BSW on culture and media

The BSW calls for a culture funding law modeled on Saxony's that permanently secures support for cultural institutions. Funding culture is to become a mandatory task for municipalities, and a single ministry of education and cultural affairs is to be created.

The BSW wants a new law for culture. It should pay for theaters, orchestras and small venues for the long term. Towns should have to fund culture. Freelance artists should be able to live from their work. Two ministries should become one.

The law is to combine several individual laws, guidelines and funding programs and to expand and stabilize institutional funding, especially for small institutions. The framework agreement for theaters and orchestras is to be folded into it and funded without a time limit. Cultural anchor points in rural areas are to be kept and added to; a concept to secure museums, libraries, memorial sites and cinemas is to be drawn up. Freelance artists are to get a living income, regular public commissions and low-bureaucracy funding. Project funding is to be granted without any duty to make political declarations. The ministry of science and culture and the ministry of education are to be merged.

The BSW wants school students, trainees and university students from Brandenburg to use the state's museums and libraries free of charge. Children and young people are to come into contact with all the arts early, including in rural areas.

School students, trainees and university students should pay no entry fee. This applies to the state's museums and libraries. Children should get to know art and music early. This should also be possible in rural areas. Primary schools should offer more music lessons.

Theaters, orchestras and museums are to be funded so that they can work with nearby schools on a lasting basis. Drama subjects are to be open to students everywhere, as is travel to theaters, concerts and museums. The party backs the state music council's call for more music lessons in primary school. The law on music and art schools is to be extended with a social access component and uniform statewide protection for freelance teachers modeled on collective agreements.

The BSW wants to guarantee long-term funding for the Foundation for the Sorbian People at no less than today's level. It also wants permanent cultural and educational autonomy for the Sorbs and Wends, and teacher training for the Lower Sorbian language in Brandenburg.

The Sorbs and Wends are a minority in Brandenburg. The BSW wants to protect their language and culture. The money for their foundation should not go down. Brandenburg should train teachers for their language.

The platform points out that UNESCO considers the Lower Sorbian language and culture endangered. The BSW therefore backs cultural and educational autonomy with a high degree of self-determination. The Foundation for the Sorbian People, funded by the federal government, Saxony and Brandenburg, is to be secured for the long term. Sorbian and Wendish clubs and associations are also to be supported. In addition, the party commits to protecting the regional language Low German.

The BSW rejects the increase in the broadcasting fee proposed by the KEF commission and calls for reforming public broadcasting instead. A structural reform is to be discussed in a format with direct citizen participation.

The BSW does not want the broadcasting fee to go up. Instead, public broadcasting should change. Citizens should have a say in this. Programs should show more about Brandenburg.

The platform sees a loss of trust in public broadcasters' reporting and attributes it partly to weak oversight, citing the case of the former rbb director. It should be possible to examine whether reporting is objective and independent of the government. The BSW wants to discuss reform proposals with citizens, employees and their representatives. Brandenburg is to get more space in the programming. The party also wants more dialogue between media staff and their audience.