Abid Q. Raja promises more money for cultural life – VG

The Minister of Culture, Abid Q. Raja, confirms to VG that the Government opens the money bag even more to cultural life. The funds add to the total of 1.3 billion that have been distributed since the pandemic hit Norway in March.

– I can promise that more money will go into the current stimulation and compensation plan. We are now working in the government to map the additional needs, while also mapping the economic leeway that we have.

– How much money is it?

– I can’t say exactly, but it will be in the class of hundreds of millions, says Raja to VG.

In the past week, it has come under heavy pressure from critics who have opposed the stimulus plan that went into effect just as the second wave of covid-19 hit. Musician Bendik Hofseth pointed out what he thought was a strong bias in the various compensation schemes after Kurt Nilsen’s Christmas tour received more than $ 13 million in support.

«Here, in principle, the market has been distorted in the direction of the monopoly culture by launching subsidies to greedy actors who are supported from before”Hofseth writes in his VG post last week.

The Minister of Culture has received criticism.

– I’ve read Bendik Hofseth’s debate post on VG, and I’ve read articles and reviews on Dagbladet, Aftenposten, and Dagsavisen asking for answers. But I cannot say it more clearly that the stimulation scheme should stimulate events where it is prone to infection, whether for 200, 50 or 20 people, as it is in Bergen at the moment. And even if it has to go down from say 200 to 50, the gap can be filled. And again, it’s the entire food chain, the sound, the light, and the crew, that needs to be stimulated, says Raja.

He adds:

– We do our part of the work to stimulate activity, now we want the cultural industry to continue doing its part, says the Minister of Culture.

The proposal of the Minister of Culture makes it boil with the FrP in opposition.

– I react strongly to the fact that the day after I fought like lions for every penny to save Norwegian companies and Norwegian jobs, this is taken from the hat. We believe that cultural life has already received a very generous arrangement, much more generous than that received by the business community. Cultural life is already heavily subsidized, parliamentary representative Sivert Bjørnstad (FrP) tells VG.

He says it is inappropriate for his party to engage in additional measures in the class of hundreds of millions for cultural life instead of creating even greater security for businesses and jobs across the country.

– Is there an industry that really has to be willing to adapt? So this is it. Then it doesn’t help to bring even more oats to many dead horses, Bjørnstad believes.

The infection situation at the moment means that all indoor events in Oslo are banned. In Bergen, an audience number of 20 is allowed, while venues that have fixed seats can have 200. Without fixed seats, the audience ceiling is 50.

Church pews, in churches that these days host a lot of Christmas tours, are not defined as fixed. NRK reported earlier today that Health Minister Bent Høie said no to loosen these rules.

Before the weekend, the traditional “Christmas Night” tour with Wenche Myhre was canceled, while Sissel Kyrkjebø canceled her Christmas tour already in September.

Abid Q. Raja has also been criticized for late payments and application decisions that apply to both events canceled in the May-August period this year, but also for the recent incentive scheme.

The Norwegian Cultural Council manages these plans, and now the Minister of Culture promises that payments can be accelerated.

– More recently, I have been in dialogue with the Cultural Council and now we are strengthening the case processing stage for the stimulation scheme in the hope that this will be faster, says the Minister of Culture.