[Nettime-ro] Policies for Culture // Online Journal

'Policies for Culture' Online Journal
- no. 7 - Spring 2003 -

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IN THIS ISSUE - FOCUS // Media and Cultural Policy in South East Europe -

1) Cover Story // Cultural policy & media: communication facilitator and image promoter
by Andrea ZLATAR, Member of the city council; Editor-in-chief, Zarez cultural magazine, Zagreb, Croatia

"Before discussing the role of the media as an instrument of cultural policy, it should be noted that, broadly speaking, the relationship between culture and the media is one of inclusion. Culture, defined in the widest sense, incorporates all 'articulated symbolic practices' (hence a culture of dressing or a culture of everyday life). Contemporary theory (primarily in the field of cultural studies) puts forward a social definition of culture as the 'description of a separate way of life in which specific meanings and values are not only expressed in the arts and education, but also in institutions and everyday behaviour' (Williams, 1965:58). In this sense, culture also incorporates the media: … "

2) Emerging from a 'culture of darkness' into a 'culture of light': Journalism in contemporary Romania
by Dan C. MIHAILESCU, literary critic and editor, Bucharest, Romania

"When we deal with the post-communist cultural crisis, most complaints are financially rather than spiritually founded. They are based on the administrative crisis, not on the moral/professional crisis of the elites, on the real crisis of cultural institutions (yes real!), not on the crisis of creativity or the acute feeling of social uselessness creators actually experience. Then again, whereas the financial crisis, the drift of the administrative system, the legislative chaos and the deficit of financial and managerial inventiveness are issues which could easily be addressed/solved, the deep crisis experienced by the creative consciousness and the new mediators requires a long-term cure. The same goes for the training of young talent, for the establishment of new priorities and the adaptation to market laws etc. Since we are dealing with several aching parts of an ill body, each part requiring a distinct, difficult (and delicate) process of diagnosis, the applicable cure should also be complex and differentiated. With contrasting hopes and results... "

3) Voices from the field: Comments by magazine and newspaper editors from South East Europe

4) Culture in the audiovisual media: A burden?
by Virgil NITULESCU, Committee on Culture, Arts and Mass Media, Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of Romania

"One may say that 'culture in the media' is a non-sense, because media is a part of culture, so, media is culture. But not for the Romanian common opinion-and laws are made to reflect this vision: that of the electorate. 'Culture' is understood, usually, as classical literature, music and fine arts. This is the opinion of the electorate, and thus the opinion of the politicians elected, by this electorate, in the Parliament. … "

// Postscripts to the December 02 Journal // Advocacy for culture in SEE:

5) There is still not enough lobbying capability in Croatia: An interview with MP Zlatko Seselj

"We live in a state of transition, which, I'm afraid, is understood only as an economic-political transition: a transition from socialism to capitalism, and much less as a spiritual transition: a transition from a tribal to a civil society. Thus, lobbying is understood in this tribal sense, in the sense of kinship, and not based on the common interest of a group. Because we have still not progressed from a tribe to a polis (city state), to a community organised on the basis of reconciled interests; and because we are burdened with the tradition of HDZ's version of tribal community lobbying, in which one didn't fight other interests on the basis of arguments, but one actually used to remove them from sight and accomplish one's objectives that way, lobbying has a negative connotation in our community. But it shouldn't be like this. Lobbying simply means bringing one's legitimate interests to the fore, arguing your case and challenging someone else's, nothing more. … "

6) Margin, niche or mainstream? Cultural NGOs and cultural policy in Slovenia
by Emil HRVATIN, Director of Publications at MASKA - Slovenia Performing Arts Network and Performance Artist, Ljubljana

"In the eleven years since its independence the state of Slovenia has succeeded in reforming large social systems such as healthcare, education, retirement, private property and the tax system… One of the few areas that remains untouched and which is operating within practically the same systemic framework as in the previous regime, is the area of culture. … "

7) 1 step closer to recognition: Project DCM Foundation, Romania

8) 'White Square of Croatian Culture': The story continues...

"There was a general confidence that the negotiations had been successful and that the action of deleting the regulation on additional benefit taxes had been fruitful. This was the case until 29 November 2002, when the amendment to the draft law was not even mentioned during the Parliamentary session. … "

9) Policies for Culture // News

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The next Journal on Local Cultural Strategy Development in South East Europe will be online in Summer 2003. Please feel free to contribute any item that you think would be interesting to our cultural policy network in the SEE region.

Kind regards,

Policies for Culture
Amsterdam - Bucharest - Sofia - Zagreb