Budget cuts crippling Iraq's cultural institutions
Friends and colleagues,
There has been much comment of late concerning the controversy surrounding the hurried opening of the Iraq Museum. What has not been addressed is the hit that Iraqi cultural institutions' budgets have been taking of late due to government claims that falling oil revenues demand them. This is particularly clear in the case of the Iraq National Library and Archive, where the budget-exclusive of support for staff-was cut a horrifying 60%. To put this in perspective, the book acquisitions budget for the INLA for 2007 was all of $7,000. One need not do the math to see how deprived of support this institution is, and its circumstances prompt the question of what budgetary strictures have been imposed on other major cultural institutions, including the Iraq Museum.
Jeffrey B. Spurr
Islamic and Middle East Specialist
Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Fine Arts Library, Harvard University
Fogg Art Museum
32 Quincy St.
Cambridge, MA 02138-3802
There has been much comment of late concerning the controversy surrounding the hurried opening of the Iraq Museum. What has not been addressed is the hit that Iraqi cultural institutions' budgets have been taking of late due to government claims that falling oil revenues demand them. This is particularly clear in the case of the Iraq National Library and Archive, where the budget-exclusive of support for staff-was cut a horrifying 60%. To put this in perspective, the book acquisitions budget for the INLA for 2007 was all of $7,000. One need not do the math to see how deprived of support this institution is, and its circumstances prompt the question of what budgetary strictures have been imposed on other major cultural institutions, including the Iraq Museum.
Jeffrey B. Spurr
Islamic and Middle East Specialist
Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Fine Arts Library, Harvard University
Fogg Art Museum
32 Quincy St.
Cambridge, MA 02138-3802