Fick just ett SOS–mejl från turkiska teaterkritikerkollegor om den kritiska situationen för scenkonsten i Turkiet

Fick ikväll ett mejl från mina teaterkritikerkollegor i den turkiska avdelningen för den internationella teaterkritikerföreningen IATC-AITC (där även Svenska Teaterkritikers förening ingår) om den kritiska situationen för scenkonsten i Turkiet. I mejlet beskrivs hur systematiska, politiska åtgärder begränsar det turkiska teaterlivet.

Det var nu bara ett par veckor sen jag fick senaste uppdateringen från mina ungerska kritikerkollegor, med bla detta Youtube-upprop där det hävdas att 2013 kommer att bli året då oberoende teatrar upphör att existera i Ungern (klicka på”interaktivt manuskript för att läsa engelska subtitles), och nä, jag kan inte låta bli att dra vissa paralleller beträffande politisk styrning och inskränkning av teaterkonsten.

Läs själva, jag klistrar in mejlet från de turkiska teaterkritikerna i sin helhet här:

Dear friend,

The executive committee of the Turkish section of the IATC wishes to inform you in the attached ”Letter to the IATC” about the critical situation of theatre and the artistic communities in Turkey since the coming to power in 2000 of the political party which is trying to create the conditions to control all kinds of theatrical creations, to close down all state theatres (there are 18 in Turkey, each with several venues, touring all year round throughout the country), as well as the municipal theatres, many of which have several halls, in order to establish what they refer to –without being aware of the comical aspect of the expression– ”a conservative art” of which no one, even among themselves, knows the real meaning, but which gives an idea of their goal. The oppression from this party on the life of theatre becoming more and more stifling, we wrote the following press release to share it, if possible, with all the sections of the IATC.

Best regards,

Turkish section of the IATC

==

LETTER FROM THE TURKISH SECTION OF THE IATC

”The Turkish Section of the IATC wishes to announce that Turkey is presently undergoing measures taken by the political party in power against artistic events in general, and theatrical activities in particular.

Just to give some examples, we can mention the situation of the Atatürk Cultural Center in Istanbul, which has venues for opera, ballet, concert and theatre, as well as a gallery for exhibitions. It is closed since June 2008, first under the pretext that it was being restored, then demolished for a reconstruction. But nothing was done to date and the city of Istanbul, among the three cities elected to be a World cultural Center in 2010 by UNESCO, was deprived of it for all that time. The restoration was recently questioned, and there are still no signs that it will start.

As for the town council of Istanbul, without any notice, at the end of the 2011-2012 theatre season, it imposed a new regulation to the Istanbul Municipal Theatre — which is 98 years old — and cancelled all the rights of the artistic director to transfer them to bureaucrats of the town hall who are incompetent in this field. This decision and its application have caused strong protests and large popular and artistic demonstrations in Istanbul and throughout Turkey.

Recently, the town hall of Beyoglu (Pera) in Istanbul, following the Istanbul town hall and with the same excuse of restoration, has closed down the Karaca (Karadja) Theatre, founded in 1955, just before the opening of the 2012-2013 season, without even informing the dozen of companies which were sharing this hall.

And lately, the ministry of National Education has forbidden the renting of theatre venues in schools to professional theatre companies.

This is the situation in Turkey. We can only add that political power is transient, while theatre is eternal. ”