www.business-review.eu Business Review | March 2022
34 CULTURE
Rural culture crops: preserving the cultural life of Romania’s countryside Courtesy of the National Institute for Cultural Researchand Training
Last month, the National Institute for Cultural Research and Training (INCFC) launched The Atlas of Culture, a study that aims to expand the mapping of the sector. Following this endeavour, the Institute set itself an important objective of creating an atlas that would provide comprehensive cultural information, along with a long-term course of action and established training teams. Business Review talked to assoc. prof. Ph.D. Carmen Croitoru, the General Manager of INCFC, about the cultural life of the countryside. By Oana Vasiliu Can you briefly introduce The Atlas of Culture, its vision, and context?
Community centres are essential elements
modernised through grant programmes. At
of public cultural infrastructure in Romanian
the same time, most local public spending on
Almost every study generated and published
rural areas, along with communal libraries.
cultural establishments is intended for the
by the INCFC seeks to complete a huge cul-
More than a century after the first cultural es-
renovation of buildings, to the detriment of
tural puzzle that still has many untouched or
tablishments appeared, the network has been
proper staffing and hosting of cultural activi-
even unknown areas. It is therefore no acci-
extended to most of rural Romania, carrying
ties.
dent that the first study we decided to publish
out or hosting cultural activities.
out of the Atlas of Culture series had to do
In 2018, Romania had 6,365 buildings
collection, inventory, and structuring, fol-
identified as active and 1,381 (22 percent) as
The report has found that cultural services in rural areas are inadequately staffed. What solutions are there to cover this deficit?
lowed by a mixed methodological approach—
inactive (non-operational, un-renovated,
Only around 40 percent of territorial admin-
both quantitative and qualitative—The Atlas
unused). And while community centres are
istrative units have a human resource who is
of Culture – 1st edition. Cultural establish-
spread across 94 percent of Romanian mu-
specialised in the cultural field, i.e. a cultural
ments in rural areas aims to assess the state
nicipalities, very few of them actually operate
rapporteur or librarian who can coordinate
of culture by following aspects such as the
for the benefit of the community as cultural
the activity of the local community centre.
level of distribution of cultural infrastructure
institutions. The lack of a suitable space for
Moreover, many community centre manag-
elements; expenditure and investments by
cultural activities fragments the relationship
ers, even those with a cultural background,
local public authorities in culture; profiles of
between cultural establishments and citizens
often also perform other tasks within the local
community-level cultural leaders; and the
and creates distances that are difficult to
public administration.
specificity of cultural events.
recover later.
with the cultural life of the countryside. Based on a broad process of statistical data
that functioned as rural community centres. Of these, 4,984 buildings (78 percent) were
The study is a wake-up call for authorities who are responsible for access to culture and it seeks to provide support for the promotion of public policies on culture in rural areas.
The Atlas of Culture starts from an existing rural infrastructure element: community centres. What do these institutions represent for Romanian villages and what else did you learn about them through your research?
The first solution we’ve identified was linking up educational strategies in secondary
Have there been recent investments in rural cultural infrastructure? How many community centres need either partial rehabilitation or a complete facelift? Between 2007 and 2018, only 38 percent of
and higher education (Humanities and Arts) to make sure that young professionals are offered opportunities for cultural placements in rural areas. Facilitating regular access to continuing
territorial administrative units made invest-
vocational training programmes for cultural
ments in the infrastructure of community
staff and formally trained specialists for com-
centres through available grant funding
plex cultural intervention in rural areas, with
programmes. As a result, only 18 percent of
all the social implications of these processes,
community centres have been renovated or
would also be very helpful.
