Country Profiles: Denmark

Table of Contents 1. Cultural Diplomacy in Denmark An Introduction 2. Contemporary Cultural Diplomacy in Denmark: An Overview 2.1 Cultural Diplomacy in the Public Sector 2.1.1 The International Culture Panel under the Danish Ministry of Culture 2.1.2 VisitDenmark 2.1.3 The Danish Cultural Institute: Promoting Danish Culture Abroad 2.2 Cultural Diplomacy in the Private Sector 2.2.1 ISS: Diversity and integration as business model 2.2.2 The Carlsberg Foundation 2.3 Cultural Diplomacy in the Civil Society 2.3.1 Inclusion: Working for Diversity in Denmark and the Middle East 2.3.2 F.O.O.D: Food Organisation of Denmark 3. Analysis and Conclusions 4. Bibliography

1. Cultural Diplomacy in Denmark: An Introduction

On the 15th of September 2011 elections to the Danish Parliament were held and the new government was formed on the 3rd of October. The result means that Denmark has elected its first female Prime Minister, the Social-Democrat Helle Thorning-Schmidt. The earlier liberal- conservative minority government coalition has been replaced by a coalition led by the Social- Democratic party together with the Socialist People’s Party and the Danish Social-Liberal Party. Therefore the state of public sector cultural diplomacy in Denmark may take some turns as the new government policies take hold. One indicator is the fact that the new government has abolished the Ministry of Integration, which was established by the liberal-conservative government in 2001. This points towards a political change, when it comes to the Danish profile on the issues of integration and immigrants, largely a result of the influence of the Danish Social-Liberal Party.1

From 2001, up until the formation of the new government, the liberal-conservative minority coalition was supported by the Danish People’s Party, a far right nationalist party, which has been in government and re-elected in respectively in the 2005 and 2007 general elections. In recent years, the theme of immigration and integration has taken centre stage in political debates in Denmark. Denmark is one of the most ethnically homogenous countries in the world, and it has a strict immigration policy in comparison with other European countries. This is a policy that largely stems from the influence of the Danish People’s Party. This policy has also affected Denmark’s image abroad and has likewise created problems internally in Denmark, especially relateing to integration. Therefore there is a growing need for diplomatic efforts, both inside and outside the borders of Denmark, which can help create an arena for more mutual understanding and cultural exchange which could make the integration of immigrants into the Danish society less problematic. Furthermore, this could help establish a better profile for Denmark in international relations which would be beneficial politically, economically and culturally. Besides these positive effects, it could also help create a better mutual understanding and co- existence in Denmark, between natives and ethnic minorities.

Over the last couple of years there have been a number of cases, which have negatively highlighted Denmark in international politics. One of the most recent cases, which is also symbolically interesting, is the ‘border dispute’ between Denmark and Germany. As a concession given to the Danish People’s Party by the Venstre coalition and the Conservative People’s Party, 24 hour border controls on the Danish-German border were proposed. This could, supposedly, be done within the framework of the Schengen agreement, however it was proved later on, it was not. The significance of the proposal was of a more symbolic nature and it created a diplomatic crisis with Germany and negatively influenced the image of Denmark in Europe, which was also grudgingly admitted by the then minister of finances Claus Hjort Frederiksen.2 From this angle, taking into consideration that Denmark has one of the strictest immigration policies in Europe, it is revealing that it is a ‘border’ dispute.

Another case that gained international attention and the need for renewed efforts to strengthen the image of Denmark abroad is the case of the Mohammed drawings, which struck in the winter of 2005-2006, and created a diplomatic crisis between Denmark and Muslim countries around the world.3 This case posed some important questions related to some of the

1 Information, Et systemskifte i dansk udlændingepolitik (03.10.2011) 2 See for example: Politiken, Hjort erkender: Grænsesagen skader Danmarks omdømme (10.06.2011); Jyllands-Posten , Tysklands udenrigsminister: Ulykkesvarsel for Europa (01.07.2011). 3 Petersen 2007: 31

fundamental concepts related to democracy, especially to freedom of speech. How far does this concept stretch? Is freedom of speech to be understood literally or is it a model that stresses freedom of speech under responsibility, which is more in the interest of democracy and the internal and external relations of the country? Beyond these questions the case should not solely be seen as a debate about values, but also as a demonstration of the vulnerability of Denmark and its active foreign policies in the world of globalization. The vulnerability was demonstrated by the helplessness of the government in the boycott of Danish companies and products, attacks on Danish embassies, the burning of Danish flags and warnings against tourism in from countries. Generally, the preception of the Danish brand was seriously and negatively influenced in Muslim countries by this crisis. 4 Since then, there has therefore been a strong case for cultural diplomacy, in order to strengthen and re-establish the image of Denmark in international relations and thus to be able to continue with economic and political efforts, especially in the Middle East, but also in developing areas of the world such as the BRICS countries.5

Before moving into the concrete research and projects of interest, it is necessary to offer an explanation of what exactly cultural diplomacy is and how it is understood in the context of this paper. International Relations is a diverse and vast field, and cultural diplomacy is one of the many aspects of this discipline. Cultural diplomacy does not come with a ready-made definition, as it is a matter that has received a broad range of attention. The importance of cultural diplomacy in international relations, especially in the period after the Second World War cannot be ignored. This was also observed in 1967, by the then German foreign minister Willy Brandt, when he declared that cultural diplomacy can be considered the: ‚third pillar of foreign policy‘6 The term cultural diplomacy can be understood to be a part of what is called ‘soft power’ politics. This term comes from the field of international relations, and the American scholar Joseph Nye’s definition of hard and soft power. He defines hard and soft power in the following way:

Hard power can rest on inducements (‚carrots‛) or threats (‚sticks‛). But sometimes you can get the outcomes you want without tangible threats or payoffs. The indirect way to get what you want has sometimes been called ‚the second face of power‛…This soft power – getting others to want the outcomes that you want – co- opts people rather than coerces them.7

Within this framework soft power can be understood as the power of‘attraction’. This is where cultural diplomacy enters the stage, as a means with which it is possible to create an environment that draws positive attention and thus attraction towards a country, an organisation or a private firm, for that matter. Cultural diplomacy can be defined in a number of ways, but one way of defining it is suggested by the American political scientist Milton C. Cummings as: “the exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture, with the intention of fostering mutual understanding.”8 Having defined what is meant by cultural diplomacy, the question arises of how to understand culture, which is a very complex and debated issue. In this paper, a very broad definition that is offered by UNESCO will be adhered to. Here culture is broadly defined as:

4 Ibid., 36. 5 The BRICS countries are defined as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa by the International Culture Panel. What is new in this definition is that South Africa is included, and some people are furthermore voicing the idea that Turkey could be talked about as a part of this group as well. This would, of course, mean yet another change in the acronym. 6 Cited in Meissner 2002: 184 7 Nye 2004: 5 8 Cited in: Institute for Cultural Diplomacy 2011

…in its widest sense, culture may now be said to be the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social group. It includes not only the arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and beliefs…9

Having laid out the understanding and definitions of soft power, cultural diplomacy and culture that will be adhered to in the present research. Firstly, this paper will give an overview of the state of cultural diplomacy efforts in contemporary Denmark. It will then make a comprehensive analysis of cultural diplomacy in the Danish public sector, the private sector and the civil society. It should be noted beforehand, though, that the public sector component will be more comprehensive than the private and civic sector sections in this specific case, as most projects that can be said to promote and brand Denmark and Danish culture abroad and at home are mostly state- sponsored. This is due to the size of the public sector in Denmark, and the interest of the ministry of culture to take part in efforts to promote and brand Denmark. In many areas the Danish public and private sectors tend to overlap when it comes to the issue of cultural diplomacy.

9 UNESCO 1982

2. Contemporary Cultural Diplomacy in Denmark: An Overview

As this is a study of contemporary cultural diplomacy in Denmark, the main focus will be on efforts taken since the 2001 general election. Naturally, some of the examples include foundations and companies pre-date this, but the projects and ideas that will be described will still mainly be focusing on the post-9/11 period, in order to stay relatively contemporary. It has already been outlined in the introduction that some of the current challenges confronting Denmark are very much related to immigration and integration internally. This translates abroad i to Denmark’s international image or brand, which is often connected to xenophobia, Islamophobia, the Mohammed drawings and the question of how to deal with these issues in an increasingly interdependent and globalizing world. Therefore it is no coincidence, as will be shown below, that one of the key areas of focus for public cultural diplomacy efforts in Denmark is the Middle East.

What will comprise the following pages is a case study of cultural diplomacy in Denmark, divided roughly into three sections, firstly the public sector, the private sector and civil society. Denmark has a large public sector; therefore more time and space will be devoted to this section. The areas of focus in this section will be; the Danish Ministry of Culture, the Danish tourism bureau VisitDenmark, the Danish Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and the Danish Cultural Institute. These four examples have been chosen because of their importance to Danish cultural efforts both in political and economic terms but also in diplomatic exchanges.

The next section will be on the private sector, and here two examples have been chosen as illustrations of cultural diplomacy. For this part the Danish branch of the multinational cleaning company ISS, is used as an example of a private company that uses the concepts of integration and diversity in their business model in a way that may positively affect these areas in Denmark. The second example from the private sector is the foundation behind the biggest brewery in Denmark, the Carlsberg Foundation. Both of these companies supports Danish culture, and thus contributes to the development and communication of Danish culture internally and well as externally.

In the final section some space will be dedicated to the civil society and to two separate projects. It is the case of Inclusion, a project that works to create common footholds between Denmark and Middle Eastern countries and a project called FOOD, which has as its objective to spread knowledge and interest in the Danish/Nordic food culture and possibilities.

2.1 Cultural Diplomacy in the Public Sector

2.1.1 The International Culture Panel under the Danish Ministry of Culture Actors: The Danish Ministry of Culture, the International Culture Panel and a host of third parties. The Danish Ministry of Culture was created on the 7th of September 1961, by the newly elected Social Democratic government led by State Minister Viggo Kampmann under the name Ministry of Cultural Affairs.10 The Ministry of Culture budget for 2011 is 86 million DKK.29

Agenda: To support and develop Danish culture in Denmark and abroad.

Vehicle of cultural diplomacy: Supporting different cultural programmes that are directed specifically towards the BRICS countries and the Middle East.

Target audience: Public, private and civil actors in Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and the Middle Eastern area.

Cultural diplomacy in Denmark sponsored at the state level mainly by the Danish Ministry of Culture, which forms an umbrella under which a host of projects and other smaller departments deal with the promotion and development of Danish culture, at home and abroad. Some of the most significant projects to be mentioned here include the national tourism bureau VisitDenmark, the Danish pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and the Danish Cultural Institute. These will be dealt with in separate chapters; this chapter will be devoted to the International Culture Panel.

If we start with the current state and strategy of the Danish Ministry of Culture, which handles what can be termed cultural diplomacy on the Danish state-level, it shows us some of the main concerns of the former Danish government both in terms of what the objectives are, but also in terms of what the geopolitical focus are. Under the Ministry of Culture, the international strategies are formulated by the International Culture Panel. Their latest strategic plan, the International Cultural Panel Strategic Work plan for 2011-2013, outlines the objectives and some of the programmes that are planned to be sponsored in order to reach the goals.11 On the general level, it states four main objectives/functions of international cultural exchange:

To support the development and continued renewal of Danish art and culture

To market and strengthen Denmark as a brand

To increase Danish export in general

To support dialogue, mutual understanding and respect between Denmark and the cultures of other countries, as well as between different cultures in Denmark12

These objectives are supposed to be the focus of the two overarching themes, which are proposed to be sustainability and children- and youth culture. The themes are strategically chosen in order to highlight some topics that are believed to be characteristic of Danish culture and economy. The sustainability theme indicates the position of Denmark in the international economy when it comes to the energy sector, architecture and design. The

10 Kulturministeriet 2011: 8 11 Det Internationale Kulturpanel 2011 12 Ibid.

children and youth culture theme is chosen because of Denmark’s perceived position in the ability to: ‚…communicate to children, where the Danish model for children’s interaction with art; to experience art, learn how to understand it and to try and create art, is at the core.‘ [Authors translation]13

The strategic areas chosen for the most intensive efforts are mainly of economic and geostrategic concerns, which are also clearly stated in the plan. From an economic and quite rational perspective, the BRICS countries are chosen for special attention as they are important new areas of economic growth and therefore new potential markets for Danish cultural and general export. The other area stressed in the plan for specific focus is the Middle East. This area is chosen because of the economic potential as well, but maybe more importantly the document stresses that: ‚…the cultural exchange will be marked by the clash of very different cultures and fundamental values „ a clash that influences the whole world of today.” [Authors translation].14 Here it is relevant to refer to the Mohammed crisis of 2005- 2006, which clearly illustrated that cultural diplomacy is needed in order to secure national interests in this area.15 During the crisis, Danish products were boycotted in a range of countries in the Middle East, and a diplomatic crisis evolved. This could be seen as one of many reasoning’s behind the decision to target this area specifically, in order to re-establish the relations of cultural, political and economic nature, which existed on a broader range before the Mohammed-crisis.

13 Ibid. 14 Det Internationale Kulturpanel 2011 15 For a comprehensive day-to-day overview of the Mohammed-crisis see: Danmarks Radio, ‘Muhammed- krisen dag for dag’ (08.02.2006)

2.1.2 Visit Denmark Actors: This tourism organisation is co-financed by the Danish state and the private sector with respectively 114.2 million DKK and 141.7 million DKK in the 2010 budget.16 In 1967 the Danish Tourism Council was created and tourism was professionalized in Denmark. On the 1st of January 2005 the Council changed its name to VisitDenmark for strategic reasons.

Agenda: To brand and market Denmark internationally to tourists and business people coming to Denmark to attend conferences and the like in cooperation with partners both public and private.

Vehicle of Cultural Diplomacy: To promote and market Denmark as a tourist destination, and thus to attract people to the country as visitors of either tourist purposes or professional purposes in order to attract investment and development in the Danish tourism sector. It is also to conduct research and to communicate knowledge about Denmark as a tourist destination.17

Target audience: International tourists and conference guests, as well as a national audience travelling in Denmark. As well as a focus on neighbouring countries, there is also an emphasis on new alternative markets in Asia andSouth America.

VisitDenmark is an example that shows the interation in Denmark between the public and private sectors when it comes to cultural diplomacy. This example is, on a higher level, driven by financial and economic reasons than for example the International Culture Panel, by its focus on branding and marketing Denmark as a destination of travels and thus to generate ‘tourism- dollars’ and employment in Denmark. The focus in this programme is therefore not so much on cultural exchange as a tool with which to create mutual understanding and better conditions for Denmark abroad, as it is rather on using Danish culture as a tool in the marketing and branding of Denmark, in order to get people interested in travelling there.

The latest strategy of VisitDenmark was published in 2010 and sets out some goals and objectives for the period until 2017. Furthermore, in 2009 a joint strategy for the whole Danish tourism sector entitled Our Journey – the joint strategy for Danish Tourism towards 2015 was published and in 2010 a bill introduced by the Minister for Economic and Business Affairs was passed in the Danish parliament that makes up the present framework for VisitDenmark.18 In this new strategy for VisitDenmark, it is interestingly also growing more independent from the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs, as it will no longer be handling policy tasks on behalf of this ministry, although it will still be funded by the Danish state. The clear objective, which is also interesting from a cultural diplomacy perspective, is to attract more foreign tourism than domestic in the years to come. This is expected to be done using international marketing in order to create awareness of Denmark as a: ‚haven with room for joy, inspiration and contemplation.’19

Furthermore, one of the concepts that were introduced at the beginning of this paper was the concept of soft power, which can also be understood as the power of attraction. This concept is not solely related to state-level diplomatic efforts, designed to create a better position for countries in international relations and politics, but can also be related to the economic sector and the attraction of capital and investment. This is exemplified in the VisitDenmark case, where international marketing on a range of platforms, are used to brand Denmark in order to:

16 VisitDenmark 2010 (a): 28 17 VisitDenmark 2010 (b): 4. 18 Ibid.: 3. 19 Ibid.: 8.

…increase awareness of Denmark as a tourist destination, and the strengths of the Danish society, on a global level. [To]…identify the power of attraction of a number of sights, products and characteristics in Denmark and highlight these ‘beacons’ internationally. The most appealing of the ‘beacons’ will become central to our 20 marketing campaigns…

VisitDenmark is maybe best described as a public-private partnership, as it is both financed by the public and private sectors in Denmark. The reason it is placed in the public sector chapter in the present paper, is that it is still closely connected to the Danish state both in case of funding, but also in its role as the official Danish tourism bureau or organisation. This report has tried to illustrate how cultural diplomacy is used in this case, to develop the tourism sector and to generate workplaces in Denmark. Even though this project mainly focuses on economic possibilities, the positive branding of Denmark, however correct or not, can still feed positively into Denmark’s position on the world stage and the general image of the country. This should therefore also be taken into account, when analysing more political and cultural efforts driven by for example the Ministry of Culture and the International Culture Panel.

20 Ibid.: 10

2.1.3 The 2010 World Expo in Shanghai: Welfairytales Actors: The national committee consisting of chairman HRH The Crown Prince and representatives from the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs, Realdania, A.P. Møller Maersk, Grundfos, Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the Danish Agricultural Council and The New Carlsberg Foundation. The project was initiated in September 2008 and the exhibition took place between May and October 2010. The budget for the pavilion was 150 million DKK, with the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs contributing with 75 million DKK, the other major investor being Realdania with 50 million DKK, A.P. Møller Maersk, Grundfos, Vestas Wind Systems and the Danish Agricultural Council contributing a total of 20 million DKK and also the New Carlsberg Foundation.21

Agenda: To stress specific emblems of the Danish urban culture, such as welfare, sustainability, environment and social consideration. This is to be done by interaction with visitors, and in order to create a platform for cultural dialogue between Denmark and China, symbolized especially by the ‘gesture’ of cultural generosity in transporting the Little Mermaid 22 from Denmark to Shanghai for the Expo.

Vehicle of Cultural Diplomacy: The project was an exhibition at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, which took place between May and October 2010. The Danish pavilion was the biggest contribution by Denmark at a World Expo in history, which highlights the Danish interest in developing ties to China. The pavilion showcases themes that are emblematic of the present status of the Danish economy, such as sustainability, environment and urban development. Thus, it is very much about generating interest and awareness of Danish industry in China.

Target audience: As stands to reason, the target audience was the visitors at the World Expo, especially Chinese nationals. Besides this it was also an effort to create interest in the Danish business model from investors and companies by highlighting the themes described above.

The name of the Danish Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo is a merger of the words welfare and fairytales: Welfairytales. In the Danish context this points towards two of the things that Denmark are internationally renowned for, the welfare state and the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. The fairytale component is one of the central themes that are supposed to convey a message to visitors through the symbolic language that is used by the designers of the exhibition. The heart of the exhibition was the statue of the Little Mermaid, which is normally situated at Langelinie in Copenhagen. For the expo the statue was transported all the way to Shanghai, to become the main attraction of the pavilion. By choosing this as the main attraction and placed in the most central spot of the exhibition, the symbolism invited visitors to think creatively and be inspired by the three main themes. These themes were; tales of how we live, which highlighted sustainable solutions in Danish cities; tales of what we love, which highlighted some examples of what Danes do in their free time in the cities; and lastly, tales of where we’re going, which focused on the current state of Danish technology as well as the future.

The Danish contribution tried to highlight how Danish industry, technology and concepts are relevant to the booming Chinese economy. Therefore this project, a bit similar to the VisitDenmark agenda, is about the branding and selling of Denmark as a country with many possibilities and solutions that has international potential. Furthermore, the project was

21 Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority 2009: 3. 22 The Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs 2008: 7, 16

designed to communicate to the audience a specific set of ‘Danish’ values: Denmark thinks holistically in the sense that consumerism and growth go hand in hand with sustainability and social responsibility. Denmark stands for the natural, beauty, quality of life and passion for life. Denmark respects tradition in renewal. Denmark stands for transparency – we want to achieve a society with well-informed 23 citizens.

There was an interest in cultural exchange built into the exhibition, as can be seen for example in the fact that while the Mermaid was in China, Chinese art was widely exhibited in Denmark. But it is also clear, a little bit as in the case with VisitDenmark that this is first and foremost done in order to generate interest and investment in the Danish private sector. That is also part of the explanation for why the exhibition is not under the Ministry of Culture but the Ministry of Economy and Business Affairs. On the other hand, the exhibition has definitely created awareness of Denmark in China, and it was one of the biggest contributions to the Expo. The ‘Danish’ values that are defined in the document published in relation to the Expo, are also clearly pointing towards the economic reasoning behind the pavilion with keywords such as sustainability, renewal, transparency and consumerism, that can’t really be said to be specifically Danish values, but rather characteristics of some Danish companies and to a certain extent of the Danish society. But with that said, this is a typical example of cultural diplomacy, with cultural exchange in both directions, and a serious effort to create knowledge and spread information about first and foremost Danish technology, but also Danish culture, design and architecture.

23 Ibid.: 40.

2.1.4 The Danish Cultural Institute – Promoting Danish Culture Abroad Actors: The Danish Cultural Institute is a self-governing institution, but it receives a large part of its funding from the Danish state. Last year it received14.8 million DKK from the state out of a total income of 23.9 million.24 The rest of the income was mainly generated from activities and payments from participants. The Institute was established in 1940 by Folmer Wisti under the name the Danish Society. It changed its name to the Danish Cultural Institute in 1989.25

Agenda: This institution has as its primary goals to educate about Danish culture, art and society in order to further international understanding as well as to strengthen the knowledge of foreign culture in Denmark.26

Vehicle of Cultural Diplomacy: What the Institute mainly does is to arrange study trips, student exchanges, Jop-Swop’s and work practically with promotion and exchange from their bases in the Benelux countries as well as Brazil, Estonia, China, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Great Britain, Germany and Hungary. In 2010 the institute completed around 600 projects of differing sizes and shapes.27

Target audience: Publics, artists, academics, politicians and other interested people in the countries where the institute operates, as well as internally in Denmark. It is all about exchange and the institute has many offices around the world, so the audience is quite extensive and diverse depending on the specific project on offer.

In the action plan for 2011 the institute focuses on the challenges that it faces in the increasingly globalizing and multipolar world of today. The institute will therefore focus on strengthening its cooperation with international actors, and in the effort to reach that goal they are working together closely with the International Culture Panel outlined in chapter 3.1.1. Furthermore, the institution is part of the EUNIC network that is an umbrella organisation in the EU that furthers cooperation between national institutes of culture. They are focusing on three strategic areas. This is the BRICS/Middle East area, Europe and the Nordic/Baltic area. The plan for cultural exchange in 2011 encompasses the following objectives:

Support artists, communicators and other actors with tools to act in a globalized world. Communicate knowledge of Denmark as a society of diversity and with a diverse scene of art and culture.

Arrange and support study trips, student exchanges, and job-swaps to strengthen linguistic, intercultural and academic/professional competences. [Author’s translation]28

All these objectives will be focused on the three main areas of interest outlined above, and in the countries where there are offices. What is stressed continually throughout the action plan is the need to be able to tackle and successfully manoeuvre in the increasingly multipolar, interdependent and globalizing world. This is also stressed in the last government’s strategy for the internationalisation of Danish culture, where especially the role of the artist in a globalizing world was seen as one of five key objectives.29

24 Det Danske Kulturinstitut 2010: 23 25 Det Danske Kulturinstitut 2011 (a) 26 Det Danske Kulturinstitut 2010: 2 27 Ibid. 28 Det Danske Kulturinstitut 2011 (b): 3 29 Kulturministeriet 2010 (b): 11

2.2 Cultural Diplomacy in the Private Sector

2.2.1 ISS – Diversity and integration as business model Actors: This large private service company was established in 1901, as a small security company. In 1934 the company expanded into the cleaning industry when it established The Danish Cleaning Company. The present name of the company was adopted in 1968. In 2005 ISS A/S was de-listed from the Danish stock exchange, as it was acquired by funds advised from EQT Partners and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. In 2010 the total number of employees in the group reached 500 000 and the ISS group has a turnover exceeding 70 billion DKK.30

Agenda: The ISS group is a very large multinational company, which works in a range of businesses. They operate in security, catering, facility management, cleaning, support services and property services. Its innovative use of integration and diversity as tools with which to create a positive business model have aided its public profile. The extent of this profile was also seen in 2009 when ISS won an award for integration, awarded by the then Danish Ministry of Integration.

Vehicle of Cultural Diplomacy: One of the key elements of the ISS business model is ‘societal responsibility’. What this refers to, is the company’s effort to recruit disabled persons, people that have been out of the work market for a longer period of time, and to recruit non-ethnic Danes. This is based on a ‘philosophy’ of diversity and non-discrimination. In this way the company can somehow be said to facilitate a platform for a more multicultural and diverse Danish society and thus a platform for cultural exchange, by adding ‘societal responsibility’ to their business model or philosophy.31

Target audience: The target audience of the recruiting method includes long-time unemployed workers, disabled people, homosexuals and non-ethnic Danes in order to support diversity and integration. What is also interesting is who this effort aims to draw the attention of. This will be dealt with below.

As already stressed in the introduction to this case study on cultural diplomacy in Denmark, two themes have been big issues internally in Denmark and have at times negatively influenced Denmark’s image abroad. These two themes are integration and immigration. The ISS has noticed this and brought it into their ‘philosophy’. Such an approach attracts attention. This was clearly reflected when ISS was awarded the 2009 integration award for their employment efforts, by the recently abolished Ministry of Integration. The judges in the committee consisted of seven people, that represent schools, private businesses, sports and different committees and centres that relates to the topic of integration. The committee found that ISS deserved the award because over several years they had shown a strong and continued commitment tohe integration of ethnic minorities in the labour market. Furthermore, their effort regarding non- ethnic Danish employees underlines the company’s will to strengthen the position of ethnic 32 minorities on the labour market.

It is clear that the efforts of ISS were positively received by the former government, and that they generated positive attention around their company. The function that ISS serves in the area of helping especially non-ethnic Danes integrating into the labour market in Denmark is important to cultural exchange, and maybe even more importantly, to the establishment and further development of a multicultural platform for mutual understanding and acceptance.

30 ISS 2011 (a) 31 For more on ’societal responsibility’ see: ISS 2011 (b) 32 Nyidanmark.dk 2011

However, this part of ISS’s business model or philosophy is targeted also towards investors and future customers, who are encouraged by the company’s sympathetic and accessable employment policies and thus the programme also involves a level of favourable self-promotion.

2.2.2 The Carlsberg Foundation Actors: The Carlsberg Foundation was established by Captain J.C. Jacobsen, brewer, on the 25th of September 1876 and was confirmed by the Crown on 18th of October 1876. Upon J.C. Jacobsen’s death, his will dedicated the Old Carlsberg Brewery to The Carlsberg Foundation.33 Today, the foundation owns 51% of the stocks in Carlsberg A/S. In 2010 the foundation had a total income of 121.7 million DKK.34

Agenda: Listed in §2 of The Carlsberg Foundation Charter the objectives of the foundation include the mainainence and development of the The Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle and also to to grant funds for socially beneficial projects through the Tuborg Foundation, especially those which assist Danish trade and industry bith domestically and internationally.35

Vehicle of Cultural Diplomacy: The foundation supports a range of projects financially. Among these are the Museum of National History and the Tuborg Foundation. It also places funding with the New Carlsberg Foundation and the international art museum Glyptoteket. The vehicle of cultural diplomacy here is therefore mainly in terms of economic support to the arts and national heriage.

Target audience: The work of the Carlsberg foundation in reference to cultural diplomacy mainly targets museum visitors and tourists, as well as people linked toDanish trade and industry.

The Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle is one of the concrete things that are directly supported by the foundation. This specific case can function as an example of how the foundation works and what it supports. The museum was founded in 1878 on the initiative of J.C. Jacobsen as a:

…supplement to and continuation of The Chronological Collection of the Danish Kings at Rosenborg and other museums of cultural history, [and] shall have as its task the collecting, keeping and exhibiting in the Castle premises of works of visual art - chiefly paintings, drawings and sculptures - and items of furnishing illustrative of Danish history.36

Last year the museum was allotted a total sum of 16.9 million DKK by the Foundation, which is 550 000 DKK more than in 2009.37 The museum mainly showcasings paintings, busts, drawings and photographs in a collection wich grows year on year. Besides this, the Castle in itself is an attraction for foreign tourists coming to Denmark every year, as well as Danish tourists. Therefore the foundation here is an important exhibition of Danish culture and heritage and thus contributes to the overall effort of showcasing and presenting Denmark to both a national and international audience.

33 The Carlsberg Foundation 2007: 6 34 The Carlsberg Foundation 2011: 14 35 The Carlsberg Foundation 2007: 8 36 The Carlsberg Foundation 2007: 27 37 Ibid.

2.3 Cultural Diplomacy in the Civil Society

2.3.1 Inclusion –Working for diversity in Denmark and the Middle East Actors: This civil society project is led by a Board of Directors consisting of six members, with different ethnic and academic backgrounds. One of the main actors, and a member of the board, is the sociologist Jacob I. Myschetzky, who works closely with migration issues, dialogue and development between Egypt and Denmark.38

Agenda: Broadly speaking, Inclusion works towards building an inclusive society that appreciates diversity. It seeks to develop the potential that resides in the realization of this. More concretely, it works to create better relations and exchange between Denmark and the Middle East, and especially between Denmark and Egypt.

Vehicle of Cultural Diplomacy: Inclusion works with the question: How can diversity become a valuable resource in Denmark? They seek to put diversity on the agenda in Denmark by networking and organizing campaigns, events and international cooperation. The organisation is solely organised around the board, and it is not a member based organisation.

Target audience: The idea is directed towards the public and private sectors, and in general the organisation tries to put diversity as a resource on the map and thus to influence decision makers and authoritative people to include this in their agendas. Inclusion works with individuals and organisations, and are willing to cooperate broadly to further their case and to exchange ideas and knowledge across the spectrum. The general idea is to mobilize people in their localities, and therefore it encourages local initiatives and engagement.39

One example of what Inclusion is involved in, is the project Living Together - Cairo, which is a partnership between Inclusion, the Egyptian civil society network of 25 NGO’s and CBO’s called Tadamon, American based freeDIMENSIONAL and lastly Townhouse, a gallery in Cairo showcasing independent contemporary art. The project aims to work for better understanding and the inclusion of refugees into Egyptian society in order to create better conditions for ‘the other’ in Egypt. As it outlines in the information document about the project, Living Together – Cairo, the aim is to: ‘…improve relations among Egyptians and the different refugee communities living together in Cairo by designing tools that build cultural & diversity awareness, leadership & problem-solving skills, and – ultimately – cooperative livelihoods, which are shared through concrete, practical application.’40

The project works to a great extent through Tadamon and tries to coordinate an effort between the 25 NGOs and CBOs by lobbying and networking. The biggest problem is that many refugees in Cairo are forced to live in inhumane conditions in slum areas, and are seen both by other refugees within the community, and by people in the poorer neighbourhoods as a threat in the competition for scarce resources. The people living in these areas come from different cultural backgrounds, and misunderstandings and ineffective communication are the norm rather than the exception. To further the already difficult and complicated situation, refugees have self-marginalized from the existing communities and the efforts so far have solely been concentrating on refugees and their conditions. What the project aims to do is to coordinate the efforts between NGO’s and CBO’s that already work with furthering coexistence in these communities, and thus to work with both sides to get to the root of the problem.41

38 Inklusion 2011 (a) 39 Inklusion 2011 (b) 40 Living Together – Cairo 41 Ibid.

2.3.2 F.O.O.D – Food organisation of Denmark Actors: F.O.O.D is a ‘not for profit’ organisation, funded by public and private actors. They are funded by The Branding Denmark Fund with 12 million DKK over a period of three years to brand and market Danish food and gastronomy abroad.42 They are also supported by some of the biggest firms in Danish food production which include Arla Foods, Danish Crown, Team Gastronomy Denmark and lastly the organisations in the Danish seafood and shell life sector.

Agenda: According to Branding Denmark the aim is to spread and expand the knowledge of Danish and Nordic gastronomy, and furthermore to develop and strengthen Denmark’s brand as a provider of quality food.43 According to F.O.O.D it works to:

…give more people the chance to experience the flavours, the ideas and the talent that are unfolding in the Nordic kitchen and in the development of a Nordic food culture. We are a not for profit organisation established on the idea that there is a great sensation, creativity and amazing skills in the Nordic food culture.44

Naturally it in in the interests of the sponsoring firms to strengthen the image of Denmark as a provider of quality foodstuffs, which would increase demand and have a positive impact upon their businesses.

Vehicle of Cultural Diplomacy: There are four main vehicles that are utilized by F.O.O.D to spread their agenda. Firstly, to developed one international annual signature event that showcases Danish and Nordic food and gastronomy; secondly, to engage with international journalists and important decision-makers and opinion formers through such events; thirdly, t o m ar ket Danish food and gastronomy internationally and finally to represent and promote danish produce an international conferences, expos and so on.

Target audience: The project seeks an international audience both in the form of tourists, but more importantly businesses. It looks to increase Danish exports in this area and to attract investment. In essence the project attempts to propagate Danish food, gastronomy and foodstuffs abroad.

The F.O.O.D project develops events, competitions and campaigns to market and brand Danish and Nordic food culture. For example, on the small Island of Læsø in Denmark, famously known for its production of salt, there is an annual completion supported by F.O.O.D. It is the annual Scampi Festival, where the Golden Scampi Claw is awarded to the most gastronomically and creative use of the sweet shell-fish. The competition is marketed by F.O.O.D as not necessarily specifically Danish, but rather to be hald between the countries of Norway, Sweden and of course Denmark.45 The the competition attracts chefs from some of the best restaurants in the region.

The F.O.O.D project is quite different from all the other examples that have been shown from both the public and private sectors in Denmark. It is perhaps most similar to the VisitDenmark example, as it is also about the branding of Denmark for an international audience. As we can interpret food as a vehicle for cultural diplomacy, thus the promotion of a national/Nordic food culture abroad can also be considered part of the cultural diplomacy concept.

42 Branding Denmark 2011 43 Ibid. 44 F.O.O.D 2011 (a) 45 F.O.O.D 2011, http://thefoodproject.dk/projects/the_virgin_lobster

4. Analysis and Conclusions

On Monday 3rd of October 2011, the new government of Denmark was formed. Of particular interest to this research, is the fact that the Ministry of Culture is now led by what can almost be said to be the opposite of his predecessor. According to Jørn Langsted, a professor in cultural policies at Aarhus University, the former Minister of culture in Denmark, the Conservative Per Stig Møller represented what he calls a national-conservative stance in cultural politics, primarily working with cultural heritage and the big institutions. The new minister, the Danish Social-Liberal Uffe Elbæk, on the other hand, represents what he refers to as the ‘creative class’, and this signals a new current and possibly some big changes in the area of cultural politics in Denmark.46

This piece of research has sought to investigate the state of cultural diplomacy in Denmark in respect of the public sector, the private sector and in the civil society. To begin with the public level, it has not been considered what the change of government will mean to future cultural efforts, but rather has focused on projects that have taken place or were planned to take place by the former government. The case of the International Culture Panel revealed the former government’s focus on two central areas of concern for cultural diplomacy in Denmark. These were connected to economic and diplomatic/political efforts, and geographically to the BRICS countries and the Middle East. What became clear when the public sector examples were accessed, is that cultural diplomacy on the state-level in Denmark is very much connected to the branding, marketing and cultural export of Denmark. This can be seen in the example of the Welfairytales contribution to the Shanghai Expo in 2010 where characteristics of Danish industry and design were highlighted. It is also seen in the VisitDenmark case, branding and marketing are the key words in order to create tourist ‘dollars’. Lastly it is slightly different in the case of the Danish Cultural Institute, where cultural exchange enjoys a more central position. This can perhaps be linked to its less centralised position in Danish cultural politics. All things considered, each project and institution does work with cultural exchange and the sharing of knowledge although this takes place at different levels and to differing extents.

In the private sector two very different examples were brought forward. The first case, the ISS, is an example of a multinational company originating from Denmark, which takes societal responsibility and incorporates it into its business model. This example shows how this can be an effective way of creating positive attention for a company, and to further and develop such an idea within the business concept. The inclusion of integration and diversity in the philosophy and working method of this company has proved successful and the company now has one of the largest percentages in Denmark of non- ethnic Danes employed in a private company. Cultural diplomacy from the business perspective can in this case be used to develop the profile of a company, and to use societal responsibility in order to generate positive interest, and in the end profit. But this also brings the natural benefits of cultural diplomacy on a broader scale to those working within the company.

The other example, the Carlsberg Foundation, is quite different. This very old foundation, founded in the 19th century, supports science, history and culture in Denmark with grants and funding. The philosophy adhered to in this case is most clearly illustrated in the funding of the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle, where it becomes clear that the foundation has an interest in Danish cultural heritage, and in showcasing, preserving and collecting this for both national and international tourists to come experience. Furthermore, the foundation also contributes with grants to the development of science in Denmark, and to

46 Cited in: Information, Den kreative klasse rykker ind i kulturministeriet, (05.10.2011)

the exchange of knowledge between Denmark and other countries. The last sector, civil society, the two examples that were used illustrate some important mechanisms of cultural diplomacy. The civil society network, Inclusion, posits an example of how a loosely organised network can work together with other actors in order to further their topics of interest and spread their message. The other example, F.O.O.D has a less clear or defined profile with funding both from Branding Denmark and Danish food industries, which questions the organisations core aims; whether it solely works to promote Danish/Nordic food and gastronomy or if it also serves purposes more related to the food industry in general. Whatever the case is, the project does organize events, campaigns and competitions that showcase Danish and Nordic food culture, and thus on this level it functions as as an agent of cultural diplomacy.

As it was stated in the introduction, the image of Denmark abroad, especially in the Middle East, as well as in Europe, has been challenged during the last ten years. Therefore there has been a need in Denmark for efforts to re- establish this image, with a more positive and compelling one. On a general scale, great changes still remain necessary, but as it has been shown there have been some strategies and programmes that have aimed at bettering this situation. It will be interesting to see what will happen in the future, especially in the field of Danish immigration and cultural policies, especially with a new government that has already been signalling a somewhat different approach in these fields.

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