This French-language episode is part of a series dedicated to the role of art and culture in the face of crises and conflict: their capacity to support communities, foster dialogue, contribute to conflict resolution, and assist in both material and psychological reconstruction.

In 2021, the European Union adopted a concept on the protection of cultural heritage in times of conflict and crisis, recognising cultural heritage as an important driver of peace, democracy, and sustainable development. What can artists and cultural actors do to rekindle dialogue, preserve memory, and build peace? What role can the European Union, as an international player, take in defending endangered cultural heritage? What concrete initiatives have already been implemented, with what outcomes, and in collaboration with which partners?

In this episode, Lilian Richieri Hanania, a collaborator with culture Solutions, speaks with Fady Jeanbart, a Lebanese opera singer who has conducted significant archival work related to Lebanon’s cultural memory. This interview was conducted during the period of Israeli airstrikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon, followed by incursions by the Israeli army into Lebanese territory, between September and October 2024. These attacks, occurring in the context of the conflict between Israel, Gaza, Hamas, and Hezbollah, caused serious damage to Lebanon’s cultural heritage.Speaker bio, references and transcript: https://www.culturesolutions.eu/podcast/building-lebanese-cultural-memory/

In this third episode of the (Re)generating trust podcast series on the links between youth and culture, Elise Cuny exchanged with four artists from Kenya, Somalia and Italy, who took part in the ArtXChange project, a result of the AU-EU youth cooperation hub.

We explore how they experienced co-creation, how creative directors supported them in residencies and exhibitions, and what they learned from international cultural relations. “This is what it feels like to be alive. I didn’t know, but now I know”, shared a participant, pointing to the life experiences behind strategies.

More about the artists, sources of inspiration, and transcript on our website: https://www.culturesolutions.eu/podcast/au-eu-youth-cooperation-breaks-barriers-through-art/

Musical creation credits: Stéphane Lam Songs: Mana y’i Rwanda, by Kaya Byinshii, and Freedom, by Liboi

After exploring the various understandings of the concept of international cultural relations in different geographical contexts, we now look at the relationship between diverse world regions and the dynamics that have emerged in recent years between and within the North and the South, the East and the West.

We round up with a series of recommendations based on contributors' professional practices, linked to cherishing and preserving local cultural expressions, promoting intercultural exchanges and mainstreaming cultural policies.

Speakers' bios, quotes and transcript: https://www.culturesolutions.eu/podcast/cultural-relations-a-fairer-way-to-engage-between-continents/

Musical creation credits: Introduction and closing by Stéphane Lam; Nature by MaxKoMusic; Borrow the Happiness by Kabbalistic Village