BBC: «Portuguese culture feels the pinch as arts budget slashed»

Na BBC: Portuguese culture feels the pinch as arts budget slashed

 

"We have to survive so we are looking everywhere - except towards our government which doesn't help us."

Portugal does not have a strong tradition of private cultural philanthropy, nor does it have many private foundations dedicated to supporting the arts.

 

With state funding halved, many theatres, operas, galleries have been left in a precarious state and cultural historian and former Culture Secretary Rui Vieira Nery wonders how they will recover.

"The cuts will have a tragic affect on all aspects of Portuguese cultural life," he argues.

"Remember that in Portugal we don't have sound cultural institutions - ours are rather recent and haven't been established deeply enough to survive these brutal cuts."

He goes on to remind me that for much of the 20th Century Portugal was stifled under a right-wing dictatorship, and when it emerged after a bloodless coup in 1974, more than 40% of the Portuguese people were illiterate.

"We've spent so much money in the last 25 years on developing the arts scene in Portugal, and now we have architects, artists, film directors and writers who are all internationally acclaimed.

"It's just such a terrible waste."

 

(...)

 

A história completa aqui:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23248062

 

Foto: Palácio Nacional da Ajuda, sede do defunto Ministério da Cultura...

LISBOA, vista pelo Financial Times (24 Agosto)

«Analysts describe Portugal as positioned somewhere between Ireland and Greece, the two other eurozone countries to have negotiated national bailout packages, in terms of successful reform. Dublin recently succeeded in tapping capital markets with a bond issue about a year ahead of schedule. But Mr Krämer said “such a success is unlikely in the case of Portugal”.»

Foto: Lisboa, Rua Augusta. In Financial Times, 24-8-2012

Londres: Blue Plaques nas Casas de Memória

Imagens de placas comemorativas em Londres, incluíndo uma na antiga embaixada portuguesa em Londres/residência do Marquês de Pombal (cortesia do SOS LISBOA); nesta matéria ainda estamos na infância em terras portuguesas... para não dizer na idade das cavernas pois em Lisboa a prática mais corrente ainda é demolir as casas onde viveram pintores, poetas, músicos, filósofos, escritores, etc.

As famosas "blue plaques" de Londres, um exemplo a seguir por Lisboa:

London's blue plaques scheme, founded in 1866, is believed to be the oldest of its kind in the world and has inspired many other schemes across London, the UK and even further afield.
Run successively by the (Royal) Society of Arts, the London County Council, the Greater London Council, and since 1986, English Heritage, it commemorates the link between notable figures of the past and the buildings in which they lived and worked. It is a uniquely successful means of connecting people and place. The blue plaques scheme forms part of our wider programme of research and investigation into the historic built environment.

History

The London-wide blue plaques scheme has been running for over 140 years, and now comprises around 850 plaques.

Plaque Design

The modern form of the blue plaque - a design icon - dates from the time of the Second World War. Before that, plaques installed under the scheme took a number of different forms.

How to propose a blue plaque

London's blue plaques scheme has always been driven by public suggestion, and English Heritage relies upon people making interesting and viable proposals. There are rules to bear in mind, but the result – a blue plaque on one of London's buildings – can bring great rewards.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/blue-plaques/
(Em 2009 foi publicado o livro Lived in London: Blue Plaques and the Stories Behind Them)