Cultural Symposiums 2008, an initiative of the Vice Ministry of Cultural Development, for more than six months, reached the nine regional capitals of Bolivia with art, music, theatre and, above all, debate. One of the objectives that the national project achieved was the constitution of nine regional culture councils that have agreed to carry out important actions on the formulation of cultural policies.
The national project was presented to the Cultural Development Vice Ministry in February 2008, with an artistic and cultural display, light effects and, above all, with the firm purpose of making a diagnosis of the country’s cultural policies, legitimised by the participation of cultural agents and administrators.
The city of Cobija in the Pando region was the first stop of ‘Culture Symposiums 2008’. On June 26, 10 discussion tables were installed to generate proposals and cultural polices and the first Regional Culture Council took place.
In every region the Symposiums lasted three days: on the first day the proposal was circulated, and the second and third day discussions took place, lead by the Cultural Development Vice Ministry.
On June 23-25, the discussions were carried out in the smiling capital, Tarija. The organizers diagnosed the needs in cultural policy and organized cultural and artistic activities.
The team in charge of carrying out the Symposiums in the nine regions was made up by Pablo César Groux Canedo (Vice minister of Cultural Development), Antonio Peredo Gonzáles (General Coordinator) and other invited technicians and artists.
Arts organizations involved were: National Folkloric Ballet, National Folklore School’s Orchestra ‘Mauro Núñez Cáceres’, the theatre company Los Cirujas, Manuel Monroy Chazarreta (El Papirri), Marraqueta Blindada, Bolivia’s Official Balle, the Afrobolivian Saya, Masis Cultural Centre, Atajo and The National Puppet Workshop, among others coming from all regions.
The subjects discussed on the working tables were: institutions and social movements; plastic, popular and visual arts; performing arts; music; audiovisual arts; cultural and natural heritage; cultural administration; intangible heritage; literature, libraries, archives and reading promotion, and arts and education and academic research.
After more than half year of planning and discussing, the Symposiums came to an end in La Paz.
Then, between the 16th and 19th of November, activities took place in the Government’s seat. At the First Meeting of Regional Advisers for Culture, 90 participants approved the Supreme Decree Project: National Cultures Development System. On the first months of 2009 this document will be referred to the Economic and Social Policy Analysis Unit (UDAPE) and then to the Economic and Social Policy National Council (CONAPES) for approval.
One of the objectives still pending is to create the National Cultures Council, which will be in charge of coordinating the various steps of this process (planning, follow up and control) throughout the country.
These Symposiums form part of the National Development Plan ‘Bolivia Digna, Soberana, Productiva y Democrática para Vivir Bien’, the strategic guidelines of which were approved through the Supreme Decree 29272 of September 12, 2007. According to its founding document, these Symposiums are a mechanism for participative evaluation and planning that transcends all regional, social and political scenarios and coincides with the current Bolivian process of democratic and cultural revolution. This means that social, political and cultural transformation in Bolivia should occur with the participation of the social agents involved with cultural and artistic activities and the general population in order to come up with an in depth diagnosis that will allow the establishment of a sustainable public policy for the sector.
The Symposiums were promoted by the Ministry of Education and Cultures through its Cultures Development Vice ministry and was financed by Netherlands’ Embassy at Bolivia, Spain’s Embassy at Bolivia, the OEI, the Convenio Andrés Bello, the Program Support to Municipal Democracy, the Bolivian Federation of Municipal Associations and the Bolivian Human Rights Chapter.