The State Culture Conference will take place on September 26th and 27th.

Sergipe Cultural - With the holding of Municipal Culture Conferences in cities in Sergipe, such as Lagarto, Estância, and Cedro de São João, the Government of Sergipe, through the State Secretariat of Culture (Secult), is concentrating its efforts on holding the II State Culture Conference. The event, held on September 26th and 27th, from 8 am to 18 pm (with a lunch break), at the Banese Club in Aracaju, will emerge from the articulation between the Government, representatives of organized civil society, cultural actors, and institutions of great cultural contribution.

The State Conference takes place as a preparatory phase for the III National Culture Conference, to be held from November 26th to 29th in Brasília, representing an important step towards consolidating the State and National Culture Systems, as well as shaping the State Culture Plan, reformulating the National Culture Plan, and establishing important public policies for this area. The national stage, in turn, will bring together representatives of civil society chosen at the municipal and state conferences, in addition to members of the government.

According to the Secretary of State for Culture, Eloísa Galdino, the importance of consolidating the Systems and shaping the Plan has driven the Secult's involvement in monitoring the Municipal Conferences already held in Sergipe.

“The municipal conferences aim to mobilize communities for debate and the proposal of cultural policies together with representatives of the public authorities. The decisions gathered at each event will be taken to the state level, with the perspective of favoring the achievement of the objectives already defined, especially those that imply the structuring of the State Cultural System and Plan. Actions that imply the acquisition of numerous benefits for cultural activities to be dynamized and increasingly improved at the municipal, state and national levels,” explains Eloisa.

Side Dishes

According to Celiene Lima, director of projects and cultural dissemination at Secult, a large part of the municipal conferences were attended by representatives from the secretariat, in order to join efforts with representatives from municipal secretariats, the Ministry of Culture (MinC), the Forum of Secretaries and Directors of Municipal Culture of Sergipe, and other partner entities in the process of structuring culture as a public policy.

"The main reason for bringing together managers and the public, including cultural agents, at these conferences is to promote deliberations that favor the democratic and participatory consolidation of cultural policy in municipalities, the state, and the country," Celiene emphasized.

According to the Secretary of Culture of Laranjeiras and president of the Municipal Forum, Irineu Fontes, the awareness raised among the secretaries of culture, as well as the support from the Ministry of Culture, the State Secretariat of Culture, UNESCO, and the Forum itself in holding the conferences, was considerable for the progressive achievement of the proposed objectives.

“We also noticed the cooperation of everyone involved in the municipal stage, whether cultural agents, leaders, or secretaries, the result of such commitment will be even more evident in the State and National Culture Conferences. All the delegates who emerged in the municipal stage – three or four from each municipality – presented their proposals directly associated with the four thematic axes established for the national stage. Before that, these proposals will be considered at the state level with the full commitment of the elected delegates, as their expectations are well known,” explains Irineu Fontes.

National Stage

The theme chosen for the III National Culture Conference was "A State Policy for Culture: Challenges of the National Culture System," which will be explored in debates on the implementation of the National Culture System throughout the country, on symbolic production and cultural diversity, on citizenship and cultural rights, and on culture and economic development, among others.

The event is expected to have over 3 delegates from across the country, including representatives from the Federal Government, states, the Federal District, and municipalities. In addition, guests with speaking and voting rights, as well as observers, may participate.

The internal regulations of the III National Culture Conference allow for open and virtual conferences as a way to broaden the debate within the National Conference. These forms of participation do not allow for the election of delegates, but only the emergence of proposals and the mobilization of society.

Photo by Eloísa Galdino: Fabiana Costa/Secult