Rural communities are short of cultural industries

Experts in culture say this field, which is much more important for educating the young generation, needs to be freshen up and supported by the local public administration, especially in the rural localities. Participants in the round tables held within the pilot project “Visions on Cultural Policy for Moldova: from Changes to Viability”, launched by Soros Moldova Foundation in cooperation with the Amsterdam-based European Cultural Foundation (ECF), have tried to identify the ways of freshening culture up in Moldova’s villages. The idea of creating or re-launching some room for exhibitions, presentations and cultural events was brought up within the talks, as many of these places are at present lack both room for cultural activities and activities themselves. People taking the floor, the majority being heads of district cultural divisions, pointed out to the importance of the arts centres for a community. According to the participants, these centres secure the protection and bringing out of the mobile and immobile cultural patrimony, preserving the traditions and people’s customs, the identity of the culture in the area, as well as meeting the cultural demands and aspirations, and also the cultural education of the community members. The arts centres also secure the free access to information, the involvement and interest of the population in the cultural activity, and they capitalise the cultural works. Without them, it’s hard to imagine that the population could benefit from the cultural product, including the one created by community members. At the same time, the arts centres represent a place for informing and holding talks, as well as the community’s leisure centre, the speakers stated. The participants also pointed out to the need to set up in the rural localities some galleries or some room destined for art products presentation, including folk craft, cultural projects, as well as for implementing also other cultural events for the community. Head of the Cahul Division for Culture, Oleg Danilciac, mentioned that all talented people should be selected from the community and should be offered the possibility to develop. If a young boy wasn’t brought on the stage until he reaches the age of 15 years, he would be too shy after this age to perform on the stage, or he would be interested in other activities or interests, etc. Unfortunately, says the cited source, more talented people got lost as they were not remarked in the community, and the local councils made up of community members, quite often do not meet the support demands of the culture divisions or arts centres. The participants stated that, although the Ministry of Culture launched an ample project for arts centres renovation, they didn’t make the public funds access transparent at all. According to other opinions, under these circumstances, it is absolutely necessary to create some resources for informing the communities in the territory, which would mean creating a database of the culture institutions. It is necessary to get the arts communities in the rural areas involved in strengthening the cooperation relationships between the central institutions and the rural ones. At the same time, the speakers stated that the issue of the Transnistrian separatism could be solved out, including by re-establishing the trust between the two banks of the Nistru. The most efficient influence in this respect could be exerted by culture and especially by the culture industries. The media, books, films, concerts represent the best messengers of Moldova for the population in the Transnistrian region, participants in the round tables consider.