International Conference Migrations. Scenarios for the 21st Century Session of Florence Cultural Migrations. Movements of art and people Florence, 27-30 September 2000 Convitto della Calza The Session of Florence is promoted by the City of Florence, the University of Florence and the Rome Agency for Jubilee Preparations. It is part of the International Conference of Rome "Migrations. Scenarios for the 21st Century" (12-14 July 2000) organized by the Agency. Further Sessions are planned in Naples: "Migrations and multicultural society. The rules of integration" (19-20 October 2000) and in Milan "Migrations, labour market and the economic development" (23 - 24 November 2000). The Florence Session on " Cultural Migrations. Movements of art and people" will focus on skilled migrations and on movements linked to academic training and research. This is certainly a major issue for European economic development and cultural integration, whose impacts need to be further investigated. The Session takes an original approach in enlarging the scope of analysis to examine the migration of works of art and ideas as factors in cultural transformation. The aim of the Session is to address the themes that define the concept of cultural migration, such as migration of skilled workers, of ideas, of works of art or technologies to help us understand the effects of these phenomena on the formation of contemporary culture and society. The main themes that will be addressed are: * Skilled migrations * Migrations and university training * Movements of art and science * Migrations, culture and the media The European Union has been one of the main promoters of cultural migrations through exchange programs such as Erasmus and Socrates. For this reason, the Conference will be preceded by a Workshop , involving students who have attended European universities as part of these programs. Students from other countries, as suggested by UNESCO, will take part to the Workshop. As part of the initiatives planned for the Session some cultural events will be held: * a Forum in Internet will be open in a few days; everybody can send suggestions, ideas about cultural migrations, both to stimulate the debate and to find instruments to improve migration policy. * September the 27: in the evening in the Chiostro della Calza there will be a concert of musicians from Senegal whose name is "Penc". The most famous members of this band are Badara Seck and Keba Dramé who comes from two families of Griots of great tradition and influence in Senegal. They put together tradition and the new African rock. * September the 28 and 29: the afternoon will be dedicated to musical and theatrical events, stages of dance, percussion and African cooking that will take place in the Stazione Leopolda. * September the 28, Stazione Leopolda: in the evening the "Cote D'Ivoire's National Dance Company" will present a performance on national songs, dance and music. All the performers are specially selected to represent some of the sixty different tribal groups among the 45.000 inhabitants of the formerly French West African Colony. * September the 29, Stazione Leopolda: in the evening there will be a concert of musicians from Cote D'Ivoire whose name is "Africa X" a group of ten performers and two dancers. Their music is a fusion of traditional rhythm and modern instruments and sounds of the World Music. * September the 30, Stazione Leopolda: in the evening there will be a concert of "La Femme en Afrique", performance produced by a cultural operator from Tunisia, Mohamed Jallouf, who sets up concerts about Women's African Tradition from many years. The Workshop Cultural migrations as a building instrument of European identity To be held on 27 and 28 September 2000, the Workshop provides an opportunity to examine the process of developing a common European culture, beginning with the experience of students. University students will therefore be the leading actors in this initiative. The conclusions of their work will be presented at the Session. The participants will be selected among those who have been part of an European student exchange program. The Workshop will address: * Mobility in Europe and skilled migrations at the European level * Cultural exchanges and European identity * the Erasmus experience: new professions and work organization in the single European market; * New technologies in communication: information, networks and circulation of culture The discussions will be introduced and led by academic tutors and will be prepared by materials available in an Internet forum. The students will come from different European universities. Cooperation has already begun with the following: * Italy: Università degli Studi di Firenze * Spain: Universitat autonoma de Barcelona * Belgium: Université de Liège * Belgium: Université de Lauven * Germany: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn * United Kingdom: University of Aberdeen Approximately 200 students are expected to take part in the Workshop. About 80 students will belong to non-Italian universities, chosen among those who have been part of one of the European student exchange programs.