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Visa issues:
Transparency and correct information is the key
If the European countries are serious about honouring their ratification of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity they need to make visa and work permit procedures and the general access to the European market for artists more flexible, transparent and homogenous. “The current system is damaging the music industry,” says Ole Reitov, programme manager, Freemuse. He will present various recommendations from the forthcoming ‘white paper’ at the Womex trade fair in Spain in the end of October 2008.
The paper is based on answers from various European tour and festival organisers and their experiences with visa issuing offices outside Europe.
“We have received numerous horror stories from concert organisers. When they receive wrong information or are being treated as ‘dirt’ by visa offices abroad, it creates an atmosphere of great frustration and sometimes lead to cancellation of planned tours,” says Ole Reitov.
The ‘white paper’ will be forwarded to the EU Commission, the EU Parliament and the Council of the European Union, and hopefully international and national music organisations will also make use of the paper. “Lobbying at national level is extremely important in order to improve the current system,” says Ole Reitov.
Background
During the international trade fair WOMEX 2007, held in Spain in October, a seminar organised by Michel Winter of Divano Productions discussed the complex visa and work permit issues.
Freemuse then offered to host the collection of case stories and present a “white paper” to the European Parliament, the EU Commission and colleagues at national and European artists organisations.The initiative was quickly joined by international organisations with huge expertise and experiences in the field of cultural presentations and cultural exchange.
Read more
Visa issues kill music |
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The initiative is joined by the following partners:
European Council of Artists, ECA – the umbrella organisation for national councils of artists in Europe:
eca.dk
European Live Music Forum:
europeanlivemusicforum.org
European Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals:
efwmf.org
Womex – the World Music Expo:
womex.com |
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Other intiatives
In several European countries and in the USA there are national campaigns against visa and work permits restrictions in relationship to the artists. Amongst the inititatives are:
ABGESAGT
IG World Music Austria have started an online-petition/campaign called 'ABGESAGT (which means 'Canceled') - no art without artists! no culture without culture-makers!'
IG World Music Austria ask for an immediate change in the aliens law (artists lost their undeterminded residency status with the last changes in the Austrian law in 2006) and for easy visa-issuing for artist on tour.
abgesagt.net
NCA
The National Campaign for the Arts, NCA, is the United Kingdom’s only independent lobbying organisation representing all the arts. It provides a voice for the arts world in all its diversity. It seeks to safeguard, promote and develop the arts and win public and political recognition for the importance of the arts as a key element in our national culture:
artscampaign.org.uk/campaigns/nationalpolicy/Visas
Artists from Abroad
Recognising the visa and work permit challenges the American Symphony Orchestra League and Association of Performing Arts Presenters have consulted with nationally-recognized experts to create Artists from Abroad – the most complete and up-to-date online resource for foreign guest artists, their managers, and performing arts organisations visiting the USA:
artistsfromabroad.org
US Cuba Cultural Exchange
US Cuba Cultural Exchange – a national network in the US of artists and presenters – has created a campaign towards changing the current restrictions and the ban the US government has imposed infringing on the rights of artists in both countries to collaborate and create. A letter to the American president Bush bears the signatures of more than 200 actors, musicians, filmmakers, and producers such as Harry Belafonte, Ry Cooder, Peter Coyote, Danny Glover, Sean Penn, Bonnie Raitt, Gloria Steinem and Alice Walker:
cubaresearch.info/cubaletter |
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| Related reading about visa issues |
| Freemuse campaign: Visa issues kill music |
| In collaboration with international artists organisations Freemuse launches an investigation of visa and work permit procedures in order to influence policy makers |
| 26 November 2007 |
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| Musicians hit by the “9/11-effect” |
| Tighter restrictions on air travel means that musical instruments are no longer allowed on the plane as carry-on baggage. This has lead to cancellations of concerts and tours |
| 11 September 2006 |
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| New US study on cultural exchanges since September 11 |
| U.S Homeland Security and State departments are encouraged to "work together to improve the current visa situation…so it is less of a barrier for foreign visitors, artists, and scholars, and for the presenters who invite them" |
| 10 September 2004 |
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| Threatening borders |
| Visa problems: Fortresses that Western authorities build around their riches dissuadés more and more musicians from risking discomfort and humiliation at the borders |
| 09 June 2004 |
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| Songs of Cuba, silenced in America |
| "We may think we are isolating Cuba with our embargo and our travel restrictions, but it is we Americans who are becoming isolated," said singer-songwriter Jackson Browne on the US - Cuba visa conflict |
| 22 March 2004 |
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| Post September 11- Freemuse conference |
| Listen to the Freemuse organized panel discussion from WOMEX 2003 on how September 11 has affected freedom of musical expression. Visa problems, threats, disrupted tours, changed play-lists, nationalistic concerts and withdrawal of covers are just a few results |
| 30 November 2003 |
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