Festivals for peace

Europe is a common home for all its citizens and people. We are all losers when peace and freedom are threatened. In the light of recent political events, let's raise our voices in defence of Peace. Here is a collection of initiatives, actions, compilations, and solidarity statements from EFA members, festivals, partners... in the region, in the Balkans, in the Baltic, on the continent and beyond.

INITIATIVES

Solidarity statement European Festivals Association & The Festival Academy

The European Festivals Association and The Festival Academy are deeply affected by what is happening now in Ukraine and expresses solidarity to cultural organisations, artists and all people in the region. 

Arts and culture need to be part of the solution. They bring people together and make them learn more about each other.  

The European Festivals Association and The Festival Academy on behalf of all their members and alumni worldwide.

Read the solidarity statement here.

ARTISTS at RISK (AR)

The non-profit network institution Artists at Risk (AR) has compiled a list of Emergency Temporary Relocation Resources for Ukrainian artists and cultural workers in need. You can find the whole list by clicking on this link. The list is updated regularly.

WIth this initiative they hope to assist artists whose freedom, and even lives, are at risk.

Ukrainian artists at risk can apply here.
Dissident Belarusian and Russian artists and cultural workers at risk, apply here.
If you want to become a hosting organisation, apply here.

Find out more about it on their webpage.

CHORNOBYLDORF & EROS by O. Festival

O. Festival for Opera. Music. Theatre. in Rotterdam shares two initiatives to express their support to the victims of the war in Ukraine.

On Monday 23 May 2022, you can let yourself be carried away by the Dutch premiere of Chornobyldorf by Roman Grygoriv & Ilia Razumeiko / OPERA APERTA.

On Thursday 26 May 2022, EROS will echo testimonies of Ukrainian artists on the run, a project made in collaboration with Elli Papakonstantinou.

Find more information on their website.

Edinburgh International Festival welcomes Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra

In a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, the Edinburgh International Festival is partnering with the Scottish Government to welcome the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra for a historic free concert at the Usher Hall on Saturday 6 August 2022 at 2pm.

Marking the orchestra’s only performance in Scotland, this concert is part of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s European and USA tour in artistic defence of its country.

Edinburgh is twinned with the city of Kyiv, and this special collaboration between the International Festival and the Scottish Government is in support of the city’s Ukrainian community and those directly affected by the war.
Learn more about this initiative here.

Polish cultural institutions provide local aid

Since the first days of the local aggression of Russia in Ukraine, cultural institutions in Poland have been providing local aid to the concerned areas.

The local Łaźnia Nowa Theatre and the House of Utopia will host artists and employ workers from Ukraine.

In his statement, Robert Piaskowski emphasizes how important it is to stay in contact with each other. Read it here.

Music Chain for Ukraine

A hosting structure for Ukrainian musicians who took refuge in Belgium set up by professionals of the Belgian music scene, an initiative of the Ukrainian pianist Natacha Kudritskaya.

Several Belgian music institutions have regrouped in order to welcome Ukrainian musicians who are running from the war, and offer them a professional setting to pursue their musical work in Belgium.

Read more about this initiative and its three goals here.

ART-IN-RES for Refugees

ART-IN-RES, an online platform that facilitates the search for artists residencies in the Czech Republic and Europe overall, has set up the project ART-IN-RES for Refugees.

Ukrainians who had to flee their country and are now looking for a place to stay can take a look at the website and contact them if they would be interested.

More information about what they are can be found here.

MITOS - Since we have a house, we can share it!

MITOS, Center of Performing Arts has redirected its resources and decided to provide humanitarian aid to people having been displaced due to the war in Ukraine.

More specifically, they can employ one person preferably with its family, up to one kid, in the city of Lemesos, Cyprus.

If you are interested, you can contact them here.

No war: International artists talking about Ukraine

The Fondazione Campania dei Festival is a wide-ranging cultural institution that produces, promotes, and manages a large number of projects on a permanent basis.

It has launched a series of meetings, each of them in partnership with a European Cultural Institute and will involve two Ukrainian artists, or artists who know the Ukrainian situation.

Learn more about it on there webpage.

Working call for Ukrainian artists

The Austrian Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture opened a working call for Ukrainian artists who had to flee their country .

Grants for artists' residencies and other support is available.

Contact: ukrainehilfe@bmkoes.gv.at

You can find more information here!

Ukraine. The borderland - Ukrainian Culture Festival in Palermo

From 11 March to 10 April 2022, Cinema Vittorio De Seta - Cantieri Culturali at the Zisa, Sant'Elia Foundation, International Center of Photography and ZACentrale organise the Ukrainian Culture Festival in Palermo, named Ukraine. The borderland.

Free admission is provided for all cultural events.

During the festival, a fundraiser will be carried out in favor of humanitarian organizations committed to fighting the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

You can read all the information here.

IZOLYATSIA - Platform for Cultural Initiatives

Owing to the unfolding war and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, IZOLYATSIA is shifting all of its organisational efforts towards its country’s resistance against the aggressor and supporting Ukrainians through these tragic times.

From 1 March 2022, IZOLYATSIA is directing all activities towards humanitarian aid and support of Ukrainians in need.

Read more about their priorities or make a donation by clicking here.

Festivals for Compassion

Can music bring peace? At the very least, it can send a signal to all of us, our artists, our audience and above all to our Ukrainian colleagues and their loved ones.

Festivals for Compassion has commissioned the Ukrainian composer Maxim Shalygin to create ‘drop after drop’. What he wrote to accompany the string quartet: 

“Since the first day of the war in Ukraine, a terrible pain has settled inside me. Every time I close my eyes, I want to wake up from this terrible dream… but alas, it is not a dream. ‘drop after drop’  is a kind of an ingot of that pain and memories of my childhood, when my relatives were telling me about the war years and sung wartime songs. I hear those songs inside me again and I wish they would stop…”

Download 'drop after drop' here.

Update FfC

It has been a month since Maxim Shalygin composed "Drop after drop" to be shared by festivals throughout Europe as an act of solidarity and compassion.

"Drop after drop" has already been performed and/or recorded at, amongst others, Wonderfeel (Dudok Quartet Amsterdam) and Klarafestival (strings of the Belgian National Orchestra). You can listen to the recordings on the website.

Soon, the string quartet will also be performed by the following members:
Vilnius Festival (10 April by Vilnius String Quartet) and Festival de Wallonie.

Want to join? Share "Drop after drop" live and online, and register via this link.

Help for Ukrainian refugees in Poland

There are approximately 1.2 million new refugees in Poland. There are different ways to help them. You can click on the following links to get redirected to more detailed websites where you can decide to help yourself or read more about actions that have been taken by organisations.

Fundacja Ocalenie - Refugee Support
Support For LGBTQ Ukrainians
Polish Humanitarian Action
Res Arts - International Artist Residencies
EuroMaiden List of Approved ways to directly help Ukraine

Equity ICAF pledging up to £10.000 to help artists

Equity’s International Committee for Artists’ Freedom (ICAF) are pledging up to £10,000 to help artists affected by the war in Ukraine. This way they hope to help artists, in or fleeing Ukraine who require support such as food, shelter, immigration advice and more.

You can read ICAF's full statement here.

To donate yourself, you can also use the bank details to be found on the same page.

Czech Republic for Ukraine

As the Czech Republic remembers very well when the Russians came to Prague in 1968, the solidarity with Ukraine is huge. The Czechs are awaiting Ukrainian immigrants with open arms, ready to offer them accommodation and help. 

A lot of artists’ associations are busy organising concerts and events to raise funds and to integrate Ukrainian artists into Czech cultural organisations. You can find a useful list of current actions to support Ukraine by clicking here (in Czech).

Furthermore, the Ministry of Culture is also preparing next steps, which you can read more about here.

COMPILATIONS

Solidarity with Ukraine - The Festival Academy

In response to the current developments in Ukraine, the Festival Academy is collecting solidarity initiatives to help the arts and culture scene of Ukraine and the people in the country.

With this initiative they hope to help as much Ukrainian artists as possible.

Read all the information on their page.

ArtConnect for Ukraine

To support Ukrainian artist networks, ArtConnect has compiled an international list of emergency resources, including accommodation and residencies, educational opportunities and funding for Ukrainian artists.

On their page you can also find a list of fundraisers for Ukrainian artists, you can contribute to.

The information on this webpage will continuously updated. You can read it here.

EU ART for UA ART

This is a google form for your requests for the settlement of Ukrainian women artists in WAYNE, Poland.

Your information will be forwarded to various international cultural organisations and residencies in accordance with their requests.

Host Ukraine

The lives of the Ukrainian people are closely interconnected with those of other Europeans. Geographical proximity, along with centuries of cultural and economic exchange, have woven the destiny of the Ukrainian people to the political fabric of modern Europe.

Host Ukraine is an online platform designed to connect Ukrainians running from war with people living in the EU who are willing and able to provide them with a temporary home.

Through this platform Ukrainian refugees will be able to find available hosts, by searching out hosts on an interactive map.

Support Ukraine NOW

A crowdsourced information platform that compiles a lot of useful information on how to help as a foreigner.

Be aware: As it is a crowdsourced platform, the capacity for quality assurance is limited. If you notice a mistake, they ask you to report it.

The platform focuses on global help as well as on local initiatives.

Call for Donations and Support

Berliner Festspiele and Gropius Bau have expressed to stand in solidarity with the people in Ukraine affected by the war, as well as with those who had to flee the country due to the situation.

They have compiled a selection of Berlin organisations that provide help to refugees from Ukraine, or other regions with difficult focuses.

You will also find an overview of various opportunities for monetary and in-kind donations, both in Berlin and internationally.

Valley of Arts is calling to help

The Hungarian festival Valley of the Arts is calling to help those who are forced to escape.

On their Facebook page they have listed the organisations who are currently working hard to help safely locate and provide care for refugees.

You can find the list here.

What can you do to support?

The Ukrainian Institute Londen has compiled a list of useful links to different donations or demonstrations of support, and information platforms.

Take a look and see where you could help out.

Solidarity with Ukraine / (En)forced Mobility

As stated on their Facebook page on 25 February 2022, On the Move shall continue, together with their members, to inform artists / culture professionals in need of #relocation / #support from #Ukraine and other affected contexts.

On a regular basis they are sharing calls for residencies, funding, initiatives on On the Move’s Facebook and Twitter pages related to Ukraine and artists / culture professionals at risk.

Find a compilation on the website.

STATEMENTS OF SOLIDARITY

ITI: A letter of support to the performing arts community in Ukraine

International Theatre Institute (ITI) stands for the consolidation of peace, understanding and friendship between peoples. 

In a letter jointly initiated by Israel and Germany via the ITI Action Committee for Artists Rights (ACAR), 16 European ITI centers express solidarity with their colleagues in Ukraine and condemn the invasion by Russian forces.

Read the full letter here.

Sarajevo Winter Festival: Let's raise our voices

Europe is a common home for all its citizens and people who have the right to decide independently on their future in their independent and sovereign states, the members of the UN. The twentieth-century of horrific wars and suffering, unprecedented, is behind us, hopes and dreams of people who want to create peace, freedom, and security. We constantly say "Never again" but the messengers of evil and war catastrophes constantly appear above us. It never happens anywhere. There is no justification for "neutrality" and the view that it is all far from us. We are all losers when peace and freedom are threatened. Let's raise our voices in defense of Peace and support the UN's demand for war and violence stops.
by Ibrahim Spahic

"With you with all our hearts"

The Shakespeare Festival in Gdansk expresses its solidarity with their eastern neighbours who are facing the unprovoked Russion aggression against Ukraine.

The Gdansk Shakespeare Theatre has also joined the Polish Humanitarian Action's fundraiser. They encourage each and every one of you to do the same, by clicking this link.

You can read the full statement on their Facebook page.

International Cultural Collaboration must be supported by World Leaders

This letter was initiated by the European Theatre Convention and has been sent to Cultural ministers of national governments, the European Commission and world leaders to help us support our friends and partners in Ukraine.
By now, dozens and dozens of organisations signed it already, will you be the next?

We invite you to, please, co-sign as well as share this letter with your colleagues.

You can sign the letter by clicking this link.

Read the full letter here.

Pensiero particolare from Mittelfest

For over thirty years, Mittelfest has been a point of encounter and dialogue between the many cultures of Europe.

Mittelfest's thoughts go to the Ukrainian friends, including many artists who have graced the stages of the festival and many young people who have sent their applications to Mittelfest in recent weeks.

Read their statement by clicking the link. 

Bozar raises the Ukrainian flag

The Brussels Centre for Fine Arts, Bozar, raised the flag of Ukraine. This is their way of expressing solidarity with all the people and artists throughout the European continent, who are facing now this unacceptable act of aggression.

"Violence and destruction are enemies of culture and co-creation."

Read the full statement on their Facebook page.

Solidarity with Ukraine - IETM

The International network for contemporary performing arts - IETM, stands in solidarity with Ukraine, its people, its artistic community and their members.

With this statement, IETM wants to encourage you to donate to organisations who are offering humanitarian aid in Ukraine and to read and share verified information.

You can find all the information on this webpage.

ECP expresses support

The members of the European Cultural Parliament express their support to the Ukrainian nation and its people, fighting for independence, dignity and freedom. 

As written in the statement: "It is our responsibility as intellectuals, artists, and citizens to work for a peaceful future based on human values."

Read the full statement here.

Kateryna Botanova's letter to colleagues in the Global West

CULTURESCAPES' co-curator, Kateryna Botanova, has written this letter addressed to the colleagues in the Global West.

"Actually, death changes everything but the war is worse than death, because it is a slow sinking into helplessness (no matter how much you actually do) and as the cities are ruined around you, your soul is crumbling."

You can read the full letter here.

Klarafestival against war

Through "Festivals against war", Klarafestival supports the call to remain committed via arts and culture.

With Klarafestival 2022’s motto, ‘Let’s Stick Together’, this is more than ever an appeal for solidarity and unity. And at the same time, it is an indictment of aggression, polarisation and the resultant suffering.

The full statement can be read on their website.

Wiener Festwochen's support and solidarity

The Wiener Festwochen wish to express their support to all those threatened by Putin's acts, and declare to stand in solidarity with all artists and colleagues in Russia and Ukraine, who are now opposing and resisting the war.

Read the full statement here.

Vilnius Festival: Urgent demand to Russians

This urgent demand to Russia was written by the Vilnius Festival, member of EFA since 1999. The letters starts with an introduction about EFA and one of its founders, Igor Markewitch, a Ukrainian composer and conductor who also had Russian, Serbian, Polish roots. 

Read the full statement via this link.

Pomerania/Poland in solidarity with Ukraine

In the region of Pomerania in Poland, several directors of cultural institutions have signed the following statement.

"In the face of the war and the enormous tragedy faced by the Ukrainian people, as directors of Pomeranian art institutions, we do not see the possibility of cooperation with Russian and Belarusian institutions and artists who are directly and indirectly linked to the Putin regime and Russian capital or are financed by them, and do who not strongly condemn the barbaric assault of the Russian Federation on independent Ukraine. The lack of cooperation with these institutions and artists is an expression of our solidarity and great respect for the heroic attitude of Ukrainian society".

Read the full statement here with the list of signatories.

Open letter from Gogolfest

The team of the Ukrainian International Festival of Contemporary Art Gogolfest, EFA member since 2019, has written an open letter. In their letter they address the current state of affairs and talk about the opportunities for their activities.

To feel that they are not alone in this war, gives them the courage to hold on!

Read the full letter here.

Message from Frans de Ruiter, former President and Honorary Member of EFA

EFA was established shortly after WWII in order to celebrate peace and culture as the expression and instrument to promote a new era of working amicably and living together.
This all is roughly disturbed by the insane war started and performed by one man only, Mr. P. All of this is totally unacceptable and we should do or endorse or support a number of things:

  • all thinkable measures against the Russian Federation
  • help the Ukrainian people wherever possible, at home and as guests in our free world
  • actions of any artist and art organisation in Russia to oppose against the tiranny of 'the regime'

On top, following the wise words by Bernard, EFA should exclude any artist and/or organisation, which does not in public declare against this horrible and totally unnecessary war, from the EFA-family.
Wishing strength to all involved, I sign with respectful regards

CULTURESCAPES words of solidarity

What happens now is devastating and criminal. This Putin’s war on Ukraine is a war on the whole of Europe. It is a war on freedom and democracy. But first and foremost, it is a war against people, 40 million innocent people.

Ukraine was one of the very first CULTURESCAPES’ countries back in 2004, right at the moment when Orange Revolution bright people together for freedom and dignity. These people won in 2004, they won in 2014. They will win now.

We support the people of Ukraine and say NO to war!

Don’t stay silent! Spack out for peace and solidarity!

#ukraine #peaceinukraine #nowar #supportukraine #staywithukraine

Read the Instagram post here.

DE SINGEL supports the work of the Red Cross for humanitarian aid

"DE SINGEL stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. War can never be a solution. STOP the brutal and unacceptable act of aggression immediately and give PEACE a real chance."

DE SINGEL International Arts Centre supports the work of the Red Cross for humanitarian aid in Ukraine and surrounding countries. You are invited to transfer an amount to BE53 0000 0000 5353 with the mention "Ukraine".
These contributions will be used for direct humanitarian aid to people affected by the conflict.

Read the Facebook post here.

Statement from Festival Castell Peralada

The Peralada Castle Festival demonstrates its commitment to the defense of peace between all peoples and nations of the world and its rejection of violations of human rights. Likewise, the festival expresses its solidarity with all those who suffer the consequences of the war, and especially with all the artists and theaters affected by this situation.

Read the full statement here.

O. Statement Ukraine

"We have strong ties with Ukraine, a country with a very dynamic musical theatre culture. These artists have performed with us and will continue to be invited in the future. Thanks to the mutual exchanges, we have met some fantastic people with work that has struck us right in the heart."

"Peace is a human right. Freedom is vital for creativity. You are in our thoughts. Especially now."

Read the full statement on the website.

Music of the South CEO, Susanne Rydén's blogpost

"The sun is shining and it is spring in the air. Many of us look back on a calmer week of sports holiday activities of various kinds - a freedom that stands in stark contrast to the horrific news reports about Russia's invasion of Ukraine."

Read the full blog post of Susanne Rydén, CEO of Music of the South, here.

Statement Holland Festival

Holland Festival is deeply shocked by what is now happening in Ukraine and utterly condemn this war. Their thoughts and support go out to all the victims of this war: To the people of Ukraine, regardless of their language, background or ethnicity.

Read the full statement here.

Under the name #hArtforUkraine, the activities and fundraising to support Ukraine can continue until 31 March.

Message of peace from Franco Punzi, President of Fondazione Paolo Grassi

The president of Festival della Valle d'Itria and the Paolo Grassi Foundation has shared a message of peace regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Franco Punzi stresses: "As we witness the prevailing of violence over reason we remain speechless and anxious for the fate of the Ukrainian population, and for the developments and repercussions that this new East-West conflict may have on international relations."

Read the full statement.