AKEL’s proposals for measures to support working people in Culture affected by the coronavirus pandemic

 

Statement by the General Secretary of AKEL A.Kyprianou

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 8^th April 2020, Nicosia

Culture and Education are fundamental parameters for the progressive development of any society.

Despite the difficulties our country is currently going through, we believe that it is the obligation of the Government to support culture and the people involved in order to overcome this big crisis as unscathed as possible.

We regret to point out that the Government not just now, but over time, ranks Culture and its people very low among its priorities. This is what yesterday’s statement issued by the competent Minister also confirmed, who more or less stressed that before he will address these issues he had to deal with other far more important issues. This is a mistake for two reasons: because Culture is creation, but also Education and because the people engaged in Culture are also working people too and in fact most of them are working people with rights that are curbed and with huge obligations.

After consulting with people of culture, we have formulated proposals to provide substantial support for cultural creation in Cyprus.

The coronavirus crisis has affected Cypriot creators of culture greatly, provoking anxious feelings and insecurity about the day after. No one knows exactly what kind of conditions we will be facing in the future after the pandemic, more specifically whether we will be able to return to the conditions that prevailed before the crisis broke out. That is precisely why the government must set among its priorities the provision of immediate support of all aspects of cultural creation and its people.

The government needs to realize, even belatedly, that a country without culture is a lost country.

 

 

AKEL’s proposals to the Government to support of Culture:

1. As in most European countries too, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports announced a special package of measures to provide substantial financial support for cultural creation in Cyprus. The amounts to be allocated should be additional funds other than those set out in the horizontal package of measures announced by the government. The package of measures should concern cultural creation as a whole and those working in this sector. Unfortunately, the measures that have already been announced are inadequate and will not yield substantial results.
2. The decisions that were taken should have been discussed first those active in Culture. Unfortunately, although cultural agencies and organisations have outlined their positions in public, the Government unilaterally proceeded with its announcements. On this occasion, we reiterate our demand for the safeguarding through legislation of the participation of Cultural agencies and organisations in the decision-making processes and that they should be treated as equal partners on Cultural affairs.
3. The facts make the acceleration of submitting a bill for the safeguarding of the profession of artists imperative, taking into account their particular working conditions. All creators of culture and professional artists must be able to make a living from their work. Unemployment, job insecurity and the absence of adequate pensions are the biggest problems all creators of culture face. In this context, issues such as collective bargaining, social insurance and intellectual rights must be discussed again and evaluated in the light of the pandemic.
4. The Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth should organize the manner and procedure of recording all the cases affected by the cancellation of productions and implementation of actions and should proceed to the appropriate compensations. This has occurred in other European countries. At the same time, the procedures for evaluating applications for the “Culture” and “Cultural Decentralization” programmes, as well as other programmes that are in the process of being planned should be concluded immediately. Regarding the “Kipria Festival” held every September, its date should be reconsidered. Where there are no demands for legal compensation, the programmes should be reassessed, laying emphasis on Cypriot cultural creation.
5. The State’s Approved Budget for Cultural Actions in 2020 must be fully implemented 100% by the end of the year. At the same time, flexibility and understanding should be shown by the Cultural Services towards creators of culture who were already in the production phase (those that have spent money and time), paying them after a relevant consultation and presentation of the actions that have already taken place, the corresponding sponsorship within the specified timeframes, regardless of the delay in the implementation of the action or/and its cancellation due to the measures taken by the government because of the pandemic.

It goes without saying that the government should as of now start preparing for the 2021 budget, given the increased needs and covering where it can possible cancellations of this current year.

6. All public Agencies/bodies for the production and promotion of cultural activities should support Cypriot cultural creation in every way. In the programmes of the Ministries dealing with cultural activity, the Cyprus Theatre Organisation (THOC), the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (RIK), Local Authorities, Universities, political parties and others must lay emphasis and give priority to Cypriot creators of culture. The state should encourage, but also allocate increased funds to these agencies and bodies, so that they can support more effectively cultural creation.
7. The activities of Digital Culture should be subsidised within the framework of a new support programme. Creators of culture should be encouraged to use technology and create digital cultural work. We are already seeing a lot of ideas and actions from creators of culture on the internet. At the same time, all public cultural agencies and bodies should use technology and the new digital possibilities to support creators of culture on the one hand and to address citizens on the other, offering them new ways of entertainment. Furthermore, the procedures for digitisation programmes of the cultural heritage of Cyprus also need to be accelerated.
8. Theatres, Music Clubs, Dance Companies, State and Municipal Art Galleries, Painting Galleries, Letters and Arts Houses, and other cultural activity spaces should study ways of activity on the basis of the new situation that has evolved. In the event of the measures being lifted, all bodies and Houses should consider the possibility of making them available, either free of charge or at the lowest possible cost for the holding of events. Where cultural spaces are not publicly owned, both the Ministry of Education, as well as Municipal Authorities, should subsidise their use with funds.
9. The Cyprus Theatre Organisation (THOC) should continue to show the same sensitivity and flexibility with regards the “THYMELI” Scheme (Note: subsidisation of Theatre Performances), so that projects of the first half of the year can be carried out up until the end of 2020. A second installment from the state fund of the “THYMELI” scheme should be given, which was approved by THOC, to all the theatres that had a scheduled premiere, so that all the actors of these performances can be paid and at the same time for the theatres to be able to survive. In addition, the losses from the cancellation of performances due to the government’s measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 should be calculated and covered. The salaries and wages of the employees of all theatre companies should be covered, for the performances that are being canceled or postponed with additional state funds.
10. The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (RIK) should strengthen Cypriot cultural creation after this huge blow by recording plays that will be performed immediately after the end of the emergency measures, transmitting them to the public, paying the copyright and other rights to the creators. During this period, RIK will present works by Cypriot artists that have been screened in the past and concern theatre, cinema, documentaries, dance, visual and other art forms and the payment of the relevant rights.
11. Salaries for those employed in music clubs and other entertainment venues should be calculated and covered, taking into account the peculiarities of these professions (seasonal irregular work etc.). The owners of cultural spaces and event organizing companies should be facilitated with regards fulfilling their obligations to Social Insurance, VAT and other obligations towards the state.
12. Due to the nature of the work of artists, technicians and others employed in the broader production of culture and entertainment, namely direct contact with each other, but also with the public, they have been forced to suspend all their activities (readings, shootings, rehearsals and others) until the situation has been normalised. The government should cover apart from working people’s wages the loss of revenue from the production companies. At the same time, a group of artists, due to the nature of their work, in previous years did not have full insurance coverage, as a result of which they face a very serious problem of survival. The abolition of the honorary allowance has greatly hampered their livelihood. The government should urgently register these creators of culture and support them decisively.
13. There should be effective support for the writing and promotion of Cypriot books, but also of the love for reading through potential new programmes and actions of the Ministry to provide support for writers, in a period that may prove to be fruitful for writing new literary works. At the same time, it is important, on the one hand, to modernize public, school and municipal libraries, by implementing borrowing books from home, and on the other hand, it is important for libraries to purchase a large number of Cypriot and translated books. In addition, the Cultural Services of the Ministry can take actions, which do not require large funds, by distributing digital books of children’s and youth Cypriot literature (e-books), for use by all school students of our schools. Furthermore, for the creation of a platform for digital works of Cypriot literature which can be available to online readers.
14. It is imperative that visual artists are supported, especially those who depend exclusively or to a large extent on their capacity, and whose income has virtually disappeared, so that significant artistic creation can continue uninterrupted in these extremely difficult times. In this context, it is necessary to enforce the legislation regarding the enrichment of public buildings with works of art, equal to one percent (1%) of the total construction cost of public buildings.

In conclusion, on the occasion of the discussion on the approval of a special package of measures in the Council of EU Culture Ministers, the Government must demand that Cyprus is included among the states to receive financial assistance. At the same time, our government needs to call for a significant increase in the EU funding program for Culture in the period 2021-2027.