NEW CULTURAL POLICY GUIDELINES IN TICINO
At the end of February, State Councillor Marina Carobbio Guscetti, Director of the Department of Education of Culture and Sports (DECS), presented a set of policy measures for the period 2024-2027 to the press. These measures are the preliminary results from the ongoing listening, dialogue and engagement process launched in April 2023, which hosted a large number of entities, associations and stakeholders.
Several of the following points were taken into consideration: recognition of the value of culture and independent creation, attention to the salary conditions and social security of female and male professionals within the sector, generational turnover, and finally, transparency and refinement of the procedures for applying for support in the curriculum for the four-year period. The 2025-2028 “Message on Culture”, published by the Federal Council last fall, emphasizes that the successful operation of a system as varied and complex as culture requires the collaboration of all its different segments. A harmonious and unified effort between all of the different parties involved (canton, city, private sponsors, and industry associations) is essential to the implementation of a successful system which can ensure the growth of the territory and a better return on public and private investments. The canton and the city now expect joint action to involve the sector's expertise more closely in the forums in which the strategic lines of support and promotion of culture are discussed.
Although the establishment of these goals is a step in the right direction, several measures will still need to be put in place at various levels to allow for improvement in the work situation for artists and practitioners. The current funding system, where the Swisslos cantonal lottery is the only major subsidizing body for the independent scene, will need to be further questioned. It is important to emphasize that without adequate support, some of them will continue to remain very precarious; most notably, the achievement of fair and equitable working conditions.
For a peripheral and linguistic minority like canton Ticino, culture assumes a fundamental value not only in terms of exchange and social cohesion, but also in terms of representing the Italian language and culture at the national level. A support system that is capable of putting in place measures, indicators and financial resources in line with national standards will be the only way our territory can best represent its potential.
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