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CCB workers launched a petition demanding explanations for the dismissal of Francisca Carneiro Fernandes and accuse the Minister of Culture of having fired her for political reasons.
The dismissal of Francisca Carneiro Fernandes from the position of president of the Board of Directors of the Fundação Centro Cultural de Belém (FCCB) surprised the cultural sector in Portugal and is generating an wave of indignation among workers and professionals in the area.
The decision, announced by the Minister of Culture, Dalila Rodrigues, was justified by the need to provide a “new orientation” to the institution, appointing art historian Nuno Vassallo e Silva to the position. However, the measure “it was a shock” to employees and is being seen as politically motivated.
“For the first time in many years, there was a clarification of the Foundation’s mission and strategy, in the sense of work for all audiencesdemocratizing access to culture and improving working conditions”, says the Workers’ Commission (CT) in a statement, which highlights advances such as the holding of the FeLiCidade Festival and the integration of different work teams.
The CT statement emphasizes the advances made under the leadership of Francisca Carneiro Fernandes, including the restructuring of teams, improvements in working conditions and the correction of administrative and financial failures.
“We work hard to get results and, suddenly, this work is interrupted. And why? What evaluation was made of this work? What was being done wrong? It can only be political reasons. Because there are no other reasons. The Ministry of Culture says it wants to follow a new direction, but what new direction? We don’t know anything else”, explains Tito Bouças, president of CT, to .
CT believes that the decision was motivated by political interests, since, until recently, the Ministry of Culture had guaranteed that there would be no changes in the administration of the FCCB.
Francisca Carneiro Fernandes was also dismissed two days before completing one year in office, which, according to the public manager’s statute, means prevents you from receiving compensation predicted. This temporal coincidence raised even more suspicions about the reasons for the decision.
The decision generated great repercussion, with more than 1500 signatures collected in an online petition that questions the reasons for the replacement. Among the signatories are important names in Portuguese culture, such as Aida Tavares, artistic director of performing arts at CCB, and Nuria Enguita, artistic director of MAC/CCB.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Culture limited itself to reiterating, in a note, the need for new guidance for the FCCB, without directly responding to the workers’ criticisms or clarifying the specific reasons for the dismissal.
The dismissal occurs at a time of significant changes in culture management. Since taking office, minister Dalila Rodrigues has promoted changes in several institutions, including the removal of Pedro Sobrado from Museums and Monuments of Portugal and changes in the General Directorate of Arts. Joaquim Caetano, director of the National Museum of Ancient Art, also announced that he does not intend to run for re-election due to differences with the Ministry.
