The exchange of ideas between artists from countries of the South and East and Switzerland was therefore the focus of 'CROSSROADS – International Perspectives on Culture, Art and Society', an international conference co-organised by the SDC and the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia in Basel, Switzerland from 8 to 10 February.

The SDC supports local cultural projects in its partner countries and priority regions, such as the Ant Mobility Fund project for Southern Africa that enables artists in the region to develop new and relevant work across diverse fields of practice and to create new connections and relationships across the region.

For Switzerland, an independent, diversified and participatory cultural sector makes a decisive contribution to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, for example by strengthening civil society, protecting freedom of expression, or fostering integration and social cohesion.

The SDC’s engagement in the arts also entails giving a voice to artists from countries of the South and East and from Switzerland and facilitating their access to the Swiss and international public, markets and professional networks. This is why the SDC organised the three-day CROSSROADS event in Basel together with Pro Helvetia. The event brought together Swiss and international artists and culture professionals with representatives from cultural, funding and development institutions.

At the heart of the event were discussions about the challenges artists face and how these prevent them from working freely and assuming their role in society. It was also a platform for exchanging ideas on how artists can be supported effectively through international cultural sponsorship and on the role artists can play in the discussion of issues of social relevance.

“Artists contribute to shaping the future and to reflections on important local or global challenges that mark our development,” said Géraldine Zeuner, head of the SDC's Knowledge-Learning-Culture Division. Through its work in the arts, the SDC is therefore committed to the preservation of cultural identity and to the promotion of freedom of expression and the support it can offer in shaping economic, social and cultural life.

In the representations abroad, the SDC works to improve the framework conditions for artists and culture professionals by sponsoring cultural events as well as learning and networking opportunities.

The work of Pro Helvetia and of the SDC is complementary: whereas the SDC concentrates on supporting artists from countries of the South and East, Pro Helvetia works to promote Swiss artists and cultural exchange.