Populist far-right ideologies spread in Europe:

Slovenia museums are also suffering the effects

 

Slovenia currently stands as one of the most dramatic and shameful examples in what refer the effects of a new fascistic tendency conducted by far-right populist governments in Europe, specifically in Eastern Europe.  Widely recognized directors of museums have been dismissed with no other reasons as their attachment to professional standards. One of them is Kaja ŠIROK, chair of ICOM Slovenia, one active professional, former director of the Museum of Contemporary History. Another is Zdenka Badovinac, director of the Gallery of Moderns Art. Also the heads of three other major Slovenian museums – the National Museum, the Architecture Museum, the Ethnography Museum – and the National Book Agency saw their mandates end in the last year. The chair of ICOM Slovenia accuses the Ministry of Culture of having “changed the museums’ statutes overnight in order to choose new directors”, who would not meet the usual requirements and who would have been chosen out of “loyalty”.

ICOM, I think, can’t keep silent regarding such an outrageous situation. ICOM Europe in particular cannot avoid to reproach such an occurrence, especially now when Slovenia takes the presidency of the European Union. In my condition of President of this Regional Alliance of ICOM, and personally speaking, I strongly condemn this intolerable totalitarian drift.

It is true, as it is said in the news below, that similar situations occur in other countries of the so-called (and now enlarged) Visegrád Group. But in Slovenia all possible limits have been over-passed.

To remain silent now is to be accomplice of such an intolerable occurrence.

July, 29, 2021

Luis Raposo

President

ICOM Europe

 

Download in PDF format: Statement_Slovenian Museums_July 2021