Czech artists and other cultural personalities have called for help for their colleagues in Slovakia who are losing their jobs due to the changes implemented by Slovak Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova, in a statement released to CTK by film director Bretislav Rychlik today.
The statement, entitled “It’s Time to Lend a Hand!” was supported by Czech theatre director, poet, playwright and songwriter Jiri Suchy, actor and screenwriter Zdenek Sverak, former constitutional judge Eliska Wagnerova, sociologist Fedor Gal, and publisher Petr Minarik.
In recent days, Simkovicova, nominated to Robert Fico’s government by the Slovak National Party (SNS), has dismissed the head of the Slovak National Gallery, Aleksandra Kusa, and the director of the Slovak National Theatre, Matej Drlicka. She cited the management decisions of those dismissed among the reasons for her actions.
The opposition has criticised her steps and is planning protests.
“We are following the actions of the Minister of Culture in the neighbouring Slovakia with great concern,” reads the statement. “She is carrying out and intends to continue carrying out the purges in cultural institutions by primitive methods, with clearly poor and false reasons.”
“It is not our place to interfere in the internal political situation in Slovakia, but we have every right to think the worst of it. And above all, it is our duty to lend a hand,” the statement continues.
The statement suggests that organisations, institutions and individuals in the Czech Republic offer jobs to capable people and support for important projects that cannot continue in Slovakia. It calls for the establishment of a network of contacts and the creation of a space for collaboration.
“At the same time, we would like to express our hope that business circles and individuals could establish the Czech-Slovak Cultural Fund to financially support the affected individuals and their families in Slovakia,” the statement also suggests.
The leadership of the Czech Association of Professional Theatres and the Czech Centre of the International PEN Club have also expressed their support.
“Since the year is 2024 and not 1950, I think that your government has somehow mixed it up,” Suchy told his Slovak colleagues, referring to the period of tough Communist rule in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s.
The statement was also supported by Czech documentary film director Olga Sommerova, actors Boleslav Polivka and Ivan Trojan, singer Iva Bittova, and writer Jiri Kratochvil.
In addition to the personnel changes in cultural institutions, the Slovak opposition has criticised Minister Simkovicova for the new law on public Slovak television and radio, and several other steps and statements.
