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Introduction
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As a follow-up to the agreements adopted in
the Meeting of the Pro-Tempore Secretariat previous to the XVII Forum
of Ministers and Officials in Charge of Cultural Policies of Latin
America and the Caribbean (Quito, Ecuador, 11 April 2010), the
Technical Secretary of the Forum, based at the UNESCO Regional Office
for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean since 1999, has
facilitated the preparation and dissemination of a new issue of
the Newsletter of the “Portal of Culture of Latin America and the
Caribbean” (a publication in three languages), especially dedicated to
provide information of the progress of the projects of the Forum.
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Central Topic: Cultural
Integration of Latin American and the Caribbean in defence of
cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue for a sustainable
development
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XVII Forum of Ministers of Culture and Officials in Charge
of Cultural Policies of Latin America and the Caribbean (Quito,
Ecuador, 12-13 April 2010)
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Within
the framework of 2010: International
Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, the XVII Forum of
Ministers of Culture and Officials in Charge of Cultural Policies of
Latin America and the Caribbean was held, under the central topic Cultural
Integration of Latin American and the Caribbean in Defence of Cultural
Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue for a Sustainable Development.
Delegations from 26 Member States participated
in the Meeting: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize,
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, El
Salvador, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Grenada, Guatemala,
Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint
Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela.
In the capacity as Observers, participated in
the meeting Dr Hilary Brown, representing CARICOM; Mrs. Monica
Guariglio, representing MERCOSUR Cultural; Mr. Ismael González,
representing ALBA Cultural; Mrs. Karla Páez, representing the Community
of Andean Nations and a delegation from UNESCO chaired by Mr. Herman
van Hooff, Director of its Regional Office for Culture in Latin America
and the Caribbean and integrated also by Mr. F. Edouard Matoko,
Director of the UNESCO/Quito Office and Mrs. Olga Rufins, Technical
Secretary of the Forum.
Her Excellency María Fernanda Espinosa, Minister
Coordinator for Cultural and Natural Heritage and delegate representing
His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ecuador, His Excellency
Ramiro Noriega, Minister of Culture of Ecuador and Mr. Herman
van-Hooff, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin
America and the Caribbean delivered speeches during the official
opening ceremony.
Within the framework of the XVII Forum, a joint
meeting Forum-UNESCO was held on Cultural Policies for Diversity and
Development, as a follow-up to Resolution 35 C/DR. 53, passed by the
35th UNESCO General Conference in 2009.
Keynote addresses by Mr. Herman van Hooff, Her
Excellency Zulma Yugar, Minister of Cultures of the Plurinational State
of Bolivia and Mr. Sydney Bartley, Director for Culture and
Entertainment Industry of the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth
and Sports of Jamaica were delivered during the joint meeting. In its
Final Agreements, the Ministers of Culture of Latin America and the
Caribbean expressed their satisfaction for the contribution to their
debates.
Likewise, within the framework of the International Year of Youth:
dialogue and mutual understanding
proclaimed by the UN General Assembly, was held previous to the XVII
Forum the First Meeting of Youth for Latin American and Caribbean
Integration "Participation, Culture and Development". Its
Final Declaration, submitted to
the Ministers in the first working session of the Forum, was adopted by
all delegations participating.
Member States acknowledged the permanent support
provided by UNESCO to the Forum through the cooperation of its offices
in the region, particularly the regional Office for Culture, where the
technical Secretariat of the Forum is based. In this regard,
participants requested the Technical Secretary of the Forum to take the
steps and make the arrangements necessary to advance towards the
signing of a formal cooperation agreement between the Forum and UNESCO.
The Forum of Ministers of Culture and Officials
in Charge of Cultural Policies of Latin America and the Caribbean
supports seven projects, namely the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase,
the Virtual Museum of Latin America and the Caribbean, CARIFESTA, the
UNESCO Portal of Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean, the
Caribbean Capacity Building Programme (CCBP), the CARICOM Children’s
Website and the MERCOSUR Cultural Information System (SicSur). This
Newsletter provides updated information on the implementation and
progress of each of these projects.
At the end of the XVII Forum, the presidency of
its Pro-Tempore Secretariat (permanent body of the Forum) was
transferred to Her Excellency Mrs. Zulma Yugar, Minister of Cultures.
The Plurinational State of Bolivia will host the XVIII Forum of
Ministers of Culture in 2011.
The Forum of Ministers of Culture and Officials
in Charge of Cultural Policies of Latin America and the Caribbean was
established in 1989, within the framework of the First Meeting of
Ministers of Culture of the Region. It is the oldest of its type and the
only one such space in which all United Nations Latin American and
Caribbean Member States meet.
Contact:
Olga Rufins o.ru...@unesco.org.cu
Technical Secretary of the Forum of Ministers of
Culture and Officials in Charge of Cultural Policies of Latin America
and the Caribbean
UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin
America and the Caribbean.
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Final Declaration of the XVII Forum of
Ministers of Culture and Officials in Charge of Cultural Policies of
Latin America and the Caribbean
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PROJECTS BEING IMPLEMENTED BY THE FORUM OF MINISTERS OF
CULTURE AND OFFICIALS IN CHARGE OF CULTURAL POLICIES OF LATIN AMERICA AND
THE CARIBBEAN
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About Us
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Herman
van Hooff Direction:
Fernando Brugman
Coordinator of the Culture Team
Olga Rufins
Machin General coordination and director of the project:
Junior González
Ramos Production and design:
Elba Suárez Menéndez, Ana Elena de Arazoza Rodríguez
Contents:
National Network
of Coordinators for the Project Agustín Jeannot
(Argentina), Suzette
Zayden (Belize) , Rubén Andino (Chile), César Alfredo
Parra Ortega (Colombia), Ana Lorena Herrera Loaiza (Costa Rica), Idelsis Gallardo
(Cuba), Ricardo
Bracamonte and Claudia de Campos (El Salvador), Alfonso
Castellanos Ribot (Mexico), Danya Rush (Grenada), Roland
Bélizaire (Haiti), Isadora Paz (Honduras), Emilio Chavarría Vega
(Nicaragua), Lilia
Beatriz Peña Galeano (Paraguay), Lic. Ethel Margarita Flores Albino
(Peru), Luis Teófilo Terrero (Dominican Republic) Anthony
Theobalds (St. Vincent and the Grenadines)
Contributions for
this issue: Riane de Haas-Bledoeg
(CARICOM); Mónica Guariglio (Secretariat of Culture of the
Presidency of the Nation, Argentina); Marlén Ruíz (Ministry of
Culture of Cuba); Rigoberto López and Jessica
Flores (Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase); Carmen
Bohórquez, (Ministry of the People's Power for Culture of
Venezuela)
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Full Texts
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TRAVELLING
CARIBBEAN FILM SHOWCASE ( BACK )
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An initiative of the Cuban Film Institute
(ICAIC), with the support of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in
Latin America and the Caribbean, the UNESCO Offices in Kingston and
Port-au-Prince, the Ministry of Culture of Jamaica, as well as other
important cultural, government and academic institutions in the region,
aimed at showing and disseminating the rich cultural film diversity of
the Caribbean, strengthen the film industry in the sub-region, promote
the production of diverse and quality audiovisual contents and increase
their distribution. The Showcase offers an exceptional platform for the
exhibition of films and documentaries made in the Caribbean while at
the same time promotes and acknowledges the quality of productions.
In the First Showcase (2007-2008) out of the 134 films submitted, 33
were chosen and exhibited in 19 countries. It was furthermore sponsored
by the American Cinemateque in Hollywood, the British Museum of London
and was presented a special recognition from UNESCO, during the exhibition
in its Headquarters in Paris.
In 2009, the II Showcase was dedicated to children and teenagers. Some
217 films were submitted to the project, out of which 52 films were
selected and exhibited in 31 countries in the region. The Showcase
included the International Forum "Cinematographic and audiovisual
production and exhibition for children and youth in the Caribbean:
realities and perspectives". The Headquarters Office of the
Showcase opened in Havana with the support of the Ministry of Culture
of Cuba, UNESCO and UNICEF.
The Call for Submissions for the III Showcase was launched in June
2009. In February 2010, the Organizing and Selection Committee selected
161 out of the 217 films submitted by 22 Member States.
The Office of the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase has organized a
special film exhibition on Haiti that will be presented in Havana,
Cuba, on June 10 to 16, 2010. The especial exhibition includes about
twenty documentaries and feature films by prestigious filmmakers from
Haiti, Cuba and other countries. ( BACK )
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VIRTUAL
MUSEUM OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (www.museovirtualdeamericalatinayelcaribe.org)
( BACK )
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The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela continues
to promote the Virtual Museum of Latin America and the Caribbean, an
initiative submitted and approved by the XVI Forum of Ministers of Culture
and Officials in Charge of Cultural Policies of Latin America and the
Caribbean, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in February 2009. Since
then, the efforts to facilitate the integration of and cooperation
between museums as well as to safeguard the cultural heritage of all
the Member States of the Forum have been endless.
The main objective of the Virtual Museum of Latin America and the
Caribbean is to facilitate the mutual knowledge of Latin American and
Caribbean cultures, encouraging integration and cooperation in the
field of museums, specifically in the area of inventories and register
of cultural property, sharing at the same time the task of protection
and safeguarding of both individual and common heritage, while at the
same time encourages mutual knowledge, promotes inter-institutional
cooperation and provides our peoples with a unique tool for the study
and acknowledgement of our shared values and wealth. At the same time,
it disseminates, in equal conditions, the diversity of Latin American
and Caribbean cultures that are part of the life in our great regional
community.
So far, five countries are participating in the initiative: the
Republic of Cuba, Dominican Republic, the Republic of Ecuador, the
Plurinational State of Bolivia and the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela, with a total of ninety (90) museums and other related
institutions formally inscribed and more than 27.400 cultural artifacts
and scientific specimens from the most comprehensive and heterogeneous
collections of all times.
The information of the virtual platform expands every day thanks to the
endless work of all participating institutions that, unconditionally,
self manage all the contents of their respective collections.
Venezuela, through the Ministry of the People’s Power for Culture,
provides the technical and financial support for the painstaking work
and the development of new applications to expand the possibilities of
information.
For this year, the Virtual Museum expects the incorporation of new
participants and an increase in the exhibition of cultural as well as
scientific goods and properties. Therefore, the Virtual Museum invites
all Member States to join the project and the endeavour of safeguarding
our cultural heritage as well as promoting cultural integration among
our peoples. ( BACK )
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THE
CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL OF ARTS (CARIFESTA) ( BACK )
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The Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) is the
premier arts festival of the Caribbean Community. Since 1972 when
CARIFESTA I was held in Guyana, theses festivals have gathered
outstanding writers, artists, musicians and intellectuals in ten
editions. The event, aimed at promoting intercultural dialogue and
showcase the cultural diversity and rich cultural expressions of the
people of the region has been held ten times in seven countries to
date: in Guyana (1972), Jamaica (1976), Cuba (1979), Barbados (1981),
Trinidad and Tobago (1992, 1995), St Kitts and Nevis (2000), Suriname
(2003), Trinidad and Tobago (2006) and Guyana (2008).
CARIFESTA X, the most recent edition, held in Guyana, attracted more
than 1,300 participants from 25 countries in the region and beyond.
According to estimates, some 500,000 persons visited the various
Festival venues to experience the diverse expressions in music, dance,
theater, cuisine, visual arts, the book fair, as well as the symposia
and fashion shows, among other areas.
A recommendation was made at the Twentieth Meeting of the Regional
Cultural Committee held in June 2009 in Suriname, to schedule the next
CARIFESTAs for 2011, 2013 and 2015. Member States of CARICOM were
therefore invited in July 2009 to submit hosting proposals for
CARIFESTA XI, XII and XIII. The process of identifying future hosts for
the Festival is ongoing. ( BACK )
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PORTAL
OF CULTURE OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (www.lacult.org)
( BACK )
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It is the oldest Project of the Forum,
coordinated and funded by UNESCO through its Regional Office for
Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, with the support of a Network
of National Coordinators appointed by each Member State. Its Spanish
version has been on-line since 2002, and the English version since
2004.
During 2009, the Portal of Culture launched its French edition, and
continued to publish the Spanish and English versions.
The Portal also strengthened the publication of Newsletters in three
languages based on a comprehensive approach towards cultural diversity
and on the most relevant UNESCO Conventions. The Newsletters have also
counted on the support from the UNESCO/Port-au-Prince, UNESCO/Quito,
UNESCO/San José, UNESCO/Montevideo, UNESCO/Mexico and UNESCO/Santiago
de Chile offices, the Culture Division of the CARICOM Secretariat and
especially from the Network of National Coordinators of the Portal of
Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean, currently integrated by 16
Member States.
The UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the
Caribbean facilitated in 2009 the digitization and dissemination of 144
documents (808 pages) from previous meetings of the Forum of Ministers
of Culture, and has thus contributed to the preservation of an
important part of its historic memory. The logos of all the annual
meetings of the Forum as well as those of the Festival of the Caribbean
Arts (CARIFESTA) were also recovered and digitized.
The Portal of Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean is in the
process of being integrated into the Website of the UNESCO Regional
Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, aimed at making
the best use of the resources made available by UNESCO to this Project,
and to provide Member States better facilities and services, thus
making a more rational use of the comprehensive volume of information
of the Portal. ( BACK )
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CARIBBEAN
CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMME (CCBP) ( BACK )
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The CCBP is a capacity building or training
program for cultural heritage open to all UNESCO Member States and
Associate Member States in the Caribbean, which treasures a total of 20
world heritage sites in the region.
The Caribbean
Capacity Building Programme for the Cultural and Natural Heritage of
the Caribbean 2004-2014 was approved by the UNESCO World
Heritage Committee in 2004. Since then, the Programme has counted on
the support of the UNESCO World Heritage Center and aims at
strengthening sub-regional capabilities with regards to the management
and protection of its valuable cultural and natural heritage; another
objective is to facilitate that sites of exceptional universal value in
the area are acknowledged as such. The Programme is based, on the one
hand, on the Global Strategy for drafting a more balanced and
representative List, adopted by the World Heritage Committee in 1994
and on the attention paid since then to the Caribbean area by both the
World Heritage Committee and the World Heritage Centre.
The objective of this strategy, financed through fiduciary funds from
the Netherlands, is to strengthen professionals’ capabilities in the
management and protection of heritage and promote the inscription of
new cultural and natural sites in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
This Programme continues to be implemented by the UNESCO Regional
Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean in coordination
with the World Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Offices in Kingston and
Port-au-Prince. The Programme has carried out capacity building
activities in Barbados, Dominican Republic and Cuba. Its most important
results are the drafting of five training modules on the Implementation
of the Convention for the protection of the Convention Concerning the
Protection of World Heritage, Management of tourism in heritage sites,
management on risk preparedness, Management of Cultural Landscapes,
Management of Historic Centres, management of Natural Heritage and
preparing and putting on-line the Website of the project. A Validation
Workshop for the South Cone was also held, as well as a workshop on
risk reduction for heritage in the Caribbean, a course on the
implementation of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World
Cultural and Natural Heritage, a regional meeting of experts on
heritage, Biodiversity and Community, a first capacity building
workshop in MERCOSUR on risk management and a course on the management
of historic centres. ( BACK )
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CARICOM
CHILDREN’S WEBSITE ( BACK )
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The general objective of the CARICOM Website
for Children is to establish a Forum to promote an understanding of regional
integration among children, as well as develop national and regional
identities. The Website will provide the children with the opportunity
to learn more about other children in the region and those from other
countries in the world.
Specifically, it is intended to function as a virtual knowledge network
for the children of the Caribbean, Latin America and other parts of the
world.
The project will facilitate transfer of knowledge through an
interactive multimedia platform. The project is also expected to
benefit parents, schools, business people, investors and politicians.
The CARICOM Website for Children will be based at the CARICOM
Headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana, and will be national, regional and
international in scope.
Preliminary work for the website focused on research with respect to
existing children’s websites, consultations on the design of the
website and content development. Efforts to mobilize funding for the
first phase of the project, namely the design and launch of the website,
were concentrated on international organizations as well as the private
sector. Preliminary consultations were held with agencies in a few
CARICOM Member States with regard to alternative sources of funding for
the project. These consultations are still in process. ( BACK )
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PROJECT
SICSUR – MERCOSUR CULTURAL INFORMATION SYSTEM ( BACK )
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In 2006, the participants in the Seminar on Cultural
Information Systems of MERCOSUR, agreed to measure, or at least
estimate, the impact of culture on the GDPs of our countries. In 2007
the impact of foreign trade in cultural property in the region was
estimated. The quality and quantity of the information collected made
possible the design and creation of the Cultural Information System of
MERCOSUR – SICSUR, a Website available to the general public which is
divided into four main sections: Cultural Statistics and Indicators,
MERCOSUR Cultural Map, Cultural Institutions and Studies and Research.
Both the project and its Website were officially presented in Quito,
Ecuador, in October 2009, under the dominium www.sicsur.org. It
collects statistical data, mappings, legislations and cultural
documents from ten countries of South America: Argentina, Bolivia,
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and
Venezuela.
SICSUR was approved as a MERCOSUR Cultural Project in November 2009. ( BACK )
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