100% cut to Echo Echo funding a ‘profound blow to the cultural soul of Derry’

Transcript

00:00The recent funding cuts to Echo Echo Dance Theatre, one of our city's most

00:04vital, inclusive and creative institutions, is more than just a funding

00:09decision. It's a profound blow to the cultural soul of Derry. Echo Echo is not

00:14just a stage, it is a community. A space where people of all ages, backgrounds and

00:19abilities have come together to create, to move, to heal and to imagine something

00:24better. It supports artists, it reaches into communities and contributes to our

00:30local economy. Removing its funding does real damage to the legacy we built as the

00:36first UK City of Culture. Equity are actually holding their annual conference

00:41in Derry today and it's dreadful that the first item of business was a rally this

00:48morning against the harsh cuts to this wonderful, wonderful dance theatre.

00:54We must value our artists, we must protect our cultural institutions and we

00:59must not allow Derry's creative future to be dismantled piece by piece. I urge

01:04Minister Lyons to review this decision, to restore funding to Echo Echo and the work

01:11with the Arts Council to develop a fair, transparent and sustainable approach to

01:17arts investment. One that supports every part of our region, not just a few. The Arts

01:24sector in Northern Ireland is underfunded when compared to the rest of these

01:28Islands and now we see decisions being made that compound regional imbalance. Derry and

01:35the North West deserve better. Deputy Speaker I'm also concerned about the

01:40Minister of Communities' letters of expectations to the Arts Council which

01:44includes language suggesting funding could be withdrawn from any group whose work is

01:50deemed disrespectful of any tradition. That is vague, it is subjective and it risks

01:56silencing creative voices. We must safeguard artistic freedom, not stifle it. This

02:04decision comes at a time when communities are facing deep social and economic

02:08challenges. In moments like this the Arts are not a luxury, they are a necessity. They

02:14offer connection, resilience and opportunity. The recent decision to withdraw funding

02:21from Echo Echo Dance Theatre following last year's cut to the Waterside Theatre is

02:26not just a budget line, it's a cultural loss, a blow to community well-being and a

02:31threat to the creative economy of our city. Deputy Speaker I'm deeply concerned about

02:37the growing pattern of disinvestment in the Arts in Derry and the North West. Enough is

02:43enough.