During a meeting with arts professionals in Almada, Setúbal district, Paulo Raimundo reiterated the concept of a public cultural service, asserting the necessity of state intervention in the cultural sector.
“Liberals claim the State shouldn’t interfere in anything. We argue the State doesn’t need to interfere in everything, but must step in where necessary. If there’s one area where the State should be involved, it’s culture,” he emphasized after listening to the concerns of artists.
However, Raimundo clarified that this proposal does not mean the State should determine cultural or aesthetic choices.
“The purpose of a public cultural service is not to dictate cultural options, which is what our current cultural policy does by tying subsidies to certain conditions, essentially controlling the artistic narrative,” he explained.
The communist leader criticized the market-driven approach to culture, equating the sale of culture to commodities like potatoes or real estate, warning that when culture regresses, so does democracy.
Raimundo also identified parallels between the CDU and culture.
“Culture, much like the CDU, is about resistance and progress, fighting against regression with an eye towards progress. This is what culture stands for, and it is what the CDU stands for,” he stated, emphasizing that culture remains untamed.
During the session, actress Maria João Luis criticized the notion of “elite culture,” where music and art serve only elite audiences, rather than being accessible to everyone, which she considered a grave issue.
She highlighted the “total uncertainty of the future,” expressing concerns about the reliability of artists’ livelihoods.
“Today you have a subsidy, but tomorrow you may not. Today there’s food for your children, but tomorrow you might not know,” she remarked, recalling statements that her profession wasn’t suited for having children.
Subsequent to the meeting, Raimundo led a short public walk in the same area, expressing confidence in securing the election of Paula Santos and Bruno Dias as primary candidates for the Setúbal district.
Before Raimundo spoke, former CGTP secretary-general Isabel Camarinha advocated for increased representation of PCP deputies in the Assembly of the Republic and the return of the Green Ecologist Party.
In her speech, she criticized the PS for promoting strategic voting while failing to implement their promises from when they were in government, stating, “The necessary and strategic vote is for the CDU,” a sentiment reiterated multiple times in a campaign that previously featured Arménio Carlos, a former union leader.
JGA // JPS
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