Arts·Commotion

Why is Slovakia's government clamping down on its art institutions?

Musician and Eastern European historian Grzegorz Kwiatkowski explains why far-right governments in the region are clamping down on cultural institutions.

Artist and Eastern European historian Grzegorz Kwiatkowski gives a glimpse into Slovakia's troubled art sector

KOSICE, SLOVAKIA - JANUARY 22: People wait for the results of antigen tests for the Covid-19 in the auditorium of the State Theatre Kosice during a massive testing of the Slovak population on January 22, 2021 in Kosice, Slovakia.
People wait in the auditorium of the State Theatre Kosice on January 22, 2021 in Kosice, Slovakia. (Zuzana Gogova/Getty Images)

Slovakia's populist, right-wing government recently ousted the director of its national art gallery and the head of its national theater in a move that critics are calling a politically-motivated purge. While many reasons were given for these dismissals, including "managerial failures," it remains unclear what impact this move will have on the Slovakian art sector.

Today on Commotion, musician, poet and Eastern European historian Grzegorz Kwiatkowski explains why some governments in the region are clamping down on cultural institutions and, given the recent example of his native Poland, how the arts community can fight back.

WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube (this segment begins at 17:09): 

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.


Interview with Grzegorz Kwiatkowski produced by Stuart Berman.