As a historically multicultural country, Poland has a long-standing tradition of accepting cultural diversity. After the democratic transition, Poland has practised this tradition in a variety of ways. At the same time, its situation is unique in that currently it is one of the most mono-cultural countries in Europe. Despite this, Poland’s cultural policies create a particularly friendly climate for building an interesting and diverse cultural life. Each year it hosts dozens of festivals promoting music, theatre, the fine arts and the folk traditions of other nations and ethnic minorities living in this country. Cultural institutions rarely resort to simple didactics to communicate complex and obscure ideas. However, they are very effective at shaping attitudes, inspiring interest in new social phenomena and provoking discussions on emerging problems that have not yet been described by sociologists and social psychologists. This is also true for supralocal and supranational phenomena that are relevant to the experiences of all people regardless of their race, political beliefs and religion, including happiness, love, concern for children, bereavement, despair, but also curiosity about other people and cultures.
Art institutions and culture-promoting organisations routinely cooperate with their counterparts from other European and non-European countries, organising guest performances, participating in national and international festivals, staging joint exhibitions and co-producing performances. Theatres put on plays by authors from all over the world and musical institutions regularly host outstanding foreign composers and musicians. It should be stressed, however, that cultural institutions present the art of other nations due to its humanistic and artistic value, with nationality and ethnicity being of secondary importance.
Notably, the economic rapprochement, unrestricted freedom of travel and shared laws governing many areas of operation across the EU contribute to cultural cooperation as well. Promoted by local-government authorities, border cooperation among cities, institutions and individual artists is an effective method for bringing down cultural barriers. Easier communication and border crossings, combined with bilateral willingness to make changes, produce some surprising effects. Many artistic events are devoted to equal treatment and counteracting social exclusion.
The projects mentioned in this report represent only a portion of the totality of measures undertaken at various levels and by various institutions. We hope, however, that they, at least to a certain degree, reflect what is the most important about the diversity of cultural life in Poland. This report is, therefore, a point of departure for a reflection on how to use the Convention as a valuable vehicle for change. There are three areas, not necessarily mutually exclusive, that hold much promise in this respect.