An initiative calling itself "Artists in despair" has launched an online petition seeking the removal of George Papageorgiou, Director-General of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, and a substantive investigation into complaints made against him. The petition is addressed to President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides and Deputy Minister of Culture Klea Hadjistephanou Papaellina.
Who is behind the petition
The petition has been posted under the title "We call for the removal of the Director-General of the Deputy Ministry of Culture". It invites artists, cultural workers, cultural organisations and members of the public to sign.
Work stoppage and complaints as the starting point
The open statement cites as its starting point the recent work stoppage at the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the complaints that have been made in relation to the Director-General.
The authors state that they are not employees of the Deputy Ministry and are therefore not in a position to confirm or reject complaints concerning the internal working environment. They do, however, express their support for the staffand call for "a substantive investigation of the complaints that have been filed".
Claims about the running of the deputy ministry
The authors also set out their own experience of the Deputy Ministry's operation as people and organisations working in culture. They claim that since Mr Papageorgiou's appointment they have observed "increasing instability, delays, a lack of meaningful consultation and continuous interventions in funding programmes and procedures". According to the statement, these directly affect the sustainability of the independent cultural sector.
The statement further expresses the authors' view that the Director-General "has exceeded the limits of his administrative role", concentrating, as they allege, responsibilities and powers that cannot be equated with administrative oversight.
"Oversight is necessary. The overstepping of institutional roles and the concentration of power are not," the statement reads.
The three demands
The petition calls for:
The removal of George Papageorgiou from his position at the Deputy Ministry of Culture; a substantive investigation of the complaints that have been filed; and the immediate restoration, as it states, "of the orderly, transparent and institutionally proper functioning of the Deputy Ministry of Culture".
The initiative's creators invite cultural organisations, artists, workers in the sector and members of the public who share these positions to add their signature. They describe the petition as a public statement of support for the Deputy Ministry's staff and for the need for "a Deputy Ministry that operates with transparency, institutional consistency and meaningful dialogue with the cultural world".
Signature target
According to a snapshot of the online campaign seen by Politis, the petition aims to gather 1,000 signatures.
Source: Parathyro, Politis
