Every minute of the Olympic Games, and in general, every minute spent with sport, like every note of music, serves peace.

This statement, though lofty, can hardly be denied. Scientific examination is worthwhile to determine precisely what possibilitites there are for music and sport to make peace, and to maintain and develop good relations between nations. The recently founded Hungarian Civil Institute for European Music and Sport Diplomacy works with this goal. Within soft diplomacy, music and sport both have the capacity to address large social groups or even whole nations, without being hindered by language difficulties.

The institute, with Andrássy University Budapest are organizing this conference to be held on November 22-23, 2016.

The first day of the conference, Tuesday November 22nd, shall be part of the "Dank! Merci! Graciás!" gala event. The gala event thanks and honours the Dutch, Spanish, and Swiss athletes that boycotted the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games to protest the bloodshed of the Hungarian revolution (see: www.dankmercigracias.hu).

Several of the Olympians will attend the conference, the goal of which will be to determine whether there is any point to athletes boycotting humanity’s most important public event, the Olympics. When athletes participate in a boycott, what are the consequences in his/her life, career and sports for their country as a whole? What other instruments are there in sports politics to express solidarity?

First of all the athletes, secondly music, are to have the main role at the "Dank! Merci! Graciás!" gala event. French and Swiss songs from 1956 will be performed by musicians Veronika Harcsa, Bálint Gyémánt, Szilvia Bognár, Mónika Lakatos, Róbert Vidák and Miklós Lakatos and his band; in addition to hosting band, Hungarian FolkEmbassy. Well-known Hungarian artists were chosen to perform at the public gala program because we want the commemoration event to attract the public of the three countries and Hungary, while drawing attention to the fact that the boycott occurred. Therefore the event is to be more than a commemoration; it will also be a practical example of music diplomacy at work.

Music diplomacy can be effective not only because music opens emotional channels - it also has the capacity to relay historical facts. Rebekah Ahrendt, assistant professor at Yale University, published a book of studies on various methods in this field. She will begin the conference via internet contact. In the next years, Hungarian Civil Institute for European Music and Sport Diplomacy would like to initiate scientific research in Budapest to help embed music diplomacy in the region, following the example of the Anglo Saxon areas. 

As a first step in this direction the conference will approach the theme in three main blocks: 1) historical examples; 2) Diplomats’ and artists’ experiences; 3) Together, we will examine possibilities for this scientific area in this region (‘region’ refers to the "Visegrad+ countries" - meaning the Visegrad countries plus the Danube countries).

Guests (partial listing):

Amitava Bhattacharya - Managing director, Banglanat dot com (participating via internet connection)

József Buzgó – Chief Editor, Nemzeti Sport

Péter Csillag – Principal contributor, Nemzeti Sport

Veronika Harcsa - Singer

Jurryt van der Vooren – Researcher, Amsterdam Olympic Museum

Mario Dunkel – Professor, Department of Music and Musicology, Dortmund University

Martyna Markowska - Program Director, Katowice Cultural Institute

Rebekah Ahrendt, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Department of Music, Yale University (participating via internet connection)

István Pávai, Ph.D. - Ethnomusicologist, Researcher, Institute of Musicology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Gergely Prőhle - Director, Petőfi Literary Museum (Budapest), former Hungarian Ambassador to Germany (Berlin)

Mihály Rosonczy-Kovács - Folk musician/ Founding Director, Hungarian Civil Institute for European Music and Sport Diplomacy

Márta Sebestyén - Unesco Artist for Peace, folk singer

Pál Schmitt – Honorary President, Hungarian Olympic Committee /former President of the Republic, Olympic champion

Stan Rijvan – President, Netherlands World Music Forum

György Szöllősi – President, Hungarian Sports Journalists Association

Balázs Weyer - Ethnomusicologist, Director, Hangvető Kft.

Willem Mosterd - Member of the 1956 Netherlands waterpolo team

Host: Department of Cultural Diplomacy (Department Chair: Georg Kastner), Andrássy University Budapest

Main Sponsor: 1956 Commemoration Committee

Sponsors: Fonó Music Hall, ÁKK Zrt. Nemzeti Sport, Hungarian Sports Journalists Association, Continental Hotel Budapest

Conference location: Tükörterem - Andrássy University Budapest (H-1088 Budapest, Pollack Mihály tér 3. HUNGARY)

Conference language: English

English/Hungarian synchronous interpreter will be provided on the first day

The conference is free of charge. Registration is required. Register at: registration@dankmercigracias.hu

Write "konferencia" in the subject area

Detailed program will be posted on November 8th, 2016 on the offical website of the event: www.dankmercigracias.hu

We welcome all interested persons.

Because the conference is part of an evening gala celebration, our presenters will be dressed in formal attire. Where possible we ask everyone to follow suit.