2020 TROUBADOURS is a cultural project implemented in the roam of the EU funded Creative Europe Programme. The project is created and conducted by cultural operators from Belgium, France, Serbia, Hungary and Ukraine. Our main objective is to improve the transnational mobility of world music artists, by setting up series of showcases, concerts, “Trouba Labs” (which mostly stands for workshops) and “Trouba Train Trips” (or: travelling experiences).
Just touring and playing music? Oh, no! 2020 TROUBADOURS also wants to stimulate the discussion between artists and the audience about the identity crisis the EU is faced with. European world music tells us so much about the fascinating ‘human history’ of Europe: our world music is a vivid exponent of regional cultural traditions. Popular world music was the way out for people throughout entire Europe in times of difficult personal or political situations, such as crises, wars, occupations, etc. Unfortunately, it is still like that today.
These days, Europe is confronted with a huge identity crisis: part of the Europe tries to give answers to a changing society, to migration, to candidate member states which want to be part of the European dream. Although European world music is a keystone and a story teller of our extraordinary European past, people are no longer aware of this. Our project wants to show the possibilities of European world music in order to bring people together, to stimulate the inter-cultural dialogue and to show that European cultural co-operation is a solid way to counter discrimination, even to heal some of the post-war and post-crisis traumas.