Brazil wants to promote diversity in charge of Mercosur Cultural

With the expansion of partnerships with neighboring countries, Brazil assumed the presidency of Mercosur Cultural with the commitment to promote diversity and encourage unity among peoples. This is the balance of the 54th Meeting of Ministers of Culture of Mercosur, held in Buenos Aires and which had the participation of ministers from the bloc’s countries.

In addition to the effective members of Mercosur, the meeting brought together the ministers of Culture from Chile, Colombia and Peru. Mercosur Cultural is considered the highest body for deliberating cultural policies in the bloc.

On Friday (2.jun.2023), the presidency transfer ceremony took place pro tempore (provisional) of Mercosur Cultural for Brazil. With a duration of 6 months, the Brazilian term will officially start in July, but the ministers took advantage of the event to sign the symbolic transfer of office.

Upon signing the term of office, the Minister of Culture of Brazil, Margareth Menezes, listed the guidelines for Mercosur Cultural in the 2nd semester. According to her, the work will be guided by the need for the countries to unite, with the expansion of borders for the dissemination of books and reading, audiovisual production and technological relations. She emphasized the need for a stronger relationship in the cultural economy to strengthen culture in all countries of the bloc.

Human rights

Also on the 6th (June 2), the ministers recognized the Museum Sítio de Memória Esma (Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada), in Buenos Aires, as cultural heritage of the bloc. The institution preserves the memory of victims and promotes awareness of human rights violations during the military dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983).

According to the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, Esma’s recognition as a Mercosur heritage site was supported by Iphan (National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute). The news was awaited by the Argentines.

Esma was a military institution until 1983, when democracy returned to the country. The site was recognized as one of the main clandestine centers for the detention, torture, disappearance and extermination of those persecuted by the Argentine military regime.

In 2004, the government of then President Cristina Kirchner transformed the building into a memory space and museum and called it “Space for Memory and for Promotion and Defense of Human Rights” or Museu Sítio de Memória Esma.

joint declaration

Parallel to the meeting of Ministers of Culture, Brazil and Argentina signed a joint declaration to strengthen collective actions in support of the cultural economies of both countries. The document was signed on Saturday (June 3), at the 7th edition of the Mercado de Indústrias Culturais Argentinas (Mica), in Buenos Aires, an event to which Brazil was the guest of honour.

The text affirmed the need to strengthen training, education and digital education of cultural workers so that advances in digitization do not result in greater levels of exclusion. The document also highlighted the importance of Mercosur Cultural for both governments, as well as the need to continue working to strengthen and deepen regional integration in the cultural sector.

Forum

The Ministry of Culture’s main multilateral forum for action on the American continent, Mercosur Cultural brings together a thematic agenda of the bloc aimed at defining joint programs with emphasis on the integration of national culture policies and plans, the development of studies, the integration of systems of cultural information and statistics, circulation of cultural goods and services, promotion of technical and artistic exchange, universalization of access to culture and management of cultural heritage and appreciation of social memory and cultural diversity in the region.

The group works extensively with the bloc’s four Member States: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay and seven Associated States (Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname). Regular meetings are held every six months.

With information from Brazil Agency