Airan Berg. Photo: Jason Borg

Culture is not just about the arts. It is the way we dress, the music we play and what we hang out of our shops.

And according to Airan Berg, artistic coordinator at Lecce and Brindisi 2019, the job of a cultural capital is to spread the vibe.

“We are a positive virus – we can infect everyone with wonderful things. The European Capital of Culture (ECOC) is a chance for people to do things in a new way.”

Building on this idea, Berg says the idea that culture is elitist is a misunderstanding. Every person is a culture creator, he explains. “Everything we do, our lifestyle, that’s all culture. So everyone is a potential collaborator.”

What’s more, he adds, you’ll find that most are eager to change. The issue is that they just don’t have tools to do so. “And this is where we come in. You have to create the dialogue and make clear that being capital of culture is not just about art.”

Honing in on southern Europe, Berg explains how, rather than trying to emulate northern Europe, Mediterranean countries must embrace their culture so that people further north can learn from this way of life. It is important, Berg says, that the countries in the south of Europe look at the south from the perspective of the south as opposed to more northern countries.

He cites as an example the tradition that the people from Lecce go home to have lunch with their families during the workday.

“Very often, we fall into the trap of needing to be stressed in order to be busy. Going home for lunch is not laziness, but a way of life, a quality of life,” he says. “It is a chance for the family to be together.”

The more we link our way of life with partners in the north, the more there will be a different view of the south, he underlines. “That’s a really big opportunity. Cultural capitals amplify things; they send out a different message and we can use this to bring a different kind of tourism.”

Together with its partner Brindisi, Lecce, the ‘heel’ in the map of Italy, is currently one of the finalists in the bid to become capital of culture in 2019. Seeing that Malta and this province are so similar, in terms of both culture and size, Berg recently visited our island in order to exchange ideas.

Sporting stylish red spectacles, Berg has all the qualities of an artistic leader: he has vision, and although a strong driving force himself, is very open to listen­ing to people’s ideas and to letting them take the lead. Indeed, rather than a top-down approach, Berg stresses that listening and involving others is key to a successful capital of culture.

He lauds a project held recently in Vittoriosa which did just this. Held at the Maritime Museum, the collective memory project, Qatt Ma Ninsa, invited the public to bring along objects, photographs or memorabilia related to the sea and to share memories and stories associated with these objects. The information was then collected and documented in order to preserve a recent history which could easily be lost.

“Working together creates more impact,” Berg says. And this is the essence of the Capital of Culture, an EU project which aims to bring together European citizens, underlining differences and shared values of the various cultures scattered across the continent.

So far, over 30 cities have been awarded this prestigious title, which not only attracts the attention of the media and professionals, but also triggers positive processes in terms of change and enhancement of a city’s identity.

Berg is not new to co-ordinating a capital of culture; he was artistic director when Linz in Austria was cultural capital in 2009. Asked about what he learned from this experience, Berg says that the fact that funding was decided by the artistic director had a very positive impact on the project because people could direct the project autonomously.

The idea that culture is elitist is a misunderstanding. Every person is a culture creator

His plans for Lecce, should it win the bid, are to use the candidacy as an incentive to “transform points of view, to break the routine and challenge narrow-mindedness”.

Under the EUtopia-themed project, and together with a group of experts and volunteers, he is reaching out to the citizens, to promote dialogue and highlight the province’s strengths, weaknesses and unexpressed needs.

Described as the bridge across the Mediterranean Sea, it is in the spirit of building relationships and an awareness of its bordering culture that Lecce and Brindisi bring forward their candidacy.

Indeed, building relationships is key to Berg’s modus operandi. When asked what he is looking to get out of his visit to Malta, he says he is looking for partnerships and to create relationships. Physically visiting the island and its people is key to the artistic director who firmly believes in face-to-face meetings.

Being a cultural capital is about change, he notes. “It is important that we develop a vision for the future.” He explains that it is also about motivation and inspiration.

Berg is also working a lot with young people – the Lecce 2019 website is full of photos of young people working together or just looking happy together. “I like the energy of young people, I like their fearlessness.

“A lot of the work is channelling their energy. I am very interested in the knowledge of people and in challenging people to do things differently.”

Berg is bursting with energy and with ideas which Europe would do well to take note of.