The Second Argentinean Culture Congress that dealt with culture and development concluded on October 19th at San Miguel de Tucumán. More than 3,500 people from all over the country participated.
In the morning delegates read the conclusions reached following four intense working days of wide and pluralist debate.
Key points from the document include: the impulse to sanction a Federal Law for Culture, the creation of a Federal Council for Culture, the recommendation to increase the budget for culture and the ratification to permanently hold the Culture Congress every two years.
The secretaries of culture committed to begin the process of elaboration and discussion of a Draft Law on Culture, which will be prepared by the Nation’s Culture Secretariat to be discussed in all provinces.
It was also agreed to create a Federal Culture Council as a strategic frame of reference to propose, study and discuss federal and inclusive public policies. The areas of culture of all the country will be responsible of elaborating a general statue to regulate the functioning of this organism and to establish its operational and financial modalities.
Another key point of the document is to foster a significant increase in the budget for culture so that it meets UNESCO’s recommendation. The document also ratifies the biannual and permanent character of the Argentinean Culture Congress. The third edition is planned for 2010 in the province of San Juan.
The conclusions were written taking into account the premises that guided the debates: culture is an indispensable tool for social integration and transformation, and that cultural policies should promote artistic creativity, build citizenship, generate social inclusion, and strengthen democratic processes. Overall, it was highlighted that public policies for culture should take into account the various identities and cultural expressions that constitute the Nation, i.e. to include native people and promote the full participation of its addressees.
Fora: A Space for Civil Debate of Cultural Policies
Professors, artists, public employees, professionals of culture of all levels, professionals and general public were part of the thousand cultural activists that were involved in debates, in more than 30 committees, in the seven fora of the Second Argentinean Culture Congress.
Individually or grouped in social organisms and organizations like Boedo Cultural Network, Cuyo’s Student Center of the Faculty of Philosophy, Mendoza’s General Archive or the National Organization of Indigenous Communities, they came from the 24 provinces.
The debate was carried out during two of the four days of the Congress and had as a guide to the discussion, 14 papers, chosen between 200 papers sent by citizens of the whole country.
The subjects were: cultural legislation, culture and integration, construction of the greater country, artistic practices and social transformation, audience construction, administration of tangible and intangible heritage, and the articulation between cultural and municipalities.
To sanction a Federal Law for Culture, that takes into account the reality of all provinces and native communities, and the need to increase culture’s budget were concrete and agreed upon in all fora.
There was also a rich discussion on subjects like a Law on Music, a Law on Radio and the possible ways of strengthening the democratic access to cultural goods and services.
The improvement of institutions and the creation of cultural fora and debates at the regional level; the creation of local, regional, national and Latin American networks, and the articulation of public administration to other areas were some of the central points recommended.
It was also proposed to create a national registry for artists by province and discipline, and a monthly regional bulletin that all citizens can access through the Web sites of the Culture and Tourism Secretariats.
Also highlighted was the importance of promoting and protecting cultural goods, through a registry of artworks and stepping up border control to avoid illicit traffic. It was also suggested to create a heritage experiences bank and the support of university majors related to recuperation and restoration of artworks.
The Nation’s Culture Secretariat, the Federal Council of Investment, Tucumán Cultural Entity and the provinces’ culture area organized the Congress.
At http://www.cultura.gov.ar/prensa/?info=noticia&id=521 videos and images of the Congress are available.
For further information or images, contact the Press Office:
Head: Lic. Diego Marquis | Coordinator: Lic. Ariana Ponzo.
Tel.: +54+11 4129-2527 / 2528 / 2496 / 2497
[email protected] | www.cultura.gov.ar