This will have an impact on the cultural sector – NRK Kultur og underholdning

The government is now being criticized for wavering on the question of whether we should use the cultural offering or not.

Recently, it has been planned that the cultural life support schemes will focus mainly on stimulating activity and less on covering lost income. Government funds will sponsor performances with a very limited seating capacity, so that the wheels keep running. Concerts and other cultural activities are encouraged to lubricate the entire food chain.

In a press release from the Ministry of Culture, which was sent out on Wednesday, Raja is quoted as saying:

– I want Christmas concerts, dance performances and all kinds of cultural offerings for a wide audience across the country, and I hope and believe that we will have many events in the future.

He also says that cancellations should be a last resort, because he would rather have the cultural sector hold events than cancel. At the same time, he realizes that it is the case that some organizers have to cancel due to the current infection control, and then have a compensation scheme as an emergency solution.

– Stay at home

The next day, this is the message from Raja’s boss, Prime Minister Erna Solberg:

– Staying home, having as little social contact as possible, is his clear stimulus, with reference to a spread of the infection that has increased significantly recently.

In addition, it is announced that there will be significantly stricter rules for social gatherings in the two largest cities in the country, Oslo and Bergen.

During today’s press conference, Prime Minister Erna Solberg was asked how austerity measures can affect cultural life.

– It will not be so easy to organize it everywhere. We have to review and see the measurements. We try to stimulate activity where possible, but right now there is a little more emergency braking, he said, without elaborating.

Ambiguous signals

Federation leader Hans Ole Rian in the Creo artists organization finds ambiguous signals frustrating.

– Here the government must decide. What they want? We don’t know how to interpret this and we ask for a clear message from them, he tells NRK.

One of the shows that has received money from the stimulation program is the show “Christmas Sanatorium” with Kari Slaatsveen and Ingrid Bjørnov. They have been awarded just under a million crowns for performing 20 performances before Christmas, half of them in Oslo.

The show’s producer, Lisbeth Wiberg-Olsen, says it’s hard to relate to the fact that some say “drive” while others say “stay home.”

– This can lead to fewer people buying tickets for the 20 concerts. But we can do nothing but wait and see. It will be exciting to see if there will be any adjustments in Oslo at the press conference tomorrow. Until further notice, we rent concert halls and we identify with the fact that we have received support to carry it out.

– The most important thing to limit the infection.

Raja responds to this in an email to questions about whether the call to use cultural life as much as possible is still valid:

– At this time, the most important thing is to limit the infection and that should be the guiding principle of all the decisions we make. I know that cultural events are held throughout the country with responsible organizers and a responsible audience. My wish is that we can continue with that, of course, within the rules that apply regarding the infection situation.

– How should organizers and the public relate to what may be perceived as contradictory signals from the government?

– For the cultural sector, the current calls will have a clear effect, although the number of 200 with fixed places remains. At the same time, we find ourselves in a completely different situation now than we were a few months ago. We have several powerful schemes that can contribute to a greater degree of predictability and security for the entire cultural sector. Compensation schemes for culture, volunteering and sports apply throughout the year, he writes.

It points out that the culture incentive scheme allows organizers to request the balance between costs and income for the implementation of events, and the scheme takes into account that the events that have received grants cannot yet be implemented as planned due to orders from public authorities.

– So now we are in the process of working to see what kind of schemes we will also align with. The culture industry must know that everyone at the Ministry of Culture works hard to achieve this in the best possible way.