Kulturkampf in Salzwedel: Loss of funds threatens readings and projects!

Kulturkampf in Salzwedel: Loss of funds threatens readings and projects!

A real culture war has unfolded in Salzwedel, which is not only making waves locally. National media already reported in April about a massive budget gap that is leading to threatening cuts in cultural funding. The Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk raised the issue, followed by an article in “Zeit”. This development has direct consequences, such as the cancellation of a project for young people and a planned reading by the writer Domenico Müllensiefen because the Miteinander e.V. association lacked the necessary funds. However, Müllensiefen showed solidarity and offered to waive his fee in order to collect donations for the association instead. For him it is clear: the cultural offerings are of essential importance for the community.

The reading still took place, but without the invited politicians present, which further dampened the mood. A security guard was deployed to keep an eye on uninvited guests from the right-wing political spectrum. According to the Volksstimme, the number of right-wing motivated crimes has increased in the Altmarkkreis, another worrying point that stands in the background of this cultural conflict.

Cuts at the federal level

However, the cultural pressure in Salzwedel is not an isolated case. Cultural funding is also in jeopardy at the federal level. The planned federal budget for 2025 provides for an increase in the budget for the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM), but the reality is often different. Massive cuts in cultural funding, which are primarily being pushed forward by the Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens), are to be expected. The six federal cultural funds are particularly affected, and their funding for 2025 is to be almost halved - from 34.3 million euros to just 18 million euros. The independent scenes have to prepare for almost 10 million euros less, which could have fatal consequences for the cultural landscape. Free access to cultural education and support for refugee artists? Also on the brink.

There is great resistance in the cultural scene. A petition by director Heinrich Horwitz, which has now collected over 36,000 signatures, shows that those affected will not simply accept these cuts. Artists, directors and cultural institutions express loud dissatisfaction with these developments.

Debate about cultural identity

But it's not just financing that concerns the cultural landscape. A motion from the AfD parliamentary group, which is on the agenda in the Bundestag on Thursday, calls for a realignment of cultural policy to defend German identity. The proposal aims to correct the current reduction of cultural identity to a culture of guilt and shame. MPs criticize that cultural policy has become increasingly ideological under the leadership of the Scholz cabinet and now revolves around the restructuring of society. One wonders: How will this affect the regional cultural scenes? And what impact do these political efforts have on the already struggling cultural funding?

A look at the Salzwedel region raises the question of whether culture in the Altmark is at risk in the long term. Looking at Müllensiefen's book "Fasten yourself, it's starting", which deals with explosive topics such as poverty, racism and disconnected infrastructure, it becomes clear that the challenges are diverse and it's not just about reducing resources. It is a battle for the soul of culture.

At a time when voices for and against cultural change are becoming louder, the question remains what happens next. One thing is certain: the people in Salzwedel and the entire Federal Republic will not stand idly by and watch as cultural identities come under increasing pressure.