ASEM Cultural Festival 2019: Bridge between Asia and Europe

Seven music and dance shows, artist workshops, audience encounters, a virtual reality exhibition and a special exhibit on ‘ASEAN Cultural Year 2019’, make up the festival schedule. ASEM Cultural Festival 2019 is taking place in different spaces in the city centre: Círculo de Bellas Artes, Conde Duque Cultural Centre, Nicolás Salmerón Cultural Centre, CentroCentro, Casa de Vacas and Casa Asia in Madrid. All the events in the Festival are open to the public and are free.

A cultural bridge between Asia and Europe

Asia and Europe: Cultures Connect is the theme of ASEM Cultural Festival 2019, a multidisciplinary festival which, will gather in Madrid from 11 to 15 December over 40 Asian and European artists to showcase the richness of their cultural and artistic diversity through music, dance and digital art. It will take place in Brussels on 6 December.

A concert featuring world music and jazz “Nguyen Le Saiyuki & Friends” with the participation of 7 musicians performing together for the first time, will open the festival, while“Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រុងតូច”, a hip-hop performance with dancers from Australia and Cambodia, will be the closing event.

In between these events, the Festival presents “Kizuna”, a concert by two interpreters of Japanese string instruments, the, koto and the kotsuzumi, accompanied by Spanish guitar; “Rasa y Duende: Lorca, Flamenco y la India”, a dialogue between different performing arts from India and the deepest roots of Spanish flamenco singing and dancing; Poong Ryu, a Korean music and dance show with 15 artists on stage; Rudraksham, a concert by a classical Indian Carnatic and Hindustani music group with percussion and string instruments; two exhibitions, one in-person exhibition about the cultural diversity from the countries of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and a virtual reality exhibition comprising 4 installations proposing audience interaction through emblematic and universal works of art by different European and Asian artists, and workshops led by the artists themselves, make up the menu for the ASEM Cultural Festival 2019.

#ASEMfest

The ASEM Cultural Festival is one of the activities organised for the 14th ASEM Foreign Ministers Meeting (ASEMFMM14) which will take place in Madrid on 15 and 16 December 2019, as well as the Model ASEM programme (ModelASEM19) from 11 to 16 December which will bring together university students, and the 12th ASEF Journalist Seminar (ASEFJS12) on 13 and 14 December with the participation of young journalists from Asia and Europe.

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an intergovernmental process established in 1996 to promote dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe. There are currently 51 Partner countries, of which 30 are European and 21 are Asian, along with the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat, which makes a total of 53 Partners.

ASEM Cultural Festival 2019 Organisers

EEAS

The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the European Union’s diplomatic service. Its role is to make sure the voice of the European Union and its people are heard in the world. A key aspect of the work of the EEAS is its ability to work closely with the foreign and defence ministries of the member states of the EU and the other EU institutions such as the European Commission, Council and Parliament. It also has a strong working relationship with the United Nations and other International Organisations.

FPI

The European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) was set up in January 2011, at the same time as the European External Action Service (EEAS). Under the direct authority of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission, and in close coordination with the European External Action Service, its mission is to help the EU achieve its foreign and security policy objectives. The Service for Foreign Policy Instruments handles on a daily basis a diverse and complex set of financial and regulatory instruments: the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, the Partnership Instrument, Common Foreign and Security Policy actions, Election Observation Missions, EU restrictive measures (sanctions), the Kimberley Process on conflict diamonds, and the Anti-Torture Regulation.

Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation leads Spanish foreign policy and international development cooperation, in accordance with the directives of the Government and the application of the principle of unity of action in foreign affairs. This ministry collaborates and/or participates in different administrative formulae in numerous organisations and institutions, as is the case with Casa Asia, which is part of the network of organisations “Red de Casas” alongside Casa de América, Casa África, Casa Árabe, Casa Mediterráneo and the Sefarad-Israel Centre.

ASEF

The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) promotes understanding, strengthens relationships and facilitates cooperation among the people, institutions and organisations of Asia and Europe. ASEF enhances dialogue, enables exchanges and encourages collaboration across the thematic areas of culture, education, governance, economy, sustainable development, public health and media. ASEF is an intergovernmental not-for-profit organisation located in Singapore. Founded in 1997, it is the only institution of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). ASEF runs more than 25 projects a year, consisting of around 100 activities, mainly conferences, seminars, workshops, lectures, publications, and online platforms, together with about 150 partner organisations. For more information, please visit http://www.asef.org/

Casa Asia

Casa Asia is a public consortium consisting of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Generalitat of Catalonia, and the Barcelona and Madrid city councils. The consortium aims to contribute to better understanding between Spain and Asian countries and to promote institutional, economic, cultural and educational relations as well as encouraging exchanges in the domains of culture, ideas and projects of shared interest. The institution is nowadays a reference and meeting point in Spain with regard to one of the world’s most dynamic regions: Asia-Pacific. Its headquarters are in Barcelona, and it also has a centre in Madrid.