State anniversaries and public culture politics. The contradictions of urban boosterism

Straipsnyje kalbama apie viešosios kultūros politikos prieštaras, ryškėjančias ne dokumentuose ar statistinėje analizėje, bet viešojoje retorikoje. Žvelgiant į pasisakymus žiniasklaidoje, galima matyti, jog didieji pastarojo dešimtmečio kultūros įvykiai – programa „Vilnius – Europos kultūros sostinė 2009“ ir Lietuvos valstybės atkūrimo šimtmečio minėjimas 2018 m. – itin gerai rodo jubiliejinių švenčių organizavimo nenuoseklumus. Artėjant svarbioms datoms, žiniasklaidoje girdimi oficialiosios reprezentacinės kultūros užmojai. Bet ilgainiui programos įgyvendinimą temdo kasdieninės kultūros politikos nenuoseklumai. Konkretizuojant planus ir finansavimo klausimus, įsižiebia batalijos dėl prioritetų ar iššvaistytų resursų, diskusijas palydi kaltųjų paieškos (ypač po šalies ar miesto valdžios rinkimų). Viešojoje erdvėje sukeltus lūkesčius ir pertvarkos planus – urbanistinį vajų – ženklina nesklandumai. Šiuo atveju, pasitelkiant teorines kultūros politikos ir kultūrinio planavimo įžvalgas, bus siekiama analizuoti kai kurias švenčių planavimo metu viešojoje erdvėje kylančias įtampas bei viršuje aprobuotų scenarijų ir skirtingų visuomenės grupių lūkesčių neatitikimus.The aim of the article is to show the signs of unsustainability of public cultural politics in Lithuania in the last decade from the viewpoint of representational state cultural politics. Referring to the analysis of the opinions of social critics, columnists and politicians, two examples of state anniversaries are discussed in the text – the programme Vilnius, a European Capital of Culture 2009, which coincided with the commemoration of the Millennium of Lithuania, and the programme of the centenary of the restoration of the Lithuanian state. Cultural planning and its reflections and contradictions in concrete situations are analysed with the help of the concept of urban boosterism, which is in place when speaking about the communication of large-scale urban restructuring, or the organisation and implementation of state anniversaries. It includes both the promotion and communication of the approaching event, and the specific dynamics of the public space, when certain means are not only promoted, but also criticised (while the organisers respond with either giving excuses, pointing out new priorities, or correcting their agendas). The case of Lithuania illustrates that in the European paradigm of cultural planning emphasising democratic tendencies, the specific character of local laws and political traditions is “overlooked”, as is the element of nationalism and political emotions, which is necessarily present in the cultural politics of both the cities and the state. Besides the administrative hitches that were escalated in the public space, such as the disputes regarding the legitimacy of the competitions, a distinct factor in the contradictions of cultural politics in Lithuania is the fact that the organisation of state anniversaries “at the top level” lasts more than a year. The unfulfilled expectations, as well as the contradictions of urban boosterism, are for a large part determined by the fact that political life in principle lacks continuity – the processes of improving daily politics do not overlap with the representation of an approaching historical date. Thus, the planners of events of state significance should consider not only the functions of representational culture and the external needs of the country’s visibility or tourism boost, but also the cycles of political elections and the features of local public politics (e. g., the Law on Public Procurement). Research on the contradictions of cultural planning of this kind can contribute to solving the general issues of political efficiency raised in the field of analysis of public politics