European Cultural Foundation (ECF) Press Release: 10 December 2009: Routes AWARDS 2009

AMSTERDAM, December 10 - The winners of this year's two Routes Awards are Borka Pavicevic, the
cultural activist and founding Director of Belgrade's Centre for Cultural
Decontamination, and Stefan Kaegi, the internationally-acclaimed Swiss
theatre-maker. They will each receive their prize of EUR25,000 during the
Awards' Ceremony on 26 January 2010 at the Royal Flemish Theatre (Koninklijke
Vlaamse Schouwburg) in Brussels.

Launched in 2008, the annual Routes Awards is a way for the European
Cultural Foundation (ECF) to honour and support artists, thinkers and
cultural players whose work triggers us to look beyond the static idea of
"diversity" in a way that engages and inspires debate and reflection around
the complexities of interaction that takes place between people and cultures.

The 2009 Routes Awards' Ceremony will be more than just a formal occasion
for the handing out of prizes. "We also want to create an open space for
professionals involved in policy, business, arts, culture and media to
exchange ideas," says Katherine Watson, ECF's Associate Director. "And in
particular, we want to use the occasion to challenge the notion of diversity
as it is used today. Since we regard Europe as already intrinsically diverse,
the more pressing question in the current context is how people of different
languages, memories, representations and beliefs can live, move, meet and
mingle within Europe's changing landscape."

Borka Pavicevic is being recognised for keeping cultural diversity
alive in a troubled region. For years now, the ECF has been working with
partners in the Balkans on an artistic and cultural policy level, and has
often witnessed the positive impact art and culture can have on this region.
Since Pavicevic founded the Centre for Cultural Decontamination in Belgrade
in 1994, it has become a vital cultural venue for bringing together
independent intellectuals and avant-garde artists. The centre's work and her
engagement are compelling examples of the power of art and expression can
have when confronting the politics of fear.

Stefan Kaegi is being awarded for his work as a contemporary
theatre-maker who takes his audiences on journeys to people and places that
are usually inaccessible. His innovative productions-often described as
"reality trend theatre"-investigate global issues on a human scale. He forces
the audience to consider the identity of those "others" who contribute to the
life and functioning of our societies while still remaining largely
"foreign". In particular, ECF wants to celebrate his piece Cargo-Sofia, which
tells the stories of truck drivers working in a world of ever-shifting
borders.

Note for the editor: The Routes Princess Margriet Award is a tribute to
HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands who presided over the ECF for 24
years (HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands is the ECF's current
President). The Routes Award is an initiative of European Cultural Foundation
in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and
the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is generously supported by the
Association of Charity Lotteries in the European Union (ACLEU) and the
Rabobank Foundation.

More information at: www.eurocult.org/we-focus-on/routes-award

Contact and accreditation: Mascha Ihwe, mascha at eurocult.org, +31(0)20-5733868 or +31(0)6-43-08-42-05