Eric Thill, Luxembourg's Minister for Culture; Credit: MCULT

On Friday 28 June 2024, Luxembourg's Ministry of Culture organised a thematic workshop on cultural audiences at the opderschmelz cultural centre in Dudelange.

As reported by the ministry, the event, which forms part of the implementation of the cultural development plan (Kulturentwécklungsplang) for 2018 to 2028, brought together various cultural players and members of the public to discuss ways of making culture more accessible and inclusive.

Luxembourg's Minister for Culture, Eric Thill, commented: "Facilitating access to culture is essential to strengthen social cohesion and enable everyone to flourish. We must continue to work for an open and inclusive culture, where every individual feels represented and valued."

Ahead of the discussions, Eva Klein, Acting Head of Marketing & Digital Division at the Philharmonie, presented the concert hall's efforts to better understand its audience and identify potential future spectators.

At a roundtable dedicated to visible and invisible barriers to access to culture, Fabienne Feller (Info-Handicap), Luis Santiago (Cultur'all), Valérie Tholl (Konschthal Esch) and Pascale Zaourou (author of the Luxembourg pas cher guide) shared their experiences and proposed innovative solutions to promote sustainable and equitable cultural participation.

Sarah Bergdoll (Fondation EME), Marie-Paule Greisch (Théâtre National du Luxembourg), Maida Halilovic (Mir wëllen iech ons Heemecht weisen) and Christophe Unkelhäusser (music mediator) then took part in a roundtable discussion entitled "Is culture really for everyone? What kind of cultural participation?" The discussions highlighted the importance of diversity and inclusion in the cultural sphere, emphasising that culture must be open to all, regardless of background or means.

The Ministry of Culture expressed its gratitude to all participants and speakers for their "enriching" contributions. The ministry described the workshop as "an important step in our ongoing commitment to make culture accessible to all and to strengthen social cohesion through culture".