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The cultural school cannot run on a budget
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- The government’s halved state support for culture schools threatens Sweden’s pop wonder, and requires intervention from culture minister Parisa Liljestrand.
- The cultural schools have contributed to Sweden’s success in Eurovision and pop music globally, by offering opportunities to children from all walks of life.
- If nothing is done, Sweden will lose musicians and chances for integration and cultural export.
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full screen Minister of Culture Parisa Liljestrand Photo: Carolina Byrmo
Melodifestivalen is over for this year. At the time of writing, I don’t know who won, but even when the wrong song wins, we don’t need to be ashamed in Eurovision. In May, the competition will be decided in Malmö.
Last year, Loreen won with “Tattoo” against Käärijäs’ “Cha Cha Cha” from Finland. Sweden was saved by the jury votes. If the people had decided, perhaps Helsinki would have been the host city for Eurovision instead.
Unfair, some thought, as Loreen was the favorite from the start.
It was also speculated whether Sweden’s win was arranged in advance so that Sweden would be the host country 50 years after Waterloo won in 1974. Sweden is simply so good at Eurovision that others in Europe thought we cheated.
Bad losers.
The truth is that no country in the world is better at pop than us. Even when our song does not win, a Swede has probably co-written or produced the winning entry. Our success is easy to explain: the municipal culture school.
But it will be lost if not the Minister of Culture Parisa Liljestrand acts.
In elementary school, I went twice a week to Bredäng and practiced. First the recorder, which everyone learns until they get tired or move on to a real instrument. Then the saxophone, which my jazz-loving father was very happy with.
Because I have the same sense of rhythm as a limping lawnmower there was no music career. But several friends from Bredängs Kulturskola today have songs on Spotify.
In 2022, 185,000 children aged 6–19 participated in activities in the country’s cultural schools. The cultural schools have directed activities to children and young people with disabilities, in rural areas, socio-economically vulnerable or recent immigrants. Many who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to learn music.
Then the government halves the state support for Sweden’s cultural schools.
The result is that almost all cultural schools have to cut back. Thanks to inflation and lower or unchanged budgets, fewer children will learn instruments or express themselves in the arts. Of course, cultural schools are municipal. But the municipalities are already struggling with deficits. They can’t afford it. The state has it.
If the government and Sweden’s municipalities do not save the cultural schools, we will lose an entire generation of musicians.
Fewer children will learn instruments. Fewer children will be on stage for the first time this year. Fewer children will have alternatives in their free time to aimlessly hanging out in the center. Fewer will have the chance to become Sweden’s next great musician.
Municipal cultural schools are a tool for education, integration and cultural export. If the government continues to starve out the cultural schools, no one will accuse Sweden of cheating in Eurovision in twenty years. We’ll be too bad for that.