Tropenmuseum Junior subsidised after all

The Tropenmuseum Junior tropical museum will retain its structural subsidy from the Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs and Science after all. This was revealed in the Queen's Speech budget plans. This contradicts the rejection of the Raad voor Cultuur culture council's recommendation earlier this year that the subsidy should be scrapped. The decision to continue to provide financial support means that the museum can continue to provide its full range of activities for (primary) school pupils in particular .

The Tropenmuseum Junior tropical museum brings children aged six to twelve years into contact with non-western cultures, with the aim being to promote knowledge, understanding and respect for these cultures.

However, the KIT (Royal Tropical Institute) does add a note of caution to this positive news about the museum, namely that the outlook of culture in the Netherlands is a gloomy one. Current policy means that high-quality cultural institutions are having to compete against one another. It says that culture deserves better protection from the government: after all, it is the cement that binds our society together.