These words are an extraction from the publication An Alternative Gaze-a shared reflection on cross-Mediterranean cooperation in the arts, which is an outcome of the Mediterranean Reflection group (initiated by the European Cultural Foundation) that took place between 2006-2007. The publication contains sharp, energising and engaging viewpoints and examples of projects that show how cultural cooperation between Europe and the Southern Mediterranean works, what are the challenges and disappointments of curators, artists, journalists, and whether practitioners, funders and policy makers are dealing with the same set of questions.

“Funders can and should do more than simply give money or offer their resources”, say Abdelaziz Taleb and Abdellatif Benfaidoul. This is only one of the many sincere comments in the publication around the shared belief that dialogue, consulting, distribution of results and real partnership between funders and grantees is needed for an effective Euro-Mediterranean cultural cooperation. Here are few more highlights of the stories, essays and interviews in the publication:
- “There is a fear that the region would become a shopping centre for Western curators”
- “Western contemporary art forms tend to be “imposed” on local audiences”
- “Cultural cooperation is a powerful tool only when considered in a partnership context from the perspective of the “other”
- “Cultural initiatives are successful only in cases of a good cooperation between stakeholders”
- What are the ingredients to make a strong NGO sector and are they different for different regions and countries?
- Usually non-governmental funding for cultural cooperation projects fills a gap left open by the state, but then how big is this gap and does international funding really contributing efficiently there, knowing well the needs?

Read more here. ECF is continuing to advocate, together with other funders and partners, the importance of building real long-term partnership across the Mediterranean. There is an online dossier, in which ECF has collected various documents and interesting material on cross-Mediterranean cooperation in the contemporary arts and culture. It contains essays, portraits, personal stories, interviews with the aim to facilitate new ways of cooperation across borders.

Look at LabforCulture Open Lines to Intercultural Dialogue project (inviting everyone to share personal interpretations of intercultural dialogue) to see is the expression "working together" used to describe this term, and if yes, how many times...