Outdoors

This sometimes involves protection from the established political elite. And sometimes national identity and sovereignty, perceived as threatened, must be protected. Speaking of which, how does the popular party BBB (BoerBurgerBeweging) view art and culture? That is actually not so clear, because their party program barely mentions it.

What is said is that the party wants national rules on traditions and folklore and that culture should be given a rural test. Such a test would look at whether the Hague regulations are relevant to rural areas and what the consequences are for the mutual social bonding, culture and noaberschap in the countryside. Noaberschap is a word from the eastern Netherlands and means as much as neighborliness and solidarity between people in a community.

Now what if the artists who can no longer find studios in the west of the country move to the east of the country?

Another cultural point of BBB is proportional distribution of cultural subsidies across the country. In rural areas, artists and makers, the outdoorsmen, belong.

Now what if the artists who can no longer find studios in the west of the country move to the east of the country? That would be good for the arts and cultural climate in the east, perhaps pleasant for the artists who already live there, and for the regional movers it would be beneficial with an eye to the future when it comes to the distribution of subsidies to art institutions and creators. Moreover, it would be good for the noaberschap, all that maker energy.

The peace and space offered by the countryside can be inspiring, even for artists; free imagination will benefit. Of course, it could also be that the BBB wants to focus on art and culture that contributes to the preservation and strengthening of Dutch culture and identity. Fortunately, artists and other creators have been contributing significantly to the formation of that culture and identity for centuries.