After long months of closed curtains, Luxembourg's cultural sector can at last return to a certain sense of normality. But a full return will still take a while, warns minister Sam Tanson.
While cinemas, museums, concert halls and theatres will be able to resume their activities, certain rules will have to be respected (wearing of masks, physical distance - a full overview can be found here).
It's a breath of fresh air for all those involved in the sector, and for the public who have experienced a long period of "cultural suffocation". But the crisis will certainly leave its mark, both in the short and long term. "We should not underestimate the impact of the crisis on the cultural sector, which is enormous", warns Tanson, who fears that some artists may throw in the towel for good.
"Culture is essential, there is no question about it", says Tanson. The culture sector has been the first to close its doors and one of the last to reopen. Financially-speaking, the minister goes on to say, artists are one of the most vulnerable in society, because they live "day to day, project to project". If a project is cancelled there is often no other source of income.
Luxembourg's cultural scene has really developed in the last two decades, and this pandemic has seen a massive shock wave that has brought down some of the progress that had been made.
And in her capacity as Minister of Justice, she acknowledges the inevitable delays, even if these could be limited thanks to digitalisation. One thing that worries her is domestic violence, as studies have shown that close proximity and little breathing space in a household can lead to tension amongst children and parents, and partners towards partners. Furthermore, it is less detected, as the constant presence of a person can be a barrier for the affected individual to report it.
See other interviews in this series:
Paulette Lenert: The vaccine is the "start of our way out of this crisis"
Lex Delles: The strength of small businesses is their "impressive spirit of questioning"
Franz Fayot: "We cannot open the financial floodgates forever"Claude Meisch: "I'm proud we insisted on keeping schools open."
