Squares full, culture closed: appeal to government to handle situation

An appeal to ask the government to save the cultural spaces that were completely closed with the two dpcm of Oct. 25 (which came down on cinemas, theaters and cultural clubs) and Nov. 3 (which instead closed museums, libraries and all other cultural places).

For this reason, several acronyms of cultural activism(Forum dell’arte contemporanea italiana, Mi Riconosci? I’m a cultural heritage professional, Knowledge Network, Professione Educatore museale, Link Coordinamento Universitario and several other circles and territorial associations) have launched an appeal, titled Non è tempo libero (It’s not free time), to ask the government for a real management of the situation of culture, which is increasingly moving away from the dimension of emergency to take on the contours of a systemic crisis.

The appeal, the promoters explain, looks not only at the world of cultural and performing arts institutions, but looks across the board at different categories that perform essential services for our communities, from clubs, associations, neighborhood theaters and cinemas to sports clubs, all of which have been affected by closures for weeks already. “Seeing the squares full and the health situation worsen while we have been without cultural space for weeks prevents us from standing idly by,” concludes Daniela Pietrangelo, museum educator and Mi Riconosci activist. “This is a complex and broad battle for an inclusive social model based on accessibility, participation, and sharing. We cannot allow anyone to be left behind in an already very difficult situation. We cannot do without essential services for months without a plan.”

“We need to think,” the appeal reads, “place by place, about how to compensate for the absence for the community, investing in digital service plans that reach all families; about creating cultural content during the period of closures; and about how to guarantee services to all and sundry that now, with the closure of spaces, no longer exist. Associationism, the world of culture, the world of sports, cannot stand idly by. It is not free time. It is the living body of our cities and communities.”

The text of the appeal can be read and signed at this link.

Squares full, culture closed: appeal to government to handle situation

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