Culture has to become national priority, Moldovan culture minister says

Chisinau, 14 May /MOLDPRES/ - Interview given exclusively to MOLDPRES News Agency by Culture Minister Monica Babuc

[Moldpres]: What have you managed to achieve during your first mandate and what tasks does your programme for the next years include?

[Babuc]:  We managed to approve important normative acts among which the Strategy on Culture Development „Culture-2020”, an extraordinary document on culture development for next years, Law on cinematography, Law on life scholarships, a string of other documents on protection of material and immaterial cultural heritage, etc. We organised concerts, shows, cultural events at national and international levels, such as the Martisor International Music festival, Maria Biesu International Opera Festival and the national ones, Winter Popular Costume Gala, Peasant Shirt Festival, Carpet Fair, etc. The small arena of the Chisinau Circus was also renovated and reopened after a pause of more than ten years.

[Moldpres]: I would like you to further refer to projects you have.

[Babuc]: They are very clearly stipulated in the Culture Development Strategy and refer to safeguarding the national cultural heritage, ensuring real and virtual circulation of the cultural product, increasing the economic share of the cultural sector and creative industries, as well as of the culture’s contribution to development of social cohesion. To achieve these goals, it is necessary to qualitatively reform the cultural area as to financing, management, protection of the cultural patrimony, de-centralization of cultural institutions, increase the cultural consumption market.

[Moldpres]: You have very often said that the area of culture has be a priority for Moldova. To what extent the 2014-2020 Culture Development Strategy, as well as the Law on Culture could contribute to this end?

[Babuc]: The culture must become a national priority and the Culture Development Strategy – present a new, more coherent vision on development of the Moldovan cultural sector. This strategy becomes the main policy document in the culture area, which will allow developing the sector and not only maintaining it. We have to understand that the area of culture is not the only one that begs for money from the budget. It can and has to finance itself and even produce incomes to the budget, as this keeps the capacity of culture as spiritual and social product. As for the Culture Law, the Culture Ministry will come up with an initiative on its amendment, in accordance with the present requirements and needs, so that this document complies with all standards in force in the sector.

[Moldpres]: What is the impact of cultural projects supported by the ministry on culture and society on the whole? 

[Babuc]: Annually, the institution announces the contest of cultural projects carried out by NGOs, through which we financially support the best projects. We will further put emphasis on development of cultural industries (visual arts, literary and musical works, film and video, music, books, cultural patrimony, design, architecture, handicrafts, etc.), in which the role of young people with new visions, projects and will to work should be decisive and creates jobs. Following this desideratum, the Culture Ministry signed the Agreement on Moldova’s participation in Creative Europe Programme in Brussels, in March 2015, in order to facilitate the access of all Moldovan citizens to this programme and further develop ideas and projects in the field of culture.

[Moldpres]: It is known that the Culture Ministry, in partnership with IREX Moldova, was set to provide public libraries with computers via the Novateca programme. To what extent have you managed to transform public libraries into community centres?

[Moldpres]: The goal of the Novateca national programme is to turn public libraries into active community centres, where the citizens will benefit from free access to modern technologies and library services under the guidance of trained librarians. The programme’s implementation costs 12 million dollars and about 1,000 public libraries from all over Moldova will be modernised via this project in all. By late 2015, the Novateca network will be made up of over 750 modernised libraries, which represents a firm step to transform the Moldovan public library system into a platform of active and fundamental institutions for developing communities from Moldova.

[Moldpres]: Which will the future of cultural houses be? Do the local public bodies pay enough attention, so to that they become functional and attractive for the community?

[Babuc]: The culture houses from all over Moldova are subordinated to the Local Public Administration (LPA), which in its turn, according to the legislation on LPA, is responsible for maintaining them. Nevertheless, the Culture Ministry tries to find solutions at the state’s level. Presently, we take care of providing documents on culture houses, in order to work out their national register, by subsequently including them into European financing projects.

[Moldpres]: There are more architecture monuments on the verge of disappearance in Moldova. Which units have been renovated over the past years and which are to be restored in the near future?

[Babuc]: The national architecture monument – the administrative block of the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History, on the Kogalniceanu street 82, was restored and opened in 2014. The restoration of the National Museum of Fine Arts and Organ Hall will be completed with the financial support of the Romanian government. Also, due to EU assistance, via the cross-border projects, the Soroca fortress and Manuc-Bei Mansion are under restoration. Via the Regional Development Fund, funds have been earmarked for restoring the villa with dendrology park in Taul. In 2010-2011, a wooden church from Hiriseni, Telenesti district, was located and renovated. Cooperation was initiated with the Ministry of Culture and National Patrimony of Poland, in order to rehabilitate the villa with park from Mandic, Drochia district, a historical and landscape architecture monument.  In 2014, the family house of poet Grigore Vieru from Pererita village, Briceni district, has started being restored and a design of a house-museum was worked out.

[Moldpres]: What projects do you intend to implement in cinematography?

[Babuc]: The Law on cinematography, approved in 2014 ,stipulates the working out of four drafts of regulations on organisation and functioning of the National Cinematography Centre; financing of cinematography; National Film Archives; Cinematographic Register. The National Cinematography Centre will be a public institution, in charge of implementing state policies in the area of cinematography/film industries. The centre will have two subdivisions, National Film Archives and Cinematographic Register. The National Film Archives’ subdivision will serve as legal and voluntary warehouse and will be in charge of collection, conservation, restoration and turning to good account of movies, written or of other kinds of documents of the local and universal cinematographic culture. The financing of cinematography and activity of the centre is included in the state budget in a distinct position.

[Moldpres]: Thank you for interview.

(Reporter N. Roibu, Editor M. Jantovan)