For almost 30 years, the Paradiso Debate in Amsterdam has been the moment when creators, administrators, politicians and funds meet to discuss the state of affairs in the Dutch cultural sector. Traditionally, it coincided with the festive start of the cultural season in the capital. But since the Uitmarkt gave way to the new national Opening of the Cultural Season - which descends on a different city every year - a strange divide has emerged.
This year's Opening will be celebrated grandly in Apeldoorn. The city will be packed with performances, exhibitions and encounters for three days. But the Paradiso debate? That stubbornly remains in Amsterdam. Not on the weekend of the Opening, not in the host city, but a day later in Paradiso.
But why anyway? Wouldn't it be much more powerful if policymakers and politicians also immersed themselves in the energy of the city hosting the Opening? If they did not always debate with each other in just Amsterdam, but instead supported the spread?
Historical custom is not an argument
The only real argument in favour of Amsterdam is tradition: after all, it is called the Paradiso debate. But tradition alone is a weak excuse to narrow the gaze. The cultural sector often says it wants to be national, that culture belongs to everyone, that we need to get out of the Randstad bubble. If so, this also includes that the most important sector-wide dialogue does not remain stuck in an Amsterdam clubhouse, but travels with the dynamics of the Opening. Surely it cannot be that "we always do this way" becomes decisive for the cultural sector?
A missed opportunity
By not holding the debate in Apeldoorn, the sector is missing an opportunity to show it is relevant to the whole of the Netherlands.
Proposal: a national culture debate
Why no national debate on culture which takes place annually in the City of Opening? This will remove the divide and show the sector that the dialogue of content and the celebratory opening together form one story: a national cultural season rooted in the whole of society.
For Kunsten '92 and the Academy of Arts as organising parties, it can be expected that they operate nationwide. For Paradiso and the ACI it may take some getting used to, but in every city where "The Opening" is organised, an institution can be found that can and wants to act as a facilitating party. And the ACI can easily be broadened to represent the (larger) BIS institutions.
I am very curious to see whether the industry dares to let go of traditions or whether it continues to navel-gazing.
