Stubb in Tampere: “Culture must not be a zero-sum game”

His presidency on the first official visit to Tampere by Alexander Stubb the agenda also included culture.

Stubb participated in a self-convened panel discussion on culture at Sampola, a labor university in the Tampere region.

Cultural director of the city of Tampere Sampo Terhon In addition to the president, the general secretary of the cultural and arts association KULTA ry took part in the moderated panel, which lasted just under an hour Rosa Meriläinendirector of Tampere Theatre Mikko Kanninen and director of the Sara Hildén Art Museum Anna Hjorth-Röntynen.

At first, Stubb told about his latest cultural experience, which was at Lilla Teatern by Jacob Höglund guided by Dancer In The Dark. The play is based on Lars von Trierin to the movie.

Stubb said he went to see it together with the president Tarja Halonen with.

“It was depressing but great at the same time.”

Amicably towards the end of the smooth conversation, we got to a topic that had been around for a long time like a cat around a hot pot of porridge: the considerable cuts planned by the culture of the current government to public funding.

Stubb reminded that culture is a security factor.

“If you look at the history and culture of Finland, we set out to build our own Finnish cultural identity quite apart from the Russian identity.”

“An important part of this was the goal of encapsulating the crisis with the power of culture. This is what they represent Finland and all the songs you learn to sing during your military service. While living abroad, I have noticed that Finnish music gives strength in difficult situations.”

The director of Tampere Theater Mikko Kanninen stated that everyone knows how to see income and expenses from Excel. He urged to think more broadly.

For example, he built his own theater The Lord of the Rings -production, which currently employs 250 people in Tampere-talo.

“There are lighting and video designers, fire artists, costume designers, actors. When you start thinking about how exactly these 250 people are doing this work right here today, it’s a long funnel from childhood enthusiasm through various educational paths, which has led to that point.”

“It’s the same as in ice hockey. We won’t have top ice hockey players if there is no junior activity. If there isn’t such a big funnel through which those peaks are filtered.”

Stubby many things are seen as a zero-sum game and an accounting exercise. According to him, such thinking should be discouraged.

“Culture brings itself back as social investments. But this is easy for me to say.”

“As we know, if I start commenting on the structures of culture, a crowd will arise.”

According to Stubb, the only thing he can do with his spouse is participate and use Finnish culture as much as possible and hopefully inspire others with his example.

Panel discussion at the following press conference, Stubb said that he is confident in the vitality of Finnish culture in the future as well, even though the government’s planned savings on public subsidies in the sector threaten to discipline the employment situation in the sector with a heavy hand.

“I don’t think we will ever become a backwater for art and culture, but it goes without saying that culture gives each of us a lot as people.”

“If we don’t go to theaters, concerts, museums and art exhibitions, if we don’t read books, then our mental capacity to act even in difficult situations weakens.”

Stubb stated that he was also concerned about the opposition between culture and exercise that he observed in the Finnish cultural discussion.

“I think these are two sides of the same thing, taking care of the mind and the body. That’s why I hope that as many Finns as possible come to enjoy Finnish culture. It gives a lot, and not least in these difficult times.”

At the end of the panel, Stubb had time to predict even further, when Terho asked him to look into the year 2040 with a crystal ball and tell what the cultural field will look like at that time.

“Sometimes culture is radical, sometimes traditional, sometimes it seeks beyond borders, sometimes it relies on national traditions.”

“Success creates success. Let’s take a look at our classical music, it’s something completely incomprehensible, how good we’ve been at it.”