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SAN SEBASTIAN 2016: A SHARED DREAM
Last week –on June 28th- the jury in Spain has advised the Minister of Culture to nominate San Sebastian as the European Capital of Culture 2016, a title that will be shared with the Polish city Wroclaw. In the final words the vice-president of the jury has praised the theme but also explicitly the team. We –as a team- would like to say THANKS to all of you who have backed, trusted, collaborated, shared and questioned San Sebastian’s 2016 Bid over the last months. With your contribution, however small, you have become part of this success. During the last days of joy and satisfaction with the work done so far we slowly have become aware of the ENORMOUS RESPONSIBILITY THAT HAS COME TOWARDS US. We hope the project “Waves of energy. Culture to overcome violence” will bring our team, our city and our territory together in a joint endeavor to achieve A SHARED DREAM. A dream of using culture and education as motors to ensure that those European cities with similar issues become spaces where people of all kind can come together and live side by side and educate themselves and each other in values. In the next year we will continue to use this newsletter to keep you informed on the status of San Sebastian European Cultural Capital 2016. In case you would not like to receive this newsletter any more please be so kind to let us know. In any case hope to see you around somewhere in the next years and if you are in San Sebastian please do not hesitate to pass by in our offices. THANK YOU The San Sebastian 2016 team
Subject: DSS2016eu: The jury visits San Sebastian
Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2011 09:56:58 +0200
From: "info-sansebastian2016" <info@sansebastian2016.eu>
To: "info-sansebastian2016" <info@sansebastian2016.eu>
THE JURY VISITS SAN SEBASTIAN
Despite the typical rain in San Sebastian -that came down extensively during the Jury’s visit-, the encounter has left a feeling of satisfaction in both members of the selection panel and the San Sebastian 2016 Candidature team.
Last week, four of the thirteen members of the jury visited the cities competing for the precious title of European Capital of Culture 2016 in Spain. During a busy programme of 7 days the Austrian Manfred Gaulhofer -Chairman; the Spaniards Emilio Cassinello and Jordi Pascual –respectively Vice-Chairman and Rapporteur; and Miss Danuta Glondys from Poland travelled in a big circle around Spain.
On Monday the jury was in Zaragoza, Tuesday San Sebastian, Wednesday Burgos, Thursday Segovia, Friday Cordoba and a split programme was held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Saturday and Sunday.
When the jury came to San Sebastian on May 31st it took a closer look at the city, checked the realism of the project and had in-depth talks with stakeholders and shareholders on ambitions.
During the press conference Manfred Gaulhofer declared that “the citizens of San Sebastian support the 2016 project” and each and every institution and political power has “a clear and undeniable compromise with it”. Vice-President Emilio Cassinello expressed similar feelings: “the project is well planned and thought out, and that’s something we have seen ourselves in all areas”. More about the visit on our webpage [1] or on Flickr [2]
OTHER CANDIDATES
The San Sebastian team is proud to be in competition with 5 other Spanish Candidates. We have done a quick search for information in the local press of our competitors. Please find here links to information on the visits in Burgos [3], Cordoba [4], Las Palmas de Gran Canaria [5], Segovia [6] and Zaragoza [7]. Alternatively, click here [8]for a general overview.
Links:
[2] http://www.flickr.com/photos/sansebastian2016/sets/72157626874304810/
San Sebastian Elected European Culture Capital 2016
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/san-sebastian-elected-european-culture-206844
5:33 AM 6/29/2011 by Pamela Rolfe
Home to Spain's top film festival, an international jazz festival and world-class cuisine, the city was selected for its use of culture to combat political discord.
MADRID - European Union officials said they chose the Spanish city of San Sebastian as one of two European Culture Capitals in 2016 thanks to its "idea to use culture" to combat political discrepancies in the restive Basque region.
EU officials chose the seaside town in Spain's northern Basque region-- home to Spain's A-list international film festival--above five other Spanish cities and in conjunction with Wroclaw in southwestern Poland.
"It comes at a moment of new promise as terrorism is coming to an end," San Sebastian International Film Festival Director Jose Luis Rebordinos told the Spanish daily El Pais. "It will give even more significance to the festival."
Spain's Basque region has been plagued with violence for more than 40 years as the armed Basque group ETA has waged a bloody campaign for independence for a swath of land that straddles the French-Spanish border, shooting and bombing some 800 people, including politicians, police, journalists, judges and passers-by.
Experts suggest ETA's ability to carry out violent acts is greatly diminished and recent elections indicate a new political climate in the Basque region.
San Sebastian is an elegant town, with a shell-shaped beach, gourmet cuisine (home to two of the world's top 10 chefs) and a range of international film and jazz festivals.
"I'm thrilled," said world-class chef Juan Mari Arzak. "I've been impressed by the synergies of how all the San Sebastian inhabitants worked together. We're a small city, only 180,000 residents. We hardly have anything, but we do have lots of imagination."
EU culture capitals mark the occasion by organizing exhibits, concerts and artistic performances.
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