4.12.2024, 17 Uhr
#minutestrike – United Against the Cultural Cutbacks!
Let us make it clear what happens when culture falls silent: The #minutestrike is a nationwide symbolic protest against the existentially threatening budget cuts in the cultural sector. Every cultural event, performance, and exhibition will be interrupted for one minute. This disruption breaks the routine, unsettles, and forces reflection. The strike minute can be filled with silence, specific demands, or artistic protest actions designed by institutions and cultural workers themselves.
The #minutestrike sends a powerful message: Art and culture are far more than entertainment – they are essential for our individual and collective identity. They reflect values, norms, and worldviews, and challenge power structures. As spaces for resistance and transformation, they are feared by authoritarian forces seeking to dictate identities and enforce submission. Supporting art and culture is not a matter of taste – it is a vital investment in a democratic and open society.
A traditional strike – currently under discussion – requires complex organization and, without financial backing, would disproportionately harm freelance, non-institutionally supported cultural workers. The #minutestrike, however, offers an immediately actionable alternative. This symbolic action has the potential to grow quickly into a nationwide movement. It is high time for policymakers to engage with the cultural sector and develop sustainable solutions to protect and strengthen it.
Together, we can show what will be lost if we fail to act. Let us interrupt the wave of cuts – for a future where art and culture retain their essential place!
Join the #minutestrike!
United Against the Cultural Cutbacks (PDF file)