Artists on the streets as Romania cuts funds
mainSeveral hundred artists and company managers demonstrated last week on Victory Square, protesting a new round of Government cuts which, they say, will force layoffs. Culture Minister Daniel Breaz has announced an audit of the National Theater, claiming it is wasting money.
The Enescu Festival faces severe cutbacks.
Iasi Opera chief Beatrice Rancea said: ‘You can’t use fewer ballet dancers or musicians just because the ministry has cut the funds.’
Read RFE report here.
I’ve said all along here that the assault on the arts and on culture is an international phenomena stemming from the right and “austerity” budgets. They are all interlinked.
Except in Romania a socialist government is in charge and arts shouldn’t be state budget oriented. It’s either you’re good or bad. People pay good money if you’re good. They are just bad. People don’t go to see them. There is no assault on arts.
I’m not sure I understand your comment. Perhaps you can develop a little.
Are you saying performing arts in Romania are bad, and therefore people have voted with their feet by not coming and paying money? I’ve no idea about the quality of performing arts in Romania, but since you seem to know an awful lot about it, perhaps you can give just one-two examples to back up your statement?
Or was your comment generic rather than specific to Romania — i.e., the old shibboleth about “arts must pay for themselves and if they can’t then they should die”? Without daring to tackle that particular argument as it might relate to rich countries (Germany, France, Britain, etc.) where are arts are heavily subsidised, I’m interested in understanding how you think this argument works in a poor country like Romania, where people who have an interest or might have an interest in arts barely have enough money to live, much less to pay “market prices” for arts; and the few who can afford it are typically people who have zero interest in this sort of thing (which indirectly explains how they came to afford it).
Please discuss.