NEWS RELEASES
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT FIRST ON BOARD TO SUPPORT MAJOR INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF MUSIC IN AID OF THE KOSOVO CULTURAL COMMUNITY
July 20, 1999 (2:00 p.m. EDT) No. 164
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT FIRST ON BOARD TO SUPPORT
MAJOR INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
IN AID OF THE KOSOVO CULTURAL COMMUNITY
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today announced federal funding of $200 000 for a major cultural event called The
Return, an International Festival of Music & Theatre, under the auspices of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and
UNICEF, to support the rebuilding of the Kosovo cultural and education community. Spearheaded by actress Vanessa Redgrave,
the event will feature artists from around the world, including Canada.
"Canada is helping rebuild Kosovo. That rebuilding effort must not only focus on bricks and mortar; we must also help rebuild the
human spirit," said Mr. Axworthy. "As the first government to get behind this initiative, Canada is once again signalling its strong
commitment to human security. It is also important for Canadian artists to play a major role on the international scene and actively
help the Kosovars survive as artists and families."
Directed by Enver Petrovci and Vanessa Redgrave, produced by Bill Kenwright, and supported by a host of artists including,
among others, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Bono, Elton John, Sting and Meryl Streep, The Return will feature Canada's Men of the
Deeps and Tribe of One.
The International Festival of Music & Theatre will take place in Skopje, Macedonia, on September 10, with a concert
featuring Philip Glass and Foday Musa Suso. On September 11, in Pristina, Kosovo, the stage will host, among
others, the Martha Graham Dance Company and the premiere performance of The Cursed, written and directed by Enver
Petrovci, with Vanessa Redgrave. The closing concert on September 12, again in Pristina, will feature world-renowned musicians
such as violinist Akiko Ono and pianist Katharina Wolpe.
Vanessa Redgrave, recently filming in Halifax, approached Mr. Axworthy because of Canada's major role in the landmines issue.
"Canada's human security agenda is well known on the international scene and is a natural fit for the humanitarian effort we are
undertaking in Kosovo," said Ms. Redgrave. "The reaction was instant and positive and will go a long way in helping us reach our
goal of aiding Albanian Kosovar children and young people recover their cultural spirits with the confidence that they have a future."
Men of the Deeps is a miner's choral group from Nova Scotia that performs traditional Cape Breton folk songs. Tribe of One is a
group of professional artists from Winnipeg (four musicians, two dancers and two visual artists) incorporating rock music, dance
and artists painting live on stage with an art therapy approach.
Tribe of One received a grant of $20 000 under the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Children in Armed
Conflict Program to conduct music and art therapy throughout Kosovo. The remaining $180 000 in federal funding is provided
under the Department's International Cultural Relations Program. This program supports initiatives in the arts and higher education
undertaken abroad.
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 1999 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal
framework.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Debora Brown
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
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