Ariel Mateluna After Presidential Debate: «Culture Opens Doors, Fascism Closes Them»

Original article: Ariel Mateluna tras debate presidencial: “La cultura abre puertas, el fascismo las cierra”

Following the presidential debate hosted by Canal 13, renowned actor Ariel Mateluna voiced his deep concern over the «imminent risk of a setback in cultural policies» and the «direct threat to freedom of expression» posed by the views of candidates Johannes Kaiser, José Antonio Kast, and Evelyn Matthei. Mateluna analyzed their statements, concluding that all three share a perspective that «instrumentalizes, ignores, or seeks to control artistic creation and critical thought.» In contrast, he emphasized that Janette Jara’s program serves as a crucial safeguard for the sector, defending culture as a social right rather than as a battleground for ideology or a commercial commodity.

Mateluna condemned Johannes Kaiser’s proposal to «review the literary offerings» as an act of censorship, stating that it «harks back to the darkest pages of our history.» The actor directly challenged: «Who will decide what is ‘corrupted’? Your own CNI?» Defending the role of art from his experience, he asserted, «Culture saves lives because it liberates the mind, not because it confines it to an imposed vision. Let’s be clear: culture opens doors, fascism closes them.»

He warned that José Antonio Kast’s silence during the debate masks the explicit threats in his program. «His program is clear: it proposes to use state funds as a tool for ideological control,» Mateluna pointed out. He explained that by promoting a culture that «protects traditional values,» it effectively threatens to marginalize and underfund any artistic expression that is critical, dissenting, or does not fit into their conservative mold.

Regarding Evelyn Matthei, the actor raised alarms about a «structural risk to culture.» «The candidate does not speak of censorship, but her project is based on a logic of cuts where art is always the first victim. When her program promises massive fiscal adjustments and she refers to eliminating expenses she considers ‘pits’, she is signaling that any expression that is not profitable or causes discomfort will be deemed expendable,» he analyzed. «Her vision subordinates the arts to market logic, without real state support as a guarantor of diversity, which will inevitably lead to the weakening of our institutions and greater precariousness in the sector.»

In light of this scenario, Ariel Mateluna made an urgent call to the arts and culture community to «not be indifferent» and to demand clear positions from all candidates. «Culture is not a luxury; it is a right and the pillar of a healthy society. We cannot allow it to be the first victim of fiscal adjustments or a regressive ideological agenda. A country without culture is a country without memory and without a future,» he concluded.