The
Right to Culture: Progress and dilemmas facing Lula’s
Government in regards to cultural policies
By
Antonio Eleilson Leite
For
the first time since the creation of the Depatment of
Culture (Minc – Ministerio da Cultura)
– 21 years ago, and at the end of the current
administration, the results of an effective cultural policy
can be felt in Brazil. Despite criticism, the Minc, which is
headed by the singer and composer Gilberto Gil, has as one
of its most undeniable achievements the restructuring of the
agency itself.
Minc
– Re-inventing an agency
The
Minc had ten ministers in its first ten years (1985 to
1994). In its history, there were three great intellectuals who were
Ministers of Culture: Celso Furtado, Antonio Houaiss, and
Sergio Paulo Rouanet. The latter, whose mandate took place
in the middle of Collor de Mello’s brief government,
enacted the Incentive to Culture Act in 1991, which takes
his name. Until Lula’s Government took office, this Act
exemplified the Brazilian cultural landscape, in that it
acted against its own interests by offering tax exemptions
to large national and international corporations that
supported cultural projects, so as to market and promote
themselves.
Minc’s
revolving door of ministers took place in the first ten
years of the re-democratization period, and was followed by
the contrasting stability of the last 11 years.
Only two ministers have overseen the agency between
1995 and now: Francisco Weffort and Gilberto Gil. Weffort, a
professor at USP (São Paulo University), was one of the
founders of the PT (Workers’ Party). He eventually joined
the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party), and was the
Minister of Culture during the entire administration of
president Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Weffort did not
accomplish anything significant despite his eight years in
the agency. Even the so-called retaking of the national film
industry, which was marked by Carla Camuratti’s 1994 film Carlota
Joaquina, took place largely due to the big investments
of large corporations that took advantage of the Rouanet Act.
According
to some media outlets, Gilberto Gil took office by
nominating himself to the post. Some members of the PT
uncomfortable since Gil was a member of the Green Party.
Long-standing PT cultural activists, such as the actors
Sergio Mambert and Paulo Betti, among others linked to the
PT, felt slighted. Gil declared he would be minister even
before Lula announced it, making his nomination a fait
accompli. Following the announcement of his nomination, Gil
declared that he would have to continue with his artistic
activities, since his salary as a minister would be very low.
There were calls for a campaign against his nomination in
messages circulating on the Internet. The months before his
swearing in, and all of Gil’s first year in the post, were
marked by protests and doubts as to what his administration
could achieve.
As
the only artist among the 12 Minc ministers in the agency’s
21 years, Gil surprised everyone, and ended his first term
in office with ample recognition for his efforts and vision.
His competence was tested, and he proved that his managerial
talent is alive and well, even 40 years after receiving his
Business Administration degree. Gil built political unity
within the agency, bringing on board people from different
political parties, artists and intellectuals. He organized
the first National Conference on Culture, and under his
leadership, secured UNESCO’s recognition of the Samba de
Roda do Recôncavo Baiano (a special samba stile) as a
landmark of humanity.
True to his personal style and artistic soul, Gil took the
stage wherever he went. He sang at the United Nations
General Assembly, and even got the diplomats to dance. Some
say that was pure opportunism on his part. But the reality
is that Gil ends his term having accomplished a very
important mission. He reinvented the Minc.
Side
A of Cultural Policies
The
biggest accomplishment of the current Minc administration is
its effort to establish a policy that is based on UNESCO’s
Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.
This declaration recognizes cultural diversity as a heritage
of humanity. This means that the State has the obligation to
support cultural activities that are usually hidden, or only
expressed as “folklore” or exotic art.
This is the case of the art created by Quilombola (rural
afro-Brazilian) communities, as well as the dance, the myths,
and the language of more than 200 indigenous nations in
Brazil. This is also the case of cultural activities of
rural people, as well as the Hip Hop movement in urban
centers.
The
UNESCO document recognizes “cultural diversity as an
ethical necessity, inseparable from the respect for the
dignity of human beings.” It also endorses pluralism, stressing the need for
interaction and co-existence between cultures to broaden the
possibilities for choice, and thus contributing to the
“intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual”
development of human beings. The declaration affirms that
“Creativity can only reach its full potential when it
makes contact with others”, stressing that it is necessary
to ensure that all cultures can be expressed and
acknowledged. This also means having access to all media and
all processes for disseminating ideas. The document further
asserts “cultural goods and services that relate to
identity, values and meaning should not be considered as
products like other goods.”
The
Minc created its policies based on three strategies, and in
accordance with UNESCO’s declaration: symbolic
production, with events that stimulate cultural
production; law and citizenship, emphasizing culture’s social dimension in
projects of inclusion, and the
economy, with the understanding that there is a cultural
industry that economically moves society. The success of
these strategies depends in large part on the launching of a
National Cultural System (SNC in Portuguese), an ambitious
proposition that has as its goals the integration of states
and cities in the planning and execution of these policies.
It
will be up to the SNC to implement the National Cultural
Program. Equally ambitious is the creation of Cultural
Panels that discuss specific questions according to each
discipline (theater, dance, film, social circus, etc.).
Citywide, state and national conferences were held in order
to give substance to the plan and stimulate the creation of
the SNC. According to the government, 60,000 people
participated nationwide.
Many
of these policies, which are innovative and overturn the
rigid priorities that up until then were the norm in the
Minc, are still in development and results will need to be
rigorously evaluated later on. However, the Cultura Viva
Program, which is based directly on the three aspects of the
strategy adopted by Gilberto Gil, especially in regards to
the first and second aspects, has shown important results
and has served as a symbol of the work of the Minc
administration.
Cultura
Viva is Minc’s program responsible for the Pontos
de Cultura, “a network that links, receives and
disseminates initiatives that nourish the creative spirit.”
The Pontos de Cultura
were conceived in partnership with the Ministries of
Communication and Labor, and their goal is to energize
culture in a particular area, which could be a poor
neighborhood in a big city, an MST encampment, an Indian
village or a Quilombola community. The government awards R$
150,000 to each Ponto, and they in turn give the money to
the organizations chosen to work with the youth registered
in the outreach job programs of the Ministry of Labor; these
organizations then distribute the scholarships to the youth.
The Ministry of Communication is responsible for creating
and maintaining the multimedia centers, creating a virtual
connection between the Pontos all over Brazil.
There
were 100 projects being considered at the time of the first
official announcement from the Pontos de Cultura, published
in July of 2004. There were $R 15 million set aside for the
Pontos. The
initiative was received with great enthusiasm and mobilized
cultural entities all over Brazil, revealing just how great
need for such resources was. By the 2005 announcement, the
Pontos could serve a larger pool of applicants, and in 2006,
the Minc nominated the work of many Pontos to the Cultura
Viva Awards. In April of 2006, the Minc organized Teia da
Cultura (Culture Network), a large Brazilian culture exhibit
showcasing the work of the Pontos de Cultura. This event
highlighted just how much the economic solidarity movement
is a part of the work of these groups, allowing for a closer
relationship between the Ministry of Labor and SENAES –
National Office of Economic Solidarity, an agency overseen
by the economist Paul Singer.
The
Pontos de Cultura represent a great effort in bringing to
life UNESCO’s recommended criteria and are one of the
biggest accomplishments of Lula’s government in the
cultural arena. They are proof that it is possible to carry
out public policies on culture that are far-reaching and
have a strong social impact. This initiative can and should
be expanded. But it should also be connected to other
similar initiatives that exist in cities and states, as is
the case with VAI
and the Support for Theater Act in the city of São Paulo.
In this context, the idea of a National Cultural Program
will be decisive. The partnership between the Ministries of
Labor and Communication should be strengthened, and the
inclusion of the Ministry of Education would be most welcome.
Side
B of Cultural Policies
To
adopt cultural policies that are based on UNESCO’s
principals challenges the powers that be. The Minc will
never be successful if it acts alone. The agency was
unwavering when it came to what it needed to defend. It had
to face groups connected to the national film and theater
industry (if one can say that there is such a thing in
Brazil), groups which traditionally take the lion’s share
of the resources from the tax exemptions and sponsorships
from State companies. It is true that little has changed up
until now, but challenging the contradictions alone helps
expose them.
The
Incentive to Culture Act is definitely not public policy. In
addition to promoting mass culture with public money, it has
created strongly organized interest groups. Experts estimate
that in the 15 years since its passing, 70% of the funding
went to projects from a small group of producers based in
Rio and São Paulo.
The
Rouanet Act needs to be amended or maybe even changed. The
Minc should have taken care of that. We cannot simply be
content with the fine initiative that created the Pontos de
Cultura and do nothing to change the Rouanet Act. Here’s
an example. CIE Brazil received R$ 9.4 million to finance
the Brazilian season of Cirque
du Soleil. This amount is enough to fund around 60
Pontos de Cultura. And worse, the cheapest tickets for the
show in São Paulo were R$ 150. Where are the benefits?
Another
dilemma for Lula’s administration is the Minc’s weak
political position. Much of what the Minc has been able to
accomplish was due to Gilberto Gil’s leadership and vision.
His popularity contributed to the success of projects. Even
if he did not get involved in much, at least those running
the government listened to Gil, including President Lula.
But his prestige was not enough to ensure his participation
in the discussion regarding content and broadcast norms of
Brazilian TV. All discussion regarding Digital TV took place
without the Minc’s active participation as is required in
the resolution of the National Conference on Culture, which
in one of its main proposals stipulates that the public
should participate in the elaboration of laws and
regulations regarding mass media.
Budgeting
completes Side B of the Minc. It is very complicated to
carry out policies with a budget of R$ 560 million. This
amount corresponds to 0.5% of the total national budget as
compared to the 4.5% the State sets aside for the primary
economic surplus. São Paulo’s Sesc alone has a R$ 300
million budget. It isn’t surprising that there are some
who say that the Sesc is the real Ministry of Culture in
Brazil. Minc’s budget is expected to rise to 0.6% of the
national budget in 2007, but that is still meaningless.
UNESCO recommends that it be 1% and the National Conference
on Culture recommended 2% as ideal. I want to take the
opportunity to state the need for a thoughtful discussion on
public funding. If the goal of integrating local, state and
national cultural policies is achieved, it is possible to
think of a shared administration and a common effort between
its representatives and the Minc to put political pressure
on the government.
We
should remain vigilant so that we can move forward in
building cultural policies that reflect cultural diversity,
freedom of expression and integration, or better said,
culture as a human right.
Antonio
Eleilson Leite is a historian, a cultural events planner,
Coordinator of Espaço de Cultura e Mobilização Social of
the NGO Ação Educativa, Director of the regional ABONG –
Brazilian Association of NGOs of the State of São Paulo,
and a member of the Network for Social Justice and Human
Rights Advisory Board