Artists from around the country discussed the Federal Law of Cultures

Cultura Argentina ,
03 March 2015, Argentina

The first national meeting of the Front of Artists and Culture Workers was held on 3 March.

Artists and culture workers from all the provinces in Argentina, representatives of the various branches of culture and members of the public participated on Tuesday 3 March in the first National Meeting of the Front of Artists and Culture Workers, held at the National Library. In the meeting the participants discussed the Federal law of Cultures.
The meeting was organised to discuss and share all the points and reflections that have been expressed in the forums that have been running since December 2014 in all the provinces with the aim of developing the new normative aimed at the culture sector in a participatory way.
"We do not believe in essentialist definitions, but we do believe in 'we' in discussion. With these debates we are trying to make sure that the law will not leave out what has historically been left out”, said Francisco Romero, member of the Front of Artists and Culture Workers.

The collective work on drafting the law, aimed at decentralizing the distribution system and cultural production, has the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Nation.
The season of meetings – that consists of legal and sectorial debates for joint development of a legal framework for culture -  with the participation of representatives of the Front and the Ministry of Culture, who keep an organised register of all the on the development of the law.
Among the contributions and references set out this afternoon, the various speakers, selected in an assembly for each province participated, stressed the fundamental nature of sovereignty of cultural production in the country.
Furthermore, they argued that it is necessary that the law guarantees the cultural rights of the people and, in turn, provide the support required for the various stakeholders to develop their work freely.

Luis Ali, representative of the Argentina Association of Actors and the CTA, said about the state's presence in the debate: "For the first time, a state policy provides culture workers with the possibility to make their contribution."

Moreover, the journalist and theater critic Jorge Dubatti said that there is a need for "a dialogue among all sectors, for strengthening and multiplying the achievements in culture in the recent years."
Hasta el 18 de marzo se recibirán propuestas y observaciones referidas a cualquiera de los puntos del anteproyecto de ley, completando el formulario (descargar aquí) y remitiendo la información deseada a [email protected].
On behalf of indigenous peoples, Olga Curipán, from the Mapuche community Ruka Kimun, called for to "include the 30 indigenous communities of Argentina". "We are looking for our space within a law that enables and legitimizes the words of indigenous peoples and their ancestral legacies, as a fundamental part of national identity," she said.

Proposals and observations concerning any part of the draft law can be sent before 18 March.

http://www.cultura.gob.ar/noticias/artistas-del-pais-debatieron-la-ley-federal-de-las-culturas-en-la-biblioteca-nacional/