Part 2
Cultural policy for the future. Objectives and priority areas

5 Cultural policy for the future

The government will apply these objectives to national cultural policy in the future.

The general cultural policy objectives will be described in greater detail in sections 5.1 to 5.10.

5.1 A free and independent cultural sector

The cultural sector, the voluntary sector and the public media are independent pillars of society, and they must be as free as possible to develop on their own terms without public oversight. The government must facilitate development and a multitude of private and public sources of funding.

This report is based on a broad understanding of the concept «cultural sector», which covers the entire public and private cultural sector – from production, practice and the voluntary cultural sector to communication, safeguarding and research.

The arm’s length principle has been called the foundation of cultural policy and basically refers to the view that art must be free. The arms’ length principle thus represents the ideal of artistic freedom. The principle is linked to democratic states’ need to prevent the state as a source of power from exerting pressure, censoring or distributing resources to artists based on bias. The principle also guarantees freedom of speech and a diversity of cultural expressions. The arms’ length principle is not only about keeping a necessary distance from political interests. It is also a matter of ensuring that organised interests do not influence the exercise of free artistic and cultural discretion.

Art may present alternative perspectives and ways of thinking – its gaze is different and it can challenge that which is ingrained. The cultural sector must be given the chance to develop on its own terms, based on people’s local engagement and joy of creation. This is why it is necessary to safeguard the artistic and professional freedom of the players in the cultural sector.

At the same time, the arms’ length principle must be balanced against other legitimate concerns, for example the consideration that artistic and cultural offerings must reach as many people as possible. General political guidelines are being formulated for cultural enterprises that receive public funding, regardless of whether it is a matter of them working to reach different parts of the public or meeting quality objectives. This highlights how art and culture have a real impact on society. It is important to have an enduring discussion of principles regarding the tensions between artistic and cultural freedom and other legitimate political objectives. The debate will be particularly relevant to the cultural institutions that are directly subordinate to politically-governed bodies, like government agencies or ministries, county administrations and municipalities.

The distribution of power in the cultural sector, in terms of geography, funding and organisation, is a prerequisite for people’s freedom and independence and for their ability to speak up and be heard.

5.2 Objective: Artistic and cultural expressions of the highest quality

The Norwegian cultural sector is diverse, and characterised by extensive activity and vitality. The quality of the work of many artists and cultural players in Norway is very high, and they are greatly esteemed in their fields nationally and internationally. The Ministry is ambitious on behalf of the Norwegian artistic and cultural sector, and wants to create conditions that allow individual artists and cultural institutions to continue improving the quality of their work.

Excellence at the international level is nonetheless not the only reason why quality is an objective in cultural policy, and why the cultural sector must constantly strive to achieve higher quality. The extent to which art and culture become valuable for individuals and the community fully depends on the quality of that which is created and presented. This is why it is not enough for cultural policy to ensure that there are creative communities and institutions in different parts of the cultural arena. The writing and publication of books does not guarantee the creation of good literature that offers insight and reflection. Film production in itself does not guarantee great film experiences. The quality of the work determines the value of art in society, and the role it will play in societal development. Quality is not a fixed variable that is agreed on by all parties, and it is often more meaningful to talk about aspects that are weighted differently, depending on the context. In order for art and culture to play an important role in societal development in the future, one of the cultural policy objectives must be to strive for quality in all senses. Cultural policy must provide a frame for this consideration to be safeguarded in the best way possible.

Quality should and will always be subject to discussions regarding the context, purpose and relevance. Art and culture can only be assessed qualitatively on the basis of the eternal discussions regarding different perceptions of quality and the constant tensions between such. Different perceptions of quality are established and shaped in the critical debate regarding various artistic and cultural expression and perspectives. Conversations regarding quality, relevance and topicality in the cultural sector must therefore be facilitated and encouraged. Such conversations are contingent on the public encountering strong artistic and cultural communities. Qualified art criticism also plays an important role in the development of quality.

5.3 Objective: Education and critical reflection

A democratic society with an open and enlightened public discourse is based on people having knowledge about and an understanding of the society they are part of. Today’s information society makes great demands on people, asking them to develop critical reasoning and expand their horizon of understanding in order to be able to evaluate sources, examine what is true and false, and make independent decisions.

Access to and use of artistic and cultural expressions can help us handle different types of information and perceive contexts. Cultural activities provide schooling in the civic participation that is a prerequisite for a viable democracy. They help us develop both competence to communicate within the cultural expressions we prefer and a willingness and ability to face new experiences and the tastes and expressions favoured by other groups and individuals.

The cultural sector must guide people, foster critical thinking and learning, and strive for quality and knowledge in the totality of information and cultural content. For example, cultural institutions like archives, libraries and museums may promote trust, authenticity and relevance. Players in the cultural sector may be a positive force, a counterweight to the fragmentation of the public discourse, and help release the potential of technology to make cultural offerings available to more people. The cultural sector thus plays a critical role in bringing together people of different backgrounds and opinions in a common public sphere, where opinions are encountered and exchanged across conflicting interests. The cultural sector must engage people and facilitate an exchange of opinions and a diversity of expressions. The ability and desire to read is a key to education and reflection. Reading offers insight and perspective. Reading improves sensitivity and comprehension skills.

5.4 Objective: Safeguard and disseminate cultural heritage

Tangible and intangible testimonies of the past provide a frame of reference for people and societies today. It is easier to explain and understand the present when we can document, disseminate and learn how society and culture have developed. Knowledge about the past provides a clearer view of the future. Archival institutions, libraries and museums are cultural heritage institutions that collect and preserve cultural heritage material, make it available and disseminate it. Their collections include published and unpublished documents, like letters, agreements, records, books, journals, photographs, moving images and audio recordings, as well as objects and buildings. The collections document events and acts, they are sources used in research and knowledge development, and sources for understanding local and national cultures, histories and identities. This shows that there is a need for proper collection management, where expert maintenance and the right physical conditions prevent artefacts from deteriorating and disintegrating. Tangible and intangible cultural heritage as well as language constitute our collective social memory.

It is important to safeguard our diverse cultural heritage, awaken an interest in and disseminate knowledge about this heritage among people and make it available to future generations. Both intangible and tangible cultural heritage are a source of identity and knowledge that stem from history, and make up a considerable part of the foundation for social development. Traditions and objects are vulnerable sources that must be protected and preserved. Access to documentable information and authentic artefacts impacts on each person’s education, the public discourse and the understanding of culture and society. From the perspective of global cultural diversity, it is clear that the public authorities are responsible for maintaining and developing Norway’s shared cultural heritage as part of the global cultural diversity.

In an age in which economics, politics, culture and the public discourse are globalised, we also see a growing interest in the local and the national. Many people look to their roots, whether it is a matter of examining one’s own family tree or the community’s local, regional or national history. It is increasingly important to make our cultural heritage available and disseminate it. Both documentation and preservation through use will be important in this work. Libraries, archives and museums will play a particularly important part here. Several organisations are also working to document and maintain a living intangible cultural heritage. The knowledge is put into practice and carried on through creative forms of expression like craftsmanship, music, dance, food traditions, rituals and oral stories. At the national level, Arts Council Norway is responsible for implementing the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The intangible cultural heritage of indigenous peoples and national minorities in Norway is a priority area in this work.

Digital technology can be used to disseminate cultural heritage and make it available to more people and provide a better basis on which to understand society and how today’s society has evolved. In addition, it gives everyone the opportunity to investigate for themselves the veracity of the accounts of culture and identity presented. Access to history and cultural heritage is a democratic right. Everyone must therefore have easy access to shared cultural heritage, and as much cultural heritage material as possible must be preserved and made publicly available for the future.

5.5 Objective: Relevance and representation

The concept of diversity covers dimensions like social and cultural background, gender, functional ability, religion, sexual orientation and age. In order to engage broader sections of the population, there must be representation in every part of the cultural sector, as well as a relevant high-quality cultural offering. Conditions must be created to facilitate diversity of creativity, content and users by ensuring that a range of different voices are able to express themselves. This may result in higher quality, diverse content, and provide cultural offerings for all parts of the public.

There is a need for diversity of cultural expressions, including stories and artistic expressions, with varied topics and genres. Demographic variation among the public and cultural actors at the professional and amateur level is important. The cultural sector must help create and maintain an open and diverse public sphere, and give individuals and groups the opportunity to participate in this public sphere.

The desire to secure local, regional and national culture does not conflict with the desire to participate in the global exchange of culture. Local and national artistic and cultural expressions are part of a global context, and such relationships make valuable contributions to the development of the Norwegian cultural sector and society.

A nation must preserve its cultural heritage, not as a constant and homogeneous given, but as something that constantly evolves, as society and the population change. This requires constant work, and is a dynamic process that entails constant expansion of the diversity of cultural expressions.

Everyone should be able to exercise and expand their own cultural expressions and participate in and influence the cultural life. People migrate and bring with them their stories, traditions and values. Succeeding at social inclusion will be critical in the time to come. Independently of why people move to or within Norway, the objective must be for everyone to feel at home in society. The cultural sector plays a key role here because culture is a matter of identity, and because culture is an arena for shared experiences.

5.6 Objective: Access and participation

Art and culture must give as many people as possible the opportunity to participate and realise themselves. All citizens must have the opportunity to participate in cultural activities and experience, for example, dance, music, literature, theatre, films and series, visual art, literature and computer games. Everyone must also have easy access to cultural heritage.

In order to realise the vision that everyone has the right to culture, artistic and cultural expressions must be disseminated to more people, and people must be able to participate in art and culture in new ways. Culture must be available to all, regardless of their social and cultural background, age, gender and functional ability. This does not mean that all types of groups must consume all types of cultural offerings, but everyone must have an equitable cultural offering.

In order to prevent people from becoming culturally alienated, steps must be taken to get people to seek out art and culture. The cultural sector must adopt new methods in order to realise the untapped potential for the use of culture and cultural participation within the population. One way is to exploit technology in order to spread art and culture in new ways. Another is to build bridges between analogue and digital cultural expressions. The consumption of digital cultural expressions may thus result in an increased overall cultural consumption.

It will be important for the cultural sector to stimulate increased interest and participation in culture in the future. The role of the cultural sector will be to devise strategies to increase its activities and use of culture. This will partly be a matter of focussing on own activity and public-oriented activities, and partly on measures to include groups that otherwise do not avail themselves of the offerings.

The Cultural Rucksack is an example of a good arena for training people in the use of culture, and supporting reflection and identity-building. Another example is the voluntary cultural sector, which fosters participation and own activity.

Children and young people are an important target group, both as a public and as active participants, and they are tomorrow’s audiences, producers and artists. Children and young people have the right to participate in the artistic and cultural sector, and must experience and create culture on their own terms. They must meet the best that the artistic and cultural sector has to offer, they must have access to art and culture that they find relevant, and which offers them basic cultural references, learning and joy.

Young people must have the opportunity to create their own voluntary activities and organise their own youth culture. Children and young people must be given stronger ownership of the cultural commons.

5.7 Objective: Meeting places and communities

The cultural sector must foster encounters between people by developing and reinforcing cultural arenas as arenas for inclusion. Conditions must be created to facilitate experiences that create shared references and build strong communities.

In order to support or create social cohesion, a different approach must be taken towards future meeting places. The potential of the existing physical infrastructure in the cultural sector must be exploited, partly by creating physical arenas and meeting places that are inclusive and allow for diversity and democratic participation. Cultural arenas are not only large cultural buildings, but rehearsal rooms, studios, production facilities, dance studios, public libraries, museums, stages of different sizes, culture schools, schools, youth clubs, community centres, churches, and much more. A good physical infrastructure for practising and disseminating art and culture is needed, and it must be fit for purpose in terms of size, acoustics and access.

Technological developments have resulted in the creation of different digital meeting places and channels for expression and exchange of opinions. Physical meeting places are still important in order to build good local communities. Digitalisation may reinforce the need for relevant arenas for participation and fill the physical meeting places with content. One example is gamers, who may also need places to meet each other physically.

5.8 Objective: Renewal and transformation

The cultural sector must foster innovation and artistic risk, and exploit the opportunities that follow from technological development. Innovation and creativity in the field of culture is about artistic innovation and, for example, testing new business models and forms of distribution.

Art and other cultural expressions must constantly develop to be relevant to people and thus enhance their existence. It is important to support artistic communities that dare to experiment and implement new technologies in art.

People who use their artistic abilities solve complex problems more easily than others, and those who experience art at a young age are more innovative in other contexts later on in life. The exchange of knowledge between artists and technologists may improve the general innovativeness in society, where digitalised material serves as «innovation raw materials» which can be used to develop new business ideas and concepts.

To provide for policy development and public service delivery, also in arts and cultural institutions, research and knowledge development must be facilitated. Research and knowledge production are intrinsically beneficial and a prerequisite to achieve cultural policy objectives. There is a need for development of knowledge and innovation in the sectors (see the Research Council of Norway’s Strategy for innovation in the public sector1).

5.9 Objective: International impact and intercultural understanding

Globalisation, digitalisation and increased mobility mean that artistic and cultural expressions are not restricted by national boundaries in the same way as in the past. Art is consumed and produced independently of national borders, and artists are part of a large cross-border community. The more art is disseminated, the more it can offer rich experiences and societal development. Art and culture can bring people closer to each other and help enhance international relations.

Internationalisation in the field of art and culture has several purposes. Artistic and cultural exchange entails greater competence and may thus professionalise the Norwegian cultural sector and make it more relevant, and result in learning and improved quality. Internationalisation may also boost international trade, lead to economic growth, strengthen cultural exchange and creative industries. It can also build Norway’s reputation internationally, make Norway more visible abroad and help disseminate Norwegian interests and values. The cultural sector can also be an inclusive arena where cultural expressions are developed in conjunction with external impulses.

Mobility, networks and cooperation beyond Norway’s borders must still be facilitated in the field of art and culture. Large institutions, organisations and bodies with a national mandate have a special responsibility for international cultural exchange. We need to maintain a high level of ambition, in terms of presenting the best of Norway’s art and culture abroad, both to improve the cultural sector’s position in the international market and to facilitate international cultural cooperation. This builds self-confidence, expands networks and, finally, imbues art with greater value.

Increased export of art and culture from Norway must be facilitated, partly in order to generate revenues that are fed back to Norwegian culture and art production. Export of art and culture and international cultural cooperation include all cultural expressions and types of cultural actors. It is important to promote new voices and as well as protecting established ones.

It is also necessary for artistic and cultural expressions from other countries to reach the cultural sector and the public in Norway, to expand on the offering, give the public richer experiences, and to challenge and inspire Norwegian artists and cultural players.

5.10 Objective: Language as a bearer of culture

All languages disseminate, express and carry culture, history and identity. Norwegian society has always been multilingual, in the form of Sami, national minority languages, Norwegian sign language, a wide variety of dialects and new minority languages. Having two Norwegian written cultures, Norwegian bokmål and Norwegian nynorsk, is also an asset.

Multilingualism has become a more pervasive aspect of Norwegian society during the past few years, particularly at the level of the individual. Norway is responsible for safeguarding and reinforcing the Sami languages and the national minority languages. All citizens have an indisputable right to cultivate and use their native language, regardless of their linguistic background. It is a matter of contributing to linguistic diversity in the world and preserving the linguistic cultural heritage in our country. Multilingual competence is a cognitive advantage for individuals, and results in well-educated, culturally competent citizens.

In today’s multicultural and multilingual Norway, a distinction must occasionally be made between the national language and people’s native languages. The national language is the language our laws are written in.

The general objective of Norwegian language policy is to secure the position of Norwegian as a proper language, one that Norwegian society is built on. This means that we must be able to use Norwegian in all social arenas and in all contexts. As a nation, it is our obligation to preserve the Norwegian language. Norwegian is the main language of Norway, and everyone who lives in Norway will need to use it in at least one setting. Language thus constitutes a shared arena for democracy and a prerequisite for participation. Mastery of Norwegian is necessary in order to function in society.

Like most other national languages, Norwegian is under considerable pressure in many social arenas. English is part of the everyday lives of most young people, a trend that is partly reinforced by the technological developments and new digital culture and media habits. Children as young as three years old encounter a varied English-language offering when they watch video clips on the Internet, play games, etc. In the higher education sector and in working life, we see that English is increasingly being used as the language of instruction and work. We must not take the Norwegian language for granted. There is no multilingualism if one of the world’s largest languages displaces a small language. As language carries culture, several Norwegian cultural expressions will suffer if the Norwegian language deteriorates.

There is a need for a rich and easily accessible Norwegian-language culture and media offering with good linguistic role models, so that Norwegian-language offerings are chosen above the English-language ones. It is important to encourage broad production and use of literature, music and audiovisual products, etc. in Norwegian. This helps increase the sum of cultural and media content in Norwegian and creates conditions for high-quality Norwegian-language cultural content. Our written cultural heritage is managed by institutions like the National Library of Norway, the National Archives and the Language Council of Norway.

The linguistic aspect of cultural policy strengthens the argument that culture is a key component of a society’s infrastructure. This is why the linguistic dimension is not only part of the cultural policy. In Norway, language policy is cross-sectoral in order to ensure that Norwegian is a proper language, one that society is built on. This means that each ministry must consider language policy when devising and executing their own sectoral policies. Working towards a public sphere whose common language is Norwegian allows broad engagement and involvement.

Norwegian is a vital language that is not at risk. Nonetheless, the loss of domains experienced by the Norwegian language is well documented. There has been a pronounced transition to the use of English in dissemination, teaching and research in societal structures that are characterised by internationalisation, for example the higher education sector. When a language loses function or prestige, this is the first step towards a possible change of language from Norwegian to English in certain sectors. Both Norwegian bokmål and Norwegian nynorsk are under pressure from English. Norwegian nynorsk is also under pressure from Norwegian bokmål in different ways.

There is a need for a general, active language policy that balances the power structures between different linguistic hegemonies. To some extent, an overall strategy can cover all languages on a general level. In other contexts, it is important to have measures that address each language.

Norway has special responsibility for the Sami languages. Sami is protected in the Norwegian Constitution and the Sami Act, but even though the formal status of the Sami languages has been established, in reality they are at risk. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages declares that safeguarding historical regional and minority languages in Europe helps maintain and expand cultural wealth and traditions in Europe. In addition to Sami, Norway is responsible for the national minority languages Kven, Romany and Norwegian Traveller.

Kven is an important part of our shared cultural heritage. The language is currently in a critical state, and more measures to protect it are required. The government has presented the Målrettet plan for kvensk 2017–2021 [Goal-oriented plan for Kven 2017–2021]. Its purpose is to ensure that Kven remains a living language.

Norwegian sign language is a proper language. It is a genuine Norwegian language, an important bearer of culture, and part of the cultural diversity of this country. Without access to sign language, many sign language users would have no way of participating actively in society, the cultural sector, and many common arenas of life.

Safeguarding and strengthening the national minority languages and Norwegian sign language is part of the general language policy.