Government doesn't give us culture

Asked to name “the most exciting cultural happening of the year” in the province, most Albertans would be hard pressed to mention something called Alberta Culture Days. Yet, that is exactly how the government of Alberta bills it.

The Alberta Culture Days “adventure,” “spearheaded (a rather war-like term) by the Government of Alberta,” amounts to a province-wide state-sponsored festival of festivals. Its official website calls it “a three-day celebration of Alberta’s unique blend of peoples and passions and the importance of arts and culture to building healthy and vibrant communities.” Alberta Culture Days started Friday, September 28 and wraps up on September31.

Culture Days, however, is simply an example of how out of its element government is when it comes to culture.

While it is true that arts and culture are linked to vibrant communities, the implied claim that healthy communities are derived from state sponsored cultural events is less true. In fact, social research points in the o…