Artists: The Minister of Culture to restore the remuneration of the artistic figure, a necessity for artists and to increase the artistic level

The artists demand the return of the remuneration for the artistic figure, which according to them is a necessity. The artists criticize the Ministry of Culture, which according to them should pay attention to this problem. They say that the reward on the artistic figure was removed in 2009, but even though they have expressed from time to time that it should be returned, this has not happened. Tenor Rudi Sata says that it is the Ministry of Culture that should lead the request for the remuneration of the artistic figure for the artists. "The reward for the artistic figure was removed in 2009 with a VKM no. 1173. The Ministry of Culture should take the request, because the reward for the artistic figure was part of the law on performing arts. It was a point in an article of the law 10 352, but the reward was removed by mistake with the VKM, which is not allowed", says Sata. According to tenor Rudi Sata, at a time when there is talk of meritocracy and competition, the reward of the artistic figure for artists is also important. According to tenor Sata, the reward for the artistic figure is also motivation for the artists. "We talk about meritocracy, competition, increasing artistic performance, and they have removed the mechanism that sets all these elements in motion and significantly affects professional growth. If a dancer of the second category gets a role of the first category, he gets the reward for the artistic figure and that motivates him, but they have taken it away. The Ministry of Culture has the responsibility to restore the reward for the artistic figure", says tenor Sata. "We talk about meritocracy, competition, increasing artistic performance, and they have removed the mechanism that sets all these elements in motion and significantly affects professional growth. If a dancer of the second category gets a role of the first category, he gets the reward for the artistic figure and that motivates him, but they have taken it away. The Ministry of Culture has the responsibility to restore the reward for the artistic figure", says tenor Sata. "We talk about meritocracy, competition, increasing artistic performance, and they have removed the mechanism that sets all these elements in motion and significantly affects professional growth. If a dancer of the second category gets a role of the first category, he gets the reward for the artistic figure and that motivates him, but they have taken it away. The Ministry of Culture has the responsibility to restore the reward for the artistic figure", says tenor Sata.

A better treatment for artists

 Director and actress Eliona Thomaraj says that artists should be treated better. Engaged for years in the theatrical artistic life, Thomaraj says that not having an artistic reward, the artist does not feel appreciated enough. "Artistic reward is a necessity for artists and to raise the artistic level. In other theaters in the districts there are no more categories for actors and this is ridiculous. After removing the artistic reward, they turned the artists into budget ones, where the episodic role, the protagonist role, the antagonist role or the characters are all paid the same. Both those who do not work and those who work are paid the same. The artist is not encouraged to do something better, to take a big role", says actress Eliona Thomaraj. From time to time the actress Eliona Thomaraj has expressed that the institutions should pay more attention to the problems that the artists have, but like the tenor Rudi Sata, she also says that if it is the artistic reward for the artists, the competition increases. "Whoever carries the most weight in a show gets paid more, whoever carries the least weight gets paid less. I don't know where they want to go with this kind of thing, that in our country there is no artistic reward. The reward for the artistic figure increases the competition, because everyone will want to get the main role, everyone wants to be the best to deserve the artistic reward that is given for creating the artistic figure in the case of the actor. All the categories have the evaluation, the main role, the other less role, etc.", says Thomaraj. The Ministry of Culture continues to be at the center of criticism from artists for the art law. The institutions in our country continue to function with the law no. 10 352 of 2010 for art and culture, but according to the artists a new law is needed according to EU models.