MADRID'S EMBLEM - THE BEAR IN THE PUERTO DE SOL (AFTER HONEY?)
It will come as no surprise to you to hear that the dreadful economic crisis in Spain is damaging the arts culture of Spain. This is taking two forms namely a dramatic reduction in governmental (and commercial) grants for arts related institutions, exhibitions, festivals and shows and a genuine questioning by Spaniards about the endemic corruption (moral and financial) within Spain.
Certainly, grants (whether state, regional or local) are being brutally slashed for arts related institutions or events. As El Pais pointed out this week, the ‘last budget cuts affected all cultural sectors, from the state film agency the ICAA (11.7 percent) to the Prado Museum (7.7 percent)’.
Of course, it is not just Spain’s prestigious institutions that have been hit hard. Across the country festivals and shows are being cancelled, becoming biannual events or having to reduce their capabilities to a minimum – with new many contemporary arts centres (which blossomed during the economic boom) now suffering terribly.
Needless to say, the arts related culture of Spain is not something that can compete with essential services when budgets are being savagely pruned. This is brought into harsh focus by, for example, the Catalonia region of Spain which is facing a doctor’s strike on November 15 and 16 – because the doctors feel the health budget has been cut to dangerous levels. This may be so, as it appears that the number of people waiting for operations in Catalonia has risen by 23% in a year.
So – what hope is there for the culture of Spain when it comes to the arts?
Obviously, it is hard to know but I suspect that the arts in Spain are going to suffer from chronic underfunding for many years. I say this in the light of the economic problems facing Spain which appear greater as every day passes.
Depressingly, a recent report from the BBVA stated that the possibility of Spain entering a recession again had risen and that unemployment would rise again before the end of the year, probably to 22%. Following this was an EU report that predicted that unemployment in Spain would not be reduced below 20% over the next couple of years and that it will not succeed in reducing its national debt to the euro-zone ceiling of 3% of GDP by the end of 2013. Meanwhile, today, it has been reported that Spain has zero growth for Q3 2011.
Of course, no country can spend money on the arts when critical services are tottering from lack of money, so the short term future for the arts in Spain looks gloomy indeed. This is sad – not least because the arts have the capacity to cast light and colour into people’s lives when most needed and that, of course, is right now and will be the case over the next few years.
In the meantime, I sense some element of change in the Spanish people that I meet when it comes to their toleration of corruption in Spain. This is a quality that has always surprised me – the acceptance of corruption in Spain, at a local regional and state level, as just part of the innate culture of Spain and daily life. This is something that would be considered utterly abnormal and unacceptable in most north European countries.
However, I think things are changing as ever more reports emerge about corruption whether moral or directly financial. The recent banking scandals in Spain with the CAM bank and NovaGalicia (and lately the Banco de Valencia) are good examples of a crass lack of regulation, with the Bank of Spainending up pumping money into banks that have long (and obviously) been run appallingly. Worse still their directors; with a stunning lack of principles have awarded themselves huge pay outs and pensions – which have enraged most Spaniards (as they will be picking up the bill!).
Then there is the Marbella scandal, the Camps debacle, the Duke of Palma indicted for corruption and so on – and on… Every day another scandal seems to emerge.
Demonstrations in Spain what the Indignados are saying
So, is the culture of Spain or rather that of the Spanish themselves – changing, or likely to change? Are the Spanish becoming less tolerant of corruption, having seen where it all leads?
I rather think they may be and to some extent the Indignado Movement should be thanked for this. Idealistic it may be and incapable of providing solutions but the Indignado Movement has one clear message – that Spain needs cleaning up. It needs to have politicians that have integrity and a system that works, such as state regulators that actually perform the function they are paid for and protect the country and its economy (without fear or favour).
The question if course is whether the Spanish population are sufficiently furious about the corruption that penetrates Spain from top to bottom to ensure that a ‘sea change’ in the behaviour of those in authority is forced to occur. I think that is now a possibility – in which case the temporary loss of arts in Spain for a few years may be replaced by something rather more profound and beneficial to everyone.
Nick Snelling – Culture Spain
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