On 22 February 2022, cultural managers from Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) were virtually convened for a consultation on the strengthening of bi-regional cultural cooperation between LAC and the European Union (EU) by the EU-LAC Foundation and Mr Alfons Martinell. This meeting was developed with the objectives of creating a space where cultural managers and experts can intensify their ties, prepare input for the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (Mondiacult 2022), and gather the opinion of the participants on the reactivation of a bi-regional cultural cooperation space.
The event began with a discussion on the challenges in regional, bi-regional and international cultural cooperation, focusing on relevant inputs on cultural management for Mondiacult. Participants highlighted the lack of a collective vision regarding cultural policies, even though the challenges implied by COVID-19 are shared at the bi-regional level. Likewise, it was considered essential that cooperation between the EU and LAC in the cultural sphere be extended to the Caribbean regions and European countries outside the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, it was mentioned that multilateral cooperation often does not mobilise the necessary funds in the long term, which impedes the development of sustainable cultural plans over time. Other challenges faced by the cultural sector are the effects of the pandemic, including the decrease in cultural budgets, the reduction in international cooperation in the field of culture, and the precariousness of artists and producers due to the closure of face-to-face activities in the cultural field.
The participants also expressed their opinions regarding the aspects that should be addressed in Mondiacult, including the need to define cultural sustainability and the contributions of culture to sustainable development. The importance of defining cultural solidarity was also mentioned, specifically at the level of international cooperation, giving importance to the development of mechanisms to ensure that international commitments can be implemented. Another key aspect discussed was the definition of decentralised public policies and cultural projects with a more prominent role for civil society and regional actors. Similarly, the importance of an intersectional approach was highlighted, where gender, ethnic diversity, and the different generational groups are taken into account, both in areas such as Mondiacult, as well as in local contexts. Finally, they stressed that the education-culture binomial is key to sustainable development, and to make the population aware of the importance of culture.
The second part of the meeting was devoted to the consultation on the possibility of reactivating a space for bi-regional cultural cooperation. The initiative is based on the model of the "Campus Euroamericano de cooperación cultural" that took place between 2000 and 2012, which entailed eight face-to-face meetings between cultural actors from both regions. These events allowed the development of a network of people, projects, and cultural entities that proved very useful and strategic in having a multiplier effect on cultural initiatives and cooperation. Therefore, there was unanimous consent for the need to re-develop these spaces of bi-regional cultural cooperation. Some participants stressed the need to include in these future spaces, in addition to cultural managers from the public sphere, also academic entities, companies in the innovation and culture sector, and above all civil society. The opportunity to promote South-South dialogue and triangular dialogue through this initiative was also mentioned. Finally, the desire for medium and long-term planning was highlighted in order to contribute significantly to the creation of dialogue and in-depth cooperation.
This event was moderated by Dr Anna Barrera, Senior Programme Coordinator, and Mr Alfons Martinell, co-founder of Interarts, with the participation of the Foundation's Executive Director, Dr Adrián Bonilla. The participants from the LAC region were: Lucina Jimenez, Director of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico; Norma Campos, Director of Fundación Visión Cultural; Ramiro Noriega, university professor and former Minister of Culture of Ecuador; Mario Hernán Mejía, Director of Culture of the National Autonomous University of Honduras; Jose Antonio Mac Gregor, university professor; Clara Mónica Zapata, consultant and trainer in the field of cultural management; Lázaro Israel Rodríguez, Expert Panel of the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (2020-2023) at UNESCO; Sydney Bartley, former Senior Director of Cultural Policy and Creative Industries of the Government of Jamaica; Fernando Vicario, Director of Consultores Culturales. From the EU, the event was attended by Mercedes Giovinazzo, Director of Interarts; Tere Badia, Secretary of Culture Action Europe; Angel Mestres, Director of Transit; Philippe Kern, Founder and CEO of KEA; Ziad Erraiss, Policy Officer at More Europe; Ragnar Siil, Founder and Managing Partner of Creativity Lab; Rafael Palacios Bustamante, European and Latin American Intercultural Digital and Business Platform: International Entrepreneurship - Lab Smart Money; Malina Becker, Officer at the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen.
