Istanbul's Cultural Constellation and its European Prospects

In this report Istanbul is described as a booming and rapidly developing metropolis with a cultural
infrastructure that is grossly inadequate for its 16 million inhabitants, and with high
unemployment rates despite the citys visible economic vitality.

Wealthy individuals, corporations and private foundations complement a limited public
engagement in culture, but often with an enmeshment of roles, responsibilities and functions.
Entrepreneurial attitudes prevail among cultural operators; however, what would nominally pass
for commercial culture is often in fact unprofitable and dependent on private subsidies. There is a
rapidly growing realm of small-scale artistic facilities, geographically concentrated and with low
visibility, little continuity and a perennial lack of production means. State cultural infrastructure
is very limited consisting mainly of antiquated, centrally run institutions and inadequate for
the growing levels of tourism and rather indifferent to the needs of the population. Istanbuls city
infrastructure mirrors that of the state, privileging one zone and neglecting the Asian part.
Various municipalities of Istanbul continue to build cultural centres as prestige objects, but
without an underlying concept, programme, competent staff or operating budget. The promotional
bilateral activities of foreign cultural institutes and consulates mean that a European cultural
presence is becoming more evident. However, a strategic EU engagement is dramatically lacking.

The author concludes with pleas for the formation of a broadly representative organisation for arts and culture and of more alliances and umbrella structures to connect the various players and
enhance their mutual trust and cooperation. The municipal authorities could perhaps be developed
into possible interlocutors and supporters, while private foundations need to expand and clarify
their role and improve their governance. A cultural policy centre focusing on documentation,
information and training should be established in order to highlight good practice, safeguard
achievements and stimulate and inform debate. A whole generation of future leaders, mostly
educated abroad, needs to create a proper cultural infrastructure and renew cultural policy from
the bottom up. The constant engagement and support of foreign private foundations, networks,
institutions, the EU and EU member states is urged in order to speed up the cultural dimension of
Turkeys EU integration. There are no inherent, insurmountable cultural obstacles to this process;
rather, cultural development and the renewal of cultural policy would aid Turkeys overall
reformist efforts on the road to full EU membership.

A Report by Dragan Klaic, commissioned by www.labforculture.org

The whole report is available here: http://www.eurocult.org/lab/labcat.asp?id=6

Posted by Maike Bosselmann, correspondent, Spain, 28 February 2006