Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, along with nearly 200 renowned cultural organisations from 39 countries, is calling on the European Parliament to protect the autonomy of cultural organisations.
In an open letter titled RESISTANCE NOW: FREE CULTURE, the leaders of these organisations voice their concerns about the “attacks, bans, dismissals, and cutbacks” on cultural institutions in Hungary and Slovakia.
These measures, they argue, aim to undermine a “diverse European culture” and risk spreading to countries like the Netherlands, France, and Germany.
The catalyst for this initiative was the violent disruption by ultranationalist groups of a premiere by American actor and director John Malkovich at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Bulgaria.
The signatories urge the European Parliament to “finally take a clear stance and introduce a Freedom of Culture Act to protect artists and cultural institutions via the rule of law.”
“Europe is based on the openness of the cultural life of individual countries and their free collaboration,” the letter states. “If this disappears, the European project loses its soul and significance.”
The letter was launched at an event on 30 November at the Maillon Theatre in Strasbourg, attended by former MEP and former French Minister of Culture Catherine Trautmann.
It will also be published in various leading European media outlets. A corresponding petition is available to the public from 30 November.
“The threat to artistic freedom strikes at the very heart of what binds Europe together,” Jan Vandenhouwe, Artistic Director of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, said. “Opera Ballet Vlaanderen supports this call to protect cultural autonomy and ensure the importance of an open, creative society.”
