Statement by the organisation representing most European opera houses, relating to the political crisis in Slovakia:
Opera Europa is deeply shocked and gravely concerned by the abrupt decision on August 6th by Slovakia’s culture minister, Martina Šimkovičová, to dismiss Matej Drlička as General Manager of the Slovenské národné divadlo Slovak National Theatre.
Matej Drlička has been a prominent advocate for the arts in Slovakia, passionately promoting Slovak works to broad audiences while fostering and nurturing the next generation of artists and audiences and gaining international recognition for his work.
This decision, alongside the dismissal of other cultural leaders, signals a troubling threat to artistic freedom in Slovakia. Article 13 of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) states that “The arts and scientific research shall be free of constraint.” Furthermore, the Council of Europe’s Manifesto on the Freedom of Expression of Arts and Culture in the Digital Era highlights that “Arts and culture emphasise, express, communicate, and anticipate the human reaction to social changes… Creativity and diverse cultural expressions, enabled and stimulated by artistic freedom of expression, are catalysts for sustainable development planning and policies.” Minister Šimkovičová’s political decisions clearly violate the European Union’s charter.
The widespread public backlash against this right-wing attack on #ArtisticFreedom, alongside the broader criticism of the Slovak government’s efforts to stifle dissenting voices, demonstrates that the official reason for Matej Drlička’s dismissal—claiming he “confused the position of general director of a national cultural institution with political activism and repeatedly brought politics into the activities of the SND”—is rejected by many Slovakians, European cultural institutions, politicians, and the media.
At Opera Europa, we also firmly reject the stated rationale for Matej Drlička’s dismissal. We stand by him in his fight against this instance of extreme right-wing cultural vandalism and urge the European Union to closely monitor developments in Slovakia and safeguard the independence and #FreedomOfExpression of cultural institutions across Europe.
Karen Stone (pictured)
Director
Opera Europa
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