Show solidarity with the National Theatre of Slovakia and join our protest against the dismissal of its General Director Matej Drlička by the Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičová for political reasons. Fill out the form and we will put your name under the open letter!
Vienna, 14th of August 2024
Dear Mr. Fico,
We were astonished and shocked to learn of the decision by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Slovakia, Martina Šimkovičová, to dismiss the general director of the Slovak National Theatre, Matej Drlička. As long-standing cooperation partners of the theatre, which enjoys an excellent international reputation, we want to protest against this dismissal in the strongest possible terms. Not only does the gross interference in the artistic activities of a national theatre permanently damage the reputation of this institution and call into question its successful, globally recognized work. The Minister of Culture’s arguments are particularly worrying, namely the insinuation that Matej Drlička would “confuse the position of general director of a national cultural institution with political activism”.
For what is referred to here as “activism” is nothing other than the free expression of opinion that is customary in a democracy for every form of artistic and intellectual activity. It goes without saying that the opinions – or tastes – of a general director or an artistic team cannot coincide in every aspect with the opinions of a politician, and this is one of the principles of a liberal constitutional state. As partners of the Slovak National Theatre, we therefore find the argumentation not only absurd, but dangerous. Where one begins to measure the work of experts by the yardstick of political compliance – and where this is lacking, to speak of “activism” – democratic society ends and with it artistic freedom.
All of this could be attributed to a professional dispute if it were not merely the current climax of a campaign against art, culture, freedom of expression and freedom of the press that has been going on for many months in the Republic of Slovakia. The dismissal of the director of the Bibiana International House of Art for Children in Bratislava (and her replacement by a close friend of the Minister of Culture), the dismissal of the director of Kunsthalle Bratislava, the dismissal of the director of the Slovak National Gallery and now the general director of the National Theatre for political reasons are just some of the steps on the way to a uniform art and culture that no longer deserves this name.
We therefore stand in solidarity with the National Theatre of Slovakia, as well as the demonstrators who demanded the dismissal of the Minister of Culture in front of the Ministry of Culture on August 12 and the signatories of the open letter. Like all independent Slovak, European and international observers, we consider the actions of the Minister of Culture to be completely irresponsible, undemocratic in content and consequence, disrespectful and unprofessional in form and therefore completely unworthy of a member state of the European Union.
Yours sincerely,
Milo Rau, Director of the Wiener Festwochen | Free Republic of Vienna
Marie Bues, Martina Grohmann, Tobias Herzberg, Mazlum Nergiz | Artistic Board, Schauspielhaus Vienna
