Tomorrow #RilanciamoilPaese: mobilization to affirm the importance of cultural work

The group Do You Recognize Me? I’m a Cultural Heritage Professional has called for a mobilization tomorrow, #RilanciamoilPaese - Day of Redemption for the Dignity of the Cultural Sector and its Workers, to affirm the role of culture (and those who work in culture) as indispensable for the country’s development. The mobilization has been embraced by academics, superintendence officials, entrepreneurs, students and teachers, and a large number of citizens, and will take place throughout Italy: demonstrations, meetings and sit-ins are planned in the squares of major Italian cities as well as in cultural venues. In particular, garrisons and actions have been announced in Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Bologna, Trieste, Bari, Cagliari, Padua, Treviso, Ravenna, Pisa, Siena, Benevento, Lecce, Reggio Calabria, and Catania (the program for the national event and individual city events can be found on Facebook). The slogan is “#RilanciamoilPaese.” Below is the statement released by Mi riconosci:

Investing in Culture, regulating the professions, planning by listening to all parties involved, protecting and enhancing the widespread heritage, in this historical moment, is absolutely necessary for the social, cultural and economic revival of the country: says Istat, says IlSole24Ore (Articles at the following links: Culture engine of the economy: moves 250 billion, 17% of GDP, In Italy the creative and cultural industry is worth 48 billion (+2.4%) and grows more than GDP

For cultural heritage professionals, the choice is often between years-long extreme exploitation, changing jobs or going abroad: a devastating loss of human resources for the country.

These are the main demands of the mobilization:

• raise Italy’s investment in culture to 1.5 percent of GDP, in line with other European countries;
• get a grip on the recent reform of the Superintendencies, to fix it with the help of officials who experience them directly;
• hire at least 2,000 people in three years in the Superintendencies and State Museums, with a serious plan based on needs: then move year by year to hire as needed at the time, to bring the staff to be able to accomplish all the tasks specified by the 2004 Code.
• Eliminate the turnover freeze and allow local governments and cultural institutions to hire as possible and as needed
• Properly regulate access to the cultural heritage professions, which to date has been totally deregulated and abused.
• Commit, in the next two years, to compile a detailed dossier of all the cultural places in Italy that are closed or in distressed conditions, which need investment in order to be able to produce culture and, eventually, economic revenue.

Laws are needed, resources are needed. But not for cultural heritage professionals, not for the Superintendencies nor for the Archives: they are needed for the country.

In order to make citizens and especially politicians understand all this, on May 24, meetings and sit-ins will be held in squares all over Italy, banners will be displayed at various cultural places and institutions, photos and tweets will be collected, leaflets will be handed out, and round-table discussions will be held. All of this will be accompanied by the slogan “and #Let’sRaunchTheCountry,” because this cultural policy is crazy and counterproductive for all of Italy.

Tomorrow #RilanciamoilPaese: mobilization to affirm the importance of cultural work

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