Draghi: we must support culture: we risk losing a heritage

Prime Minister Mario Draghi speaks about culture for the first time, and he does so in his reply to the debate on his communications in the Senate. During the debate, the topic had been raised by Senator Mario Pittoni of the League (former chairman of the Senate Culture Committee from June 21, 2018 to July 29, 2020), the only one to reserve a specific passage for the topic in his speech.

“There is another issue that is close to our hearts,” Pittoni stressed during his speech, “culture, which, together with its allied industries, comes to generate 17 percent of GDP. This should be enough to put it at the center of the country’s restart project. It is not just about jobs: culture is much more; it is our roots, what unites Italy in a mosaic of differences that the world envies us, a wonderful synthesis of genius and creativity. So let us promote the many places not yet included in the great cultural attractions; let us enhance (in a respectful and eco-sustainable way) the paths that cross the country and tell its story; let us protect the entertainment workers, bent by the pandemic crisis that has hit them particularly hard: they were the first to close and will probably be the last to restart. For a country like Italy, it would be a grave mistake not to take care of them. Culture is the first great social safeguard: it welds communities together. We cannot lose the myriad theater companies, artists and musicians that make up the fabric from which the great works that represent us of the world are born.”

Draghi, after listening to more than sixty speeches from senators, took the floor to respond, and one of the first points he spoke on was precisely culture. “On culture,” the prime minister said, “this morning I said that Italy is a great cultural power, recognized throughout the world, and also for this reason, during the G20, we will give great importance to the issues of culture, with a dedicated meeting. Of course, the restrictions needed to contain the pandemic have put a strain on museums, cinemas, theaters, music, dance, all live entertainment and every art in general. Culture must be supported, all activities must be supported; the risk is to lose a heritage that defines our identity. The economic loss is great, but even greater would be the loss of spirit.”

“Much has been done to ensure adequate refreshments,” he continued, “more needs to be done, above all, worker protections need to be strengthened, and the opportunity of the Next Generation EU needs to be seized to boost investments in cultural heritage, human capital, and new technologies. The return as soon as possible to normality must also concern culture in all its forms, because it is essential for the country’s growth and well-being.”

Draghi: we must support culture: we risk losing a heritage

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