The pandemic has re-launched the debate about support for Culture and highlighted, once again, the dependence of this area on subsidies, exposing the fragility of the sector. It is urgent to debate new strategies." There is a tone of weariness in Ana Miranda's words. The tiredness of someone who has already spent a long time harping on the same theme. In the atrium of Culturgest, she goes on to make a mea culpa, not personal but rather of the positioning of an entire class that prefers to talk about "support" and "sponsorship" rather than "investment".
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As in almost everything, history and economics explain much of the differences. "In the American tradition, support for culture is not considered a function of the State," begins Isabel Capeloa Gil. The Rector of Universidade Católica Portuguesa and a specialist in Cultural Studies explains that "it has to do with a sense of individual recognition and return of the value generated by companies and people for society, which is very strong in the USA.
Note: You can read the full article in the print edition of Exame Magazine, August 1, 2022.
