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Communities that relay on independent venues (not sponsored arenas etc. & therefore unlikely to have the cultural conveniences of city centres nearby) will be culturally destitute without support as their vital arts & creative spaces close permenantly. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-55795914
How much human potential a society reaches can be measured by its artistic & cultural output. Output is only possible with time & resources to develop arts, philosophy, technology etc. Even in a microcosm of individual towns & villages.
The advances & capacity for human success in these already resource-thin communities will be neutralised without support from the government. It is not good enough to give big bucks to big organisations that will probably be ok in the long run & say "we saved culture".
Culture, arts, identity, critical thinking & political change that makes a difference to the lives of people who live outside of the shiny saved cultural offers, starts in these independent spaces.
Allowing these spaces to be destroyed, is ensuring that these people cannot explore their own (sometimes life-saving) culture, arts, identity, critical thinking & political change movements.
It keeps them in their 'mind forged manacles' & says they are unworthy of their own potential as human beings. This neglect reinforces class structures & other harmful hierarchies. Now, I know there is a pandemic & that there are priorities to protect a whole host of things.
But it is always these marginalised & outright vilified communities that these (often government-enabled) crises somehow seek to destroy, either as a by-product of incompetence or possibly (just possibly) by conscious neglect.
I sincerely wish none have to close & if they do, I hope the communities they serve fight fight & fight for their right to live to their full human potential.
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Addendum: those of you who know of charities/venues/initiatives that are at threat of closure please list them here along with any links for how to support them.
