A new state parliament will be elected in Saxony at the beginning of September. The current government’s projects are coming to an end – including the cultural dialogue “Future High K”.
“Particular attention is paid to developments in rural areas and to better networking between cultural offerings. To this end, we will initiate a cultural dialogue.” The Saxon cultural dialogue goes back to this passage right at the beginning of the chapter “Art and Culture” in the contract of the so-called Kenya coalition of the CDU, SPD and Greens in Saxony. It concluded with the fifth event on Wednesday afternoon in the Hygiene Museum Dresden.
delay through Corona
Culture Minister Barbara Klepsch (CDU) welcomed the approximately 100 participants as a “big cultural family” and praised Saxony, which is rich in culture.
However, the idea of a regular Saxony-wide exchange on cultural policy issues goes back to the state parliament member Claudia Maicher from the Alliance 90/Greens faction. However, it took around two and a half years after taking office in 2019, i.e. until half of the legislative period, before the opening event was invited on April 29, 2022. The Corona restrictions contributed to this delay.
Improvisation to start
Significantly, the kick-off in the old Chemnitz street station began with an improvisational theater. In collaboration with the State Ministry for Culture and Tourism, the Leipzig agency Tomino, which was responsible for the design and moderation, relied on entertaining formats right from the start. The event title “Future High K” gives an indication of this.
It quickly became clear that it was less about countable results and decisions than about direct exchange between politicians, artists and cultural actors. A vote by cell phone at the final event showed that for more than half of the participants, public attention for culture was a priority. Only 30 percent appreciated the networking, and only 19 percent thought the topics discussed were important.
Size Attention at the beginning
The start in Chemnitz 2022 served to describe upcoming problems and deal with the consequences of the pandemic. It still attracted relatively great interest, especially since there was around two years of planning time before the coalition.
Participation in the second event on November 4, 2022 in Leipzig was similarly lively. It was referred to as the first “cultural summit”, which was to be followed by two more in Großenhain and Zwickau. In between there were smaller, decentralized workshops and meetings.
disappointment on the subject of securing livelihoods
In Leipzig there was particularly lively discussion in groups about the topic of fair remuneration and a living income for artists and teachers. The coalition agreement also aimed to improve the situation.
Without success, as became clear at the end of the electoral period. The incomes of these solo self-employed people remain further behind the average income than before.
Torsten Tannenberg, managing director of the Saxon Music Council and spokesman for the state cultural associations, sees this most important aspect of the dialogue as a failure. Even SPD MP Frank Richter was dissatisfied with the cultural dialogue because there were still no fee guidelines. “There needs to be more money in the system,” he demanded. After all, it was learned on Wednesday that a fee working group was now being formed in the ministry.
Showcase event
The term “showcase event” was mentioned among the few critically competent cultural activists present at the Dresden Hygiene Museum. Certainly true, had Saxony’s Prime Minister Kretschmer not named the urgent cultural policy tasks that actually lie ahead in the last five minutes of the final podium.
Triggered by the theater crisis last year, the Cultural Space Act is due to be amended to provide long-term security. Related to this topic is the acutely debated permanent employment of fee-based teachers. Finally, in the election year, Kretschmer pointed out the attempts by the AfD and right-wing forces, which had long been evident in municipalities, to sabotage institutions and politically unpopular associations and thus end artistic freedom.
Source: MDR KULTUR (Michael Bartsch)
Editorial processing: op