Politics, Power, and Performing Arts: Why Democracies Cannot Survive Without Culture II

Natalija Riabko

DBA and Director, HorizonVU Group

In the second installment of this two-part commentary, Natalija Riabko examines politics and the performing arts through a historical lens. We are reminded of the importance of the performing arts in the past, the challenges facing us today, and the future.

The arts have repeatedly resisted political systems.

In South Africa during apartheid, theatre became a mechanism for confronting racial injustice. Plays by Athol Fugard and performances at venues such as the Market Theatre in Johannesburg exposed realities the political regime attempted to suppress. In Latin America during military dictatorships, music and street theatre preserved dissident voices when political speech was censored. In Eastern Europe, underground artistic networks helped sustain intellectual opposition to authoritarian governments throughout the communist period.

Recent political developments continue to demonstrate how closely governments associate artistic control with political power. Debates around cultural institutions, artistic freedom, and public funding have intensified globally. Analysts increasingly warn that attacks on artistic autonomy often accompany broader democratic erosion. A recent analysis in The Guardian compared political attempts to control major cultural institutions with historical authoritarian patterns, emphasizing how governments frequently seek influence over the arts because culture shapes public imagination and collective values.

This is precisely why performing arts remain politically important today.

First, performing arts create social cohesion. Democracies depend not only on elections and laws but also on shared emotional experiences. Concert halls, theatres, festivals, and cinemas gather people from different backgrounds into common spaces. In fragmented societies marked by polarization, these encounters become increasingly valuable.

Second, performing arts preserve historical memory. Political systems often attempt to simplify history into ideological narratives. Artists complicate those narratives. Through drama, documentary theatre, dance, and film, societies revisit traumatic events that governments may prefer to forget. This function is essential for democratic accountability.

Third, performing arts support mental resilience during crises. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated this clearly. During lockdowns, millions turned to streamed concerts, theatre productions, and artistic performances to cope with isolation. UNESCO and cultural policy researchers increasingly emphasize the role of culture in public wellbeing and social recovery after crises.

Fourth, performing arts contribute economically and politically to urban stability. Major cultural institutions create employment, tourism, innovation, and international visibility. Cities with strong performing arts ecosystems often develop stronger civic participation and cultural diplomacy networks. Scholars studying cultural policy increasingly describe culture as strategic infrastructure rather than secondary expenditure.

Yet the sector faces serious challenges.

Public funding for arts institutions remains unstable in many democracies. Recent reports note that even countries traditionally supportive of culture are reducing long-term funding mechanisms for performing arts organizations. Digital platforms have also transformed audience behavior, concentrating visibility among a small number of global actors while many local theatres and independent performers struggle financially.

Political polarization creates additional pressures. Artists increasingly face ideological attacks from multiple directions. Some governments attempt to condition cultural funding on political loyalty or ideological conformity. UNESCO has repeatedly warned that protecting artistic freedom is essential for democratic resilience and peacebuilding.

The solution is not simply “more funding,” although stable investment matters enormously. The deeper challenge is political recognition of culture as a public necessity.Governments need long-term cultural policies that protect artistic independence while ensuring broad access to performing arts education and participation. Schools should integrate theatre, music, and artistic literacy not as decorative subjects but as civic education. Public broadcasters and digital platforms should help independent artists reach wider audiences. International cultural exchanges must also be strengthened because performing arts often build diplomatic bridges where political dialogue fails.

Importantly, societies themselves must reject the idea that culture belongs only to elites. Historically

, performing arts have been strongest when connected to ordinary populations. Wartime concerts, workers’ theatres, protest songs, public festivals, and community performances all demonstrate that culture becomes politically transformative when it remains socially accessible.

The lesson from history is clear. When societies invest in performing arts, they invest in emotional resilience, democratic dialogue, and collective memory. When they neglect culture, polarization deepens, public trust weakens, and authoritarian narratives become easier to impose.

During war, occupation, dictatorship, and crisis, performing arts repeatedly helped populations survive psychologically before they could survive politically. That remains true today.

Culture does not merely entertain societies. In many historical moments, it has prevented societies from collapsing entirely.

Natalija Riabko can be contacted at natalija.riabko@cabmr.com

Main Institutional and Academic Sources

• UNESCO Global Report on Cultural Policies – “Culture: The Missing SDG”

  
  

  Major UNESCO report on culture, democracy, social cohesion, resilience, and sustainable development.

• UNESCO – Culture for Peace

  
  

  UNESCO initiative explaining the role of culture and the arts in peacebuilding and democratic resilience.

• Report of the Independent Expert Group on Culture for Peace (UNESCO)

  
  

  Recent expert report examining how culture and artistic expression contribute to peace, inclusion, and social stability.

• UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education (2024)

  
  

  UNESCO framework linking arts education with resilience, intercultural dialogue, and social cohesion.

• UNESCO – Disruption and Resilience: Impact of COVID‑19 on Culture

  
  

  Analysis of how cultural sectors supported societies during and after the pandemic crisis.

Historical Sources on World War II and Performing Arts

• The National Gallery – WWII Concert Programmes Archive

  
  

  Official archive documenting wartime concerts held in London during WWII.

• The National Gallery – The First Myra Hess Concerts

  
  

  Historical account of the famous wartime concerts organized during the Blitz.

• Imperial War Museums – Entertainment During the Second World War

  
  

  Verified historical source on how music and performance supported civilian morale during WWII.

• Classical Music Magazine – Myra Hess and Wartime London

  
  

  Detailed historical article about morale-raising wartime performances in Britain.

• The Times – How Myra Hess Defied Nazi Bombs to Bring Music to Wartime London

  
  

  Historical analysis of wartime musical resistance and civilian morale.

Additional Policy and Cultural Governance Sources

• UNESCO – MONDIACULT Global Report

  
  

  Recent UNESCO publication on global cultural governance and policy evolution.

• UNESCO – Performing Arts Policy Monitoring Platform

  
  

  Database and policy analysis related to performing arts governance and sustainability.

• UNESCO – Cultural Policies and Measures Dataset

  
  

  Official dataset documenting cultural policies worldwide.

• The Guardian – Political Pressure on Cultural Institutions

  
  

  Contemporary analysis of political influence on artistic institutions and democratic culture.