support for both compatriots and foreigners.
Not only the educational program about the classics of literature or the avant-garde of the early twentieth century is worthy of attention. The modernity of Russia is as multifaceted as its history, and it is important to demonstrate this to the world. The modern art movement in Russia is rich in events, the literature is replenished with new authors. This is essential content for young people today. A good example is the famous Russian science fiction writer, member of the Public Council under Rossotrudnichestvo Sergey Lukyanenko. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages and published in 25 countries. No less popular in Russia and abroad are the works of Zakhar Prilepin, Mikhail Elizarov, Vladimir Sharov, Maria Galina, Dmitry Danilov, Oksana Vasyakina, Evgeny Vodolazkin, Leonid Yuzefovich and many other authors.
What culture reflects
The events taking place today become sad stories in art. For example, in the Samara region, along with other internally displaced persons - refugees from the DPR and LPR - a young artist lives. Her portraits for a long time were sad faces. Finally, she managed to portray a smiling girl. This means that anxiety leaves people in Russia, peace comes to them.
Another artist from the Lugansk People's Republic, Natalya Domskaya, prefers to create her own fairy-tale world. «Many artists paint a difficult wartime. Undoubtedly, we should remember our heroes and what happened then and now, this is a story that will always be with us. But I remain unchanged to my fairy-tale world and its heroes», she says.
«All topics have been exhausted, and you are talking about yourself, speaking the language of your generation, straight from the heart», says the poetess from Yekaterinburg. - The poetry of our time is about the fact that it is very difficult to say something new, especially when the Golden and Silver Ages are behind you. You can talk about yourself with penetrating frankness. It takes crazy courage to do that.
You can't cancel love
And what about abroad? There are harmonious calls to abolish Russian culture: to demolish the sculptures of Russian masters, to ban the sending of exhibits, to close the exhibitions of Russian art. The Warsaw National Opera has canceled the premiere of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, and a Polish radio station has announced that local philharmonics will no longer play the music of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.
What would you say yesterday if you learned about the renaming of the painting at the initiative of the museum? They would probably consider it a dumb joke. What would you call the dismissal of conductors and singers because of their nationality and citizenship? Fascism. And today it is our reality.
You can't change culture. This phenomenon is temporary, and it is not characteristic of all countries, now it is those who are trying to abolish culture that are best heard. Time will make its own adjustments and put everything in its place. Already now we need to look for those who are ready to cooperate, to give them the opportunity to prove themselves.
There are many reasons for canceling Russian culture, they are obvious. But one of them is that art, despite all the subjectivity of artistic perception, is an objective source of truth, a way to testify to it.
Culture unexpectedly turned out to be not “outside politics”, not its active actor, but its disenfranchised object for attack. But we should maintain common sense and protect culture. It is she who is able to stop the catastrophe.
Therefore, the tasks of Russia's cultural diplomacy are changing today. Russia has been actively «exporting» classical literature, opera and ballet for a long time. Now we need new brands to create a worthy image of the country and attract foreign audiences, primarily youth. The search for communication formats understandable to the younger generation is painstaking work that will shape the cultural agenda of tomorrow.
If Dostoevsky and Tolstoy are the brand of the 19th century, Malevich's square is the brand of the 20th century, then what is the brand of the 21st century? New «brands» have emerged: Evgeny Zamyatin, Mikhail Bulgakov, Vladimir Nabokov, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Iosif Brodsky... However, since the dawn of the digital age in the late 1990s and early 2000s, branding, marketing and advertising methods have differed in many ways from those that have been established before. Innovation and technology will determine the future of branding. And to a greater extent now it is the sphere of business, not art.
But what does Russian society offer the world culturally today? What brands does Russian culture have now? In the global context, Russian writers and musicians are going through difficult times. However, they play an important unifying role. Many adequately represent the country, and it doesn't matter where they live. They are all part of our culture. And we are ready to integrate them.
«Musicians who have left the country are unlikely to become the new Vertinskys, but it’s not their talents» says Felix Sandalov, editor-in-chief of the Individuum publishing house and former editor-in-chief of Afisha. – «Russian musicians have more problems because of what country they represent. Current events are heightening tensions and fostering suspicion and atomization.”
One thing is clear: our culture will overcome prohibitions. Moreover, the current period may be the most successful time for «return to yourself» and development.