Culture temps protest May 27: Without culture, no future

A protest of cultural workers , launched by the association Mi Riconosci? I am a cultural heritage professional: it is a widespread, nationwide mobilization intended to denounce, organizers point out, the state of neglect and disinterest that is affecting cultural venues and the hundreds of thousands of workers in the sector.

In fact, almost three months after the closure throughout Italy due to the Covid-19 emergency, several cultural places (museums, monuments, archives, libraries, archaeological and natural parks) are still closed: the state-owned cultural places that have reopened are only 80 (that is, about 15 percent of the total), and often with reduced services. The same is true for non-state institutions, some of which have not yet reopened or plan to reopen ( the case of Florence’s civic museums, closed because the city council does not consider it economically sustainable to open them, has caused much discussion).

For these reasons, a protest has been proclaimed, animated by the slogan Senza Cultura Nessun Futuro (Without Culture No Future), whose symbol is an eye with a crossed-out zero instead of a pupil. A protest that, the activists explain, is “open to all workers in the Cultural Heritage and Performing Arts, and to all citizens who care about the fate of cultural spaces.”

“The situation is dramatic and urgent, yet the Ministry of Cultural Heritage seems to be unaware of it,” explains Daniela Pietrangelo, museum educator and Mi Riconosci activist. “Many large companies in the sector are aiming to cut staff and move services online. Out of 55 billion in the DL Relaunch, much less than 1 percent is dedicated to the huge ”Culture and Entertainment“ sector: tens of thousands of institutions will not receive a single euro. Under these conditions, hundreds of thousands of people who had lost their jobs since the end of February risk not seeing them again, and so many others risk losing them. Thousands of theaters, museums, libraries, cinemas, may never reopen.”

“For the citizenry,” the activists conclude, “being deprived of Culture at such a delicate time can have disastrous consequences, increasing inequality and social exclusion, putting our communities and our democracy at risk. An unnecessary risk, which we are taking only because of a lack of planning and foresight.”

Culture temps protest May 27: Without culture, no future

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