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| Cross Boarder Culture /Culture Without Boundaries | |
 In the meeting between different people, a true understanding of people and cultures can be achieved. The cultural meeting is and has always been a corner stone of the Institutes activities. Throughout the 25 years of its existence, the Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania has facilitated cultural meetings between Danes and Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians.
An uncountable number of groups have travelled from Denmark to the three Baltic States, and vice versa. Groups of schoolchildren, politicians, media people, choirs, teachers, public officials, pensioners, students and many more have journeyed across the Baltic Sea.
During the first six months of 2015, the Institute has welcomed the committee of Health and Culture from the City Council of Skanderborg Municipality who meet with representatives from Riga 2014 and Rigas Dome, a group of high school teachers from Gribskov Gymnasium, a traveling Danish children theater group, two choir groups and several other groups. All of them have met the Latvian people, shared their experiences with their Latvian colleagues, and learned a lot from them. In the preceding years, Denmark has welcomed public Baltic officials the other way.
One project is between municipalities in Odsherred, Denmark, Vilani, Latvia and Valga, Estonia. Balts have introduced their colleagues from Denmark and Sweden on how to activate essentially everyone in cultural activities. The Danes and the Swedes have on the other hand introduced the Balts on how to fight alcoholism in families.
The Danish Cultural Institute has developed a vast network, and the Institute is able to facilitate meetings and establish contact between different groups in the Danish, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian societies. The personal meeting is a great platform for discovering which way our different cultures can enrich each other.
Denmark and the Baltic States are divided by a sea and have quite different histories. This, off course, means that there are large cultural differences between the four peoples. Yet, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have a strong connection, and as four small States in the Baltic Sea Region we face many common challenges. When facing these challenges, everyone can benefit from mutual cooperation, inspiration and learning.
The cultural meetings are the basis of this pan-Baltic connection, and they are an important part of the Institute’s history, activities and present and future work. This work outside the scope of classical cultural exchange is the key to the success of the institute.
Photo: Culture meeting. Latvian kids learning the recorder as part of Danish EU presidency celebration
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