Government abandons plan to merge Culture and Sports departments.
The decision was announced by Governor Jackson Barreto this Tuesday (6), during a meeting with members of the State Council of Culture and Secult, who requested that one department not be incorporated into the other; “The fundamental thing is that I heeded the State Council of Culture, in the sense of keeping Secult without merging it with Sport, also because they are not related activities. We increasingly want to bring culture to the population and we think that this request is really justified, because the government also needs to give special and profound attention to Sport, especially at this time when young people are involved with so many drugs,” he highlighted.
ASN - Governor Jackson Barreto stated that he will not merge the State Secretariats of Culture (Secult) and Sports. The decision was announced on Tuesday morning, the 06th, during a meeting with members of the State Council of Culture and Secult, who requested that one department not be incorporated into the other. On that occasion, the governor took the opportunity to request that cultural entities be more engaged in providing sector-related activities in the state's peripheries, bringing artistic expressions to the less favored areas of the population as well.
The governor said he decided not to make changes to the Culture Secretariat because he understands that it needs a different approach. “The fundamental point is that I heeded the State Council of Culture's request to maintain the Culture Secretariat without merging it with the Sports Secretariat, especially since they are not related activities. We increasingly want to bring culture to the population, and we believe this request is truly justified, as the government also needs to give special and profound attention to Sports, particularly at this time when young people are involved with so many drugs,” he emphasized.
According to the vice-president, Antônio Sérgio Chagas, the governor was sensitized through the State Council of Culture by explaining that merging the Secretariat of Culture with the Secretariat of Tourism would be detrimental. “Our concern with merging the secretariats stems from the fact that we don't see this outcome as truly beneficial. So we came to talk to the governor and show him the aspects of our culture and the importance of Sergipe's cultural movement for Brazil, the open-air museums, our folkloric activities, theater, dance, and classical and popular music. We conveyed to him our expectation that the Secretariat of Culture be maintained as a separate, dedicated secretariat, as it needs a very focused approach.”
Antônio da Cruz, an artist and cultural activist, also participated in the meeting and pointed out that, in his view, Culture and Sport are a heterogeneous mix, as they have distinct natures. He explained that the concern of the artistic community was that merging the secretariats could lead to a decrease in resources allocated to Culture. "To our delight, our request was granted. This means that the governor showed good sense and concern for Culture. We appreciate this decision," he added.
Expansion of culture
During the meeting, the governor expressed his hope that the Secretary of Culture will undertake more actions from a popular perspective, in order to reach communities in more decentralized areas. Jackson wants the Secretary of Culture to be an instrument of popular culture, moving beyond the use of conventional formulas. "Sometimes I get anxious because I need to see more actions in other places. That's why I want to see the Secretary spreading art to the periphery and bringing it to the people," he requested.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Irineu Fontes, stated that he receives requests from the governor on the matter and that the idea is to develop initiatives in Aracaju, similar to the Santa Maria project, and also in municipalities in the interior of the state. In the Aracaju neighborhood, he mentioned that a Youth Orchestra already exists and that, alongside it, a dance center will be created, so that later there will be an arts and culture school in Sergipe. This unit would function as a technical education center, offering training to young people.
“Currently, we already have a project in which we will seek coordinators for dance groups in various neighborhoods. Since we see that in different communities in Aracaju there are many people engaged in dance, lacking only information and professional training, we will work with them to offer better techniques. These individuals will be our multipliers,” explained Irineu. He further explained that the project is being developed in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture (MinC), the Secretariat of Inclusion (Seidh), and other partners, and that the resources, around R$ 4 million, from MinC may be released and applied to the dance initiative.
Following the meeting with the State Council of Culture, Jackson Barreto also made another request: that the institution meet with him more frequently, so that the panorama of the sector can be constantly visualized and that there is a gauge of the actions developed in Sergipe.