UNSA Music Academy: We do not accept money, complete marginalization of culture

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Regarding the decision of the Minister of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton, Kenan Alikadić, to allocate 2,000 KM for the support of projects in the field of culture of Sarajevo Canton for 2020, for the purpose of supporting the concert activities of the Music Academy, we, musicians-artists, musicologists and music theorists, professors, teachers and associates of the Music Academy of the University of Sarajevo, indignantly refuse to accept these funds, which are extremely disproportionate to the public, cultural and artistic activities of our institution, state the Music Academy.

"Although the Music Academy is primarily a higher education institution, it is also an artistic and scientific institution. The significance of its public and cultural activities is reflected in the 400 concerts performed by its teachers, associates, students and partners in Sarajevo, other places in BiH and abroad in the past four years, which is clearly documented in the application material submitted to the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton. With this number of publicly performed concerts, the Music Academy has legitimized itself as the most productive promoter and organizer of artistic (classical) music concerts in the entire country, without whose activities Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina would almost have no classical music culture. Also, the Music Academy, through the activities of our professors and former students, permanently strengthens the personnel of partner institutions, such as the Sarajevo Philharmonic and the Opera of the National Theatre in Sarajevo, as well as other educational and artistic institutions throughout BiH," the institution states.

As they state, the attitude of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton (and often other responsible government institutions) towards the Music Academy (but also towards the entire field of classical music) in the past 25 years can easily be described as "stepmotherly", and this year's "distribution" of funds for the support of classical music has been brought to the level of an insult, especially since, as a performing art, music has been particularly affected by the implementation of pandemic measures.

"Without delving into the assessment of the quality and (subjectively?) assessed social significance of the supported institutions, we cannot shake off the impression that the distribution of budget funds in culture is not carried out on the principles of objectivity and competence. (Projects realized by highly educated and renowned academic artists are often less supported than amateur cultural productions; the distribution of support funds among different forms/genres of art is extremely disproportionate, the criteria for the distribution of funds are extremely non-transparent, etc.). Almost invariably, the disproportion in the distribution of support funds is to the detriment of projects in the field of classical music."

They state that "such a cultural policy (if the existing poor management of the society's cultural and artistic resources can be called that at all), which in the mandate of Minister Alikadić is clearly reaching its peak, has already resulted in the complete social marginalization of artistic music to the point where it can survive at all."

"Autonomous art, i.e., art that has no other function besides aesthetic (ideological, commercial, religious, or political), is a civilizational achievement. The undermining of the social infrastructure that enables it is a path to barbarism. With this protest, we demand from Minister Alikadić and all future ministers of culture of Sarajevo Canton, the political parties that appoint them, as well as the deputies in the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton, to ensure competent and transparent management of the cultural policy of Sarajevo Canton based on uniform support for all areas and genres of art. Providing adequate support for the activities and development of classical music is not, and must not be treated as an act of mercy by the rulers, but is the duty of all levels of democratically elected government that strives to build a creative, progressive and civilized society."

They demand a revision and/or annulment of the fund distribution procedure because, as they state, the announced results indicate that it was not carried out in accordance with the criteria set out in the Public Call for the proposal of culture and sports projects for co-financing from the funds of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton for 2020, but is the result of the minister's subjective and incompetent assessment.