Artists Fishing Behind The Net For a Schengen Visa 1

“No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.” Mahatma Gandhi

This essay should start with a reference to the Declaration of Brussels, the executive text that
concluded the EU/ACP Colloquium on "Culture and creativity vectors for development" from
1-3 April 2009 (www.culture-dev.eu). It is a text that explicitly states its intent to instigate a
new dynamic and it appears to have won the support of a wide social, cultural a-nd political
network. Despite its clear recommendations, little has been done to overcome obstacles of
European bureaucracy that make a Schengen visa for artists most difficult to obtain.

The Declaration of Brussels (2009) doesn't deserve to be sneered at and the text should be
used as a broadly based frame of reference to counter the cynicism of "Fortress Europe".
Every arts professional must feel obliged to at least read this text in his or her own interest. A
few selected recommendations from the Declaration of Brussels are not to be misunderstood:
– To promote business partnerships between North-South operators for access to international
markets and for reinforcement of their capacities;

– To reinforce the contribution of culture to the fight against poverty and the improvement of
living conditions of people in ACP countries, through cultural activities that create employment
and wealth;

– To contribute to the dialogue between civilisations and intercultural dialogue, which are the
guarantee of peace and security;

– Support groups of producers and distributors for collective presentations of their works in the
main international markets, at national and regional levels;

– Facilitate the movement of artists and culture professionals at an international level;

– Improve the visibility of the cultures of ACP countries in the EU Member States by supporting
large-scale festivals, show-cases and co-productions.

Some might reproach the Declaration of Brussels for its lack of pragmatic clarity, but let us be
fair and admit that the text touches a sore spot. I would rather not argue the case for artists to
be awarded special status, although generally they truly are the best ambassadors for their
country of origin. Whether artists should receive special treatment to encourage their cross-
border mobility, and whether or not the idea of an artist's visa is viable in the current
Schengen context, remains unanswered. It seems strategically more intelligent to emphasise
the issue in its fundamental essence. Real-life examples of traveling groups of generous artists
that remain stuck at the border make for absurd anecdotes and indicate that there is a
consistent problem.

Konono No.1, a renowned group of musicians from DRC, played in April 2006 in the
Beursschouwburg (Brussels, Belgium), but for the world music festival Couleur Café in 2008
they could not return in the context of a planned European tour, which would have included a
1
This essay was originally written in Dutch and published in the Flemish Theater Institution’s quarterly Courant
nr. 90 on “Culture and Development” (October 2009)
Download this magazine from : http://www.vti.be/files/VTi_Courant90_web.pdf.
performance at Tate Modern in London (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-
entertainment/music/features/something-to-declare-new-visa-requirements-are-leading-to-
cancelled-concerts-and-tours-835780.html). The detailed merry-go-round of the diplomatic
bureaucracy in this story became nothing short of a thriller. Persistent shortage of blank
international passports in Kinshasa had started the delay in January, while neither London,
Oslo, Brussels nor Paris, managed to reply timeously in the six months available to do so, to
their visa request.

Michel Winter, the French producer and manager of the group in Brussels, described the
absurdity of the story as follows :
« Chacun se renvoie la balle et chacun demande des documents différents. On va même
décourager de venir en Europe un groupe qui gagne de l’argent, fait vivre des dizaines de
familles et n’a aucune envie de vivre ailleurs qu’au Congo. La preuve, ils sont toujours
rentrés au pays à l’issue de leurs nombreuses tournées internationales.»
In 2009 Couleur Café again fell victim to the Schengen monster, together with cultural
operators and festivals in eight other European countries.

“Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.” Jawaharlal Nehru

Consider the example of Mokoomba, six young men from the Tonga-valley near Victoria Falls
in Zimbabwe, golden award winners of the annual Inter-regional Competition of Music
Crossroads International. MCI (until recently under the wings of Jeunesses Musicales
International www.jmi.net) offers practical solutions to a number of the recommendations in
the Declaration of Brussels.

MCI caters broadly for the professionalisation of young musicians in Southern Africa by
offering training programmes, introduction to the stage, international skills exchanges (e.g.
training of sound technicians), international trade agreements between creative industry
operators, as well as life skills training and mentoring for young artists.

The format of this programme has been running successfully for more than 10 years. Music
Crossroads now has local representatives in 5 Southern African states that organise
workshops, technical training, cross-border exchanges and local competitions. Its calendar
runs year-round (competitions are held provincially, nationally and interregionally between
Malawi, Moçambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe), and each year the best group from the
region is offered a European tour, for which they get geared up in the course of the following
year (more info : www.music-crossroads.net).

You might remember music combinations like Body Mind and Soul, Konga Vibes (Malawi),
Bongo Love (Zimbabwe), Kapa Dech or Banda Azul (Moçambique), that over the past
decade have left a strong impression at Couleur Café, the Zuiderpershuis or other summer
festivals across Europe.

One would expect a reliable organisation like Music Crossroads International, armed with a
sterling track record, to sail through any Schengen visa application, particularly considering
the series of international commitments they've managed to honour time and again over the
past decade. This year, for the first time, their Schengen visa request got refused without any
explanation, and not Spain, France, the Netherlands or Norway would claim any
responsibility (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/accessdenied or http://www.music-
crossroads.net/?q=content/media-center/news/2009-09-14t000000).

Belgian funding agency, Africalia, has been a consistent supporter of this project in Southern
Africa for the past 3 years, while Couleur Café has been a technical and logistical partner of
MCI for the past 10 years. This particular visa-refusal therefore has a direct influence on
Africalia's result-based programme with the Belgian Development Cooperation (DGCD). The
Scandinavian countries, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and others have invested
development funds (which is public money) into this project and the results are gratifying. –
As a result it is incomprehensible that musicians are trained professionally and prepared for
the African and European markets, but are not able to share their expertise with the European
market.
In all fairness, it must be noted that Mokoomba finally did win access to the European
market, after re-applying and in the context of a much downsized European tour this
November 2009. They are also to perform at the European Development Days in Stockholm.
The fact remains, however, that they could have gained much broader European exposure if
they had managed to carry out their original tour during the summer months and visit all the
festivals.

“I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to

be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my
house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.”
Mahatma Gandhi

The unpredictable likelihood of obtaining a Schengen visa for artists, which would provide
access the European market for them, remains an almost insurmountable challenge. Note that
not only the sponsors and donor agencies involved are losing out, but the music industry
itself. More often then not, airfares and hotel bookings are already paid for and commitments
are in place before making a visa application. In short, the concert or festival organisers,
sponsors and donor organisations and the group and its management make the necessary
preparations and commitments only to be met with a case officer in an embassy or an internal
affairs immigration service delaying the whole process, putting it on the backburner or simply
throwing it out without explanation.

Following the original failed visa application for Mokoomba the matter surfaced at the Euro-
Africa Campus for Cultural Co-operation (22-26 June 2009, Maputo, Mozambique). It
became a unique opportunity to start understanding the challenges and opportunities related
to the mobility of artists from Africa to Europe. Culture Action Europe added to the
discussion by appropriately indicating a few hindrances on the path to obtaining a “cultural
passport” within the Schengen context, but the debate didn't advance further at that point.

Instead, Africalia introduced Dag Franzen from Music Crossroads International to Gerald
Seligman from WOMEX, assuming the international world music market in Berlin
(www.womex.com) is best placed to take up the cause. The Schengen visa problem is not
new, as was confirmed by WOMEX, and caused serious problems when one wanted to hire
African artists at European festivals. To hire a band from Africa (or any other lesser-known
or favoured countries) demands a degree of financial risk that arts organisers in Europe are
increasingly less prepared to take,. Surely, one cannot be expected to buy an artistic product
and pay for expensive transport and tour-related costs upfront, while delivery remains
uncertain.

“Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their

own.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There is need for greater clarity and transparency in the Schengen visa process, particularly
with regard to cultural matters. It would be most beneficial if a group of specialists would
tackle the issue. It would go a long way to putting bread back on people’s tables. On that
note, it is encouraging to learn that an Open Method of Coordination workgroup is
operational in order to find ways to remove existing obstacles to artists' mobility. This essay
hopes to add some pertinent arguments and will help facilitate the work of this group.

If “TRADE NOT AID” is to stand the test of time, it seems fair to demand that an artist, a
group or an artwork - particularly when it comes strongly supported and with clear
commitments to the market - should receive a honest chance to prove itself worthy and
provide the European Community and its member states with cultural oxygen.

Bjorn Maes

AFRICALIA vzw

Artistic coordinator Southern Africa