For most Slovaks, the post of Minister of Culture was an invisible part of the parliament until 2023. That changed after the arrival of Martina Šimkovičová in office. It became part of the fourth government of Prime Minister Robert Fico. Over time, her name became known throughout Slovakia for various causes. Štefan Skrúcaný recently took a shot at the whole situation in an interview pre .
In Slovak show business and on the cultural scene, things are really boiling! The Minister of Culture Martina Šimkovičová has been under the scrutiny of the public, the opposition and the media for a long time. The reason? The art community can’t come up with her name, and because of her controversial way of managing the department, she earned the unflattering nickname “minister of non-culture” from them.
Critics criticize her efforts to domination of Slovak culture, bullying of people from the artistic world or expressions of hatred towards minorities. In addition, Šimkovičová is described by them as one of the prominent faces of the disinformation scene, while immediately after taking office she stopped money to fight hoaxes.
The critical state of financing and management of the department under the leadership of Martina Šimkovičová is also a problem. The tension came to a head when the report of the Supreme Audit Office (SAO) revealed a “terrifying state” in the department – from non-transparent handling of finances in large projects to systemic failures in investment control.
While the ministry argues that the current problems are just the result of years of neglect by previous governments, the art community sees it differently. Open Culture Platform! organized mass protests, where thousands of people expressed their disapproval of political interventions in independent funds (FPU) and personnel purges in cultural institutions or in the public STVR.
Štefan Skrúcaný became known to Slovaks in the 1990s, when he actively participated in the creation of political satire. The government of Vladimír Mečiar was a rich inspiration for the creators. He worked with Mir Nog, Jaroslav Filip, Stan Radič and Rasť Piško on the satirical show. They started with the show Apropo first on the radio, and only later reached the television screens.
Even after years, he still manages to get away from the political scene. When asked by Nové Čas what he would do if he woke up as the Minister of Culture, he answered promptly. “First of all, I would go to church and ask God not to trouble me like that. Then I would take a bottle of good alcohol and then I would sleep.” joked the well-known actor, presenter, comedian, humorist and singer, according to the Slovak daily.
