Martina Šimkovičová (54) is on her own sharply objected to criticism from the actress Eva Pavlíková (65), who, in an interview, expressed her dissatisfaction with the management of the department and claims that “tractors and mowers bought are more important than culture” for the minister. The head of the ministry wrote that part of the artistic community looks at culture exclusively through the lens of their own interests and does not perceive the needs of institutions in the regions.
Šimkovičová in her statement emphasized that her task is not only to manage acting, but is responsible for theaters, museums, galleries, castles and historical parks throughout Slovakia. She reacted to the statements of a well-known actress who was outraged by the purchase of heavy and agricultural equipment from the ministry’s budget.
The minister accused some of the actors of pretending to speak for the whole culture, but in reality they mainly represent themselves. “Actors like to express how stupid and uneducated Slovaks are. And they are very happy to teach them about everything. I think Ms. Pavlíková hit the mark here, and the comments under the articles testify to that,” she added.
She further stated that the actress is only interested in the theater environment and ignores the wider context of cultural heritage management. “Ms. Pavlíková probably wouldn’t mind cutting her way to a castle, a mansion or an exhibition hall through thorns and thickets with a machete,” she said with exaggeration.
The technique itself became the main point of contention. The minister explained that the tractors were not bought instead of culture, but for it. They are supposed to serve for the necessary and more effective maintenance of national cultural monuments, museum grounds and historical parks, which are visited by tens of thousands of tourists every year.
At the end, Šimkovičová asked a rhetorical question, whether it is bad if the state manages its economy more efficiently and museum employees no longer have to work with decades-old technology. He thinks that the real problem for critics is the fact that people from the theater environment do not directly benefit from this particular purchase.
“Perhaps the problem is that some people think of the word culture only as a stage, spotlights and applause. I think of culture as the whole of Slovakia,” concluded the minister, saying that its duty is to care for all forms of culture, not just the needs of those “who shout the loudest.”
