Apart from this year’s federal elections, the overriding theme of the 99th Congress of the Swiss Abroad in St Gallen was the role of culture across the international divide.
Can Swiss culture be considered an export commodity like other products? The Congress of the Swiss Abroad on 19 August 2023 in St Gallen addressed this very question. Held at the University of St Gallen, the event not only provided an insight into the rich cultural heritage of the “Fifth Switzerland” but also explored the role of Swiss Abroad in enhancing cultural dialogue worldwide.
Nor did it shy away from the tricky question of what exactly Swiss culture is in the first place. The interim head of Presence Switzerland, Alexandre Edelmann, gave delegates food for thought, saying that hardly anyone ever mentions culture when asked to think of words to describe Switzerland. Mountains (23%), chocolate (18%) and beautiful landscapes (17%) were the most popular descriptors. He recalled artist Ben Vautier’s provocative installation at the 1992 World Expo in the Spanish city of Seville, which caused an outcry with the catchline “Suiza no existe” (Switzerland does not exist). Edelmann said he still regards the slogan as an invitation for us to consider our own identity and the cultural identity of our diverse country. The second element of Vautier’s installation at the Expo ’92 Swiss pavilion – the less controversial “Je pense donc je suisse” (I think, therefore I Swiss) – did exactly that, he added.
Preceding Edelmann came prominent guest speaker Martin Candinas, the president of the National Council. Candinas, who likes to converse in Romansh, believes that multilingualism is of huge cultural importance in Switzerland. “I have never heard anyone say they should speak one less language,” he said, adding that political commitments had taken him abroad on numerous occasions this year. The Swiss expatriates he had met on his travels had impressed him, leading him to conclude: “Swiss culture is an international success story – not just a simple commodity.”
Incidentally, the next Congress of the Swiss Abroad will include a new cultural element when the Square of the Swiss Abroad in Brunnen foundation relaunches its “Artist in Residence” project. Swiss artists from abroad can apply for a month-long residency in Brunnen (canton of Schwyz), the first of which begins at around the time of the 2024 Congress of the Swiss Abroad on 13 July 2024.
Swiss expatriate culture will also be expressed in the form of postage stamps next year. While devoting time to the theme of Switzerland and its culture, participants at this year’s youth camps (hosted by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad) produced drawings that will now serve as inspiration for a commemorative stamp by the Pro Patria foundation in 2024.
The first part of this year’s Congress focused entirely on the federal elections, which take place on 22 October 2023 – more or less coinciding with the publication of this edition of “Swiss Review”.
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