Ministers of culture in favour of culture and social inclusion
Secretaría de Cultura, 12 September 2010, Argentina
External link: http://www.cultura.gov.ar/prensa/?info=noticia&id=1049
Ibero-America’ highest cultural authorities signed an agreement on Sunday 12 September entitled “Culture and Social Inclusion”, and laid the foundations of the IV Ibero-American Congress on Culture. An open forum of Ministers of Culture members of UNASUR and COSECCTI also took place.
Among the items agreed upon by the ministers stand out: commission to the Secretaría General Iberoamericana (SEGIB) and the Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI) a strategic plan to promote private investment in public cultural projects; support the Program Iberrutas of Argentina’s Secretaría de Cultura that aims at protecting the rights of migrants; and create a good practice guide on national policies on culture and social inclusion that will constitute the basis of the IV Ibero-American Congress on Culture.
“Integration must be a permanent interest. Culture by itself cannot overcome exclusion, it must be understood as a complementary and key factor of other economic and social policies”, highlighted Jorge Coscia, National Culture Secretary.
Colombia’s Vice minister of Culture, Maria Claudia López Sorzano, presented a report of the III Ibero-American Congress on Culture entitled “Ibero-America’s Music”, and highlighted that it reaffirmed the relationship between culture, economy and development and was fundamental to “rediscover Ibero-America’s musical expressions”. She also emphasized that it was a massive event, where more than 50.000 people enjoyed free concerts. “Public policies on music can find a common ground”, were her words.
Argentina’s Arts National Director, José Luis Castiñeira de Dios, stressed the importance of an Ibero-American cooperation space for music: “the participation of an intergovernmental committee to promote programs for Ibero-American music is necessary”. Thus, the participants ratified the work plan set out in the “Acuerdo de las Músicas”, signed during the III Ibero-American Congress in Medellín.
For his part, Coscia reiterated the need to "politicize culture in order to make it a fundamental axis of the Ibero-American nation’s development policies”. In this respect, he expressed that “Ibero-America’s Culture Charter will mark a turning point” in public cultural policy because it is a collective long-term project that will take shape during the debate of the XIII Conference and will continue developing through internal debate in every Ibero-American country.
The foundations for the IV Ibero-American Congress on Culture, which will take place in May 2011 at Mar del Plata, Argentina were laid. It will be entitled “Culture, Policy and Social Participation”. In this respect, Mónica Guariglio, Cultural Policy and International Cooperation Director, highlighted the need to reposition the power of culture within public policy by emphasizing its transverse quality: “We must improve the work scheme so that every congress feeds from previous experiences and lays the foundations for future meetings. The Congress’ design must be the result of a collective effort”.
At the XII Conference took part Jorge Coscia (Argentina), Joao Luis Silva Ferreira (Brazil), Zulma Yugar (Bolivia), María Claudia López Sorzano (Colombia), Manuel Enrique Obregón López (Costa Rica), Rafael Tomás Bernal Alemany (Cuba), Constanza Güell de Andraca y Luciano Cruz-Coke (Chile), José Rafael Lantigua (Republica Dominicana), Érika Sylva (Ecuador), Héctor Jesús Samour Canán (El Salvador), Ángeles González-Sinde (España), Sergio Ramírez Cárdenas (Mexico), Jessica Fundora Ferrer (Panama), Ticio Escobar (Paraguay), Idel Vexler Talledo (Peru), Gabriela Canavilhas (Portugal), Ricardo Ehrlich and Hugo Achugar (Uruguay), and Fidel Barbarito Hernández (Venezuela).
Also attended Enrique Iglesias, Secretario General Iberoamericano, SEGIB’s Division de Asuntos Culturales Director, Leonor Esguerra Portocarrero and Deputy Director, Enrique Vargas Flores; the Vice secretary of Cultural Administration, Marcela Cardillo; the National Director of Cultural Policy and International Cooperation, Monica Guariglio, and the Arts National Director, José Castiñeira de Dios. Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos’ delegates were Álvaro Marchesi Ullastres, Paloma Sendín de Cáceres, Mariano Jabonero Blanco, Alejandro Tiana Ferrer, Darío Pulfer and Jorge Delkáder Teig.
The meeting of member countries of Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (Unasur) and the Consejo de Cultura, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (Coseccti) produced Buenos Aires Declaration which ratified their commitment to promote common initiatives that contribute to assume culture as a key element of sustainable development, cooperation and to overcome asymmetries within the region.
They also agreed to direct public policies on culture towards the creation of common scenarios that can help to strengthen cultural industries.
They also ratified their interest in promoting the inclusion and participation of cultural and artistic organizations, aboriginal people and communities, and social networks in Coseccti’s activities and programs, as a mechanism of integration and acknowledgement of the region’s diversity.