Mapping Brazil - Cultural Participation: Final Considerations

Final Considerations
Rather than representing the total number of initiatives on the promotion of access to culture in Rio and São Paulo, the abovementioned examples are part of governmental initiatives that lead the debate on the development of public policies for these states. Evidently, there are other relevant initiatives not listed here that can be mapped using this initial survey as a starting point. One example of what is missing here would be the Broadcasting stations that promote direct access (TV Cultura in São Paulo and Canal Futura and TV Escola in Rio) and which have become relevant, since television is an important means of communication and entertainment in Brazil. Another missing element here are initiatives by NGOs and civil society, which, despite acting in more specific areas, still play an important role in promoting access to culture.

A few considerations can be made in light of this preliminary introduction. The first one would be the difference between the two states when it comes to their respective policy plans for the promotion of access: in Rio, there is greater participation by the federal government in partnerships responsible for the management of programs, whereas in São Paulo, programs are mostly managed by Cultural Social Organizations. Moreover, in São Paulo, when it comes to the private sector, the work done by SESC sets culture and permanent education as priority vectors of development and promotion of access through decentralized initiatives in its 35 facilities, whereas in Rio, Organizações Globo have an important role in the promotion of access through the support it provides to programs in the film industry. The historical and political context of both states has led to this structure, and criticism to any of these two models should not be made here.

In any case, we would like to point out some research sources that might be useful in assessing the status of access to culture in Brazil. Recent surveys on Cultural Habits carried out by the private sector, for example, could offer parameters to help measure current Brazilian cultural practices. To that end, a few surveys should be mentioned, such as: Públicos da Cultura - conducted in 2013 by Sesc Nacional in partnership with the Perseu Abramo Foundation, which had the support of SESC São Paulo teams, as well as Hábitos Culturais dos Cariocas (2013) (The Cultural Habits of Cariocas) and Hábitos Culturais dos Paulistas (The Cultural Habits of Paulistas), conducted in 2014 with the support of SESC São Paulo; both were carried out by JLeiva Research Institute . The two latter surveys can provide cross-section studies that are able to show public consumption levels in each specific artistic style (considering only activities outside the home) in relation to the demand for these services, indicating each cultural sector’s potential for growth. To bridge these gaps, national and international investments could be directed not only towards increasing demand (contributing to promoting access), but also qualifying and diversifying offerings.

Another source that can be useful when mapping cultural supply and the promotion of access is the Panorama Setorial da Cultura Brasileira (An Overview of Brazilian Culture by Sector) survey - which offers a display of the Brazilian artistic culture based on projects that received funds from Rouanet Act incentives. The first two volumes of the survey have been concluded: Panorama Setorial da Cultura Brasileira 2011/2012 - which studied the actors and enablers of artistic culture in Brazil - and Panorama Setorial da Cultura Brasileira 2013-2014 - which focused on the consumers of culture in order to understand the motivations behind art consumption by Brazilians. The last two volumes are yet to be published: the third survey, estimated to take place in 2015-2016, will analyze disseminators with a view to understanding their contributions to the industry and the enjoyment of cultural/artistic goods and services. To finalize, a fourth, interpretation and analysis, volume will cross-reference all the data and conclude the overview of the industry. Another interesting platform based on projects that received funds from Rouanet Act incentives, is Mostre!Me (Show! Me) - which identifies projects geographically and provides details on each one of them.

In recent years, Brazilian public authorities have attributed great importance to the development of cultural indicators. Therefore, we will include a few sources here that might prove useful in mapping initiatives: Pesquisa de Informações Básicas Municipais – Munic (Municipal Basic Information Survey) - conducted by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística – IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), Sistema de Informações e Indicadores Culturais SIIC (System of Information and Cultural Indicators) 2007-2010 (IBGE), Cultura em Números (Culture in Figures): an annual publication of cultural statistics 2009 (IBGE, MinC and IPEA), in addition to the digital platforms Sistema Nacional de Informações e Indicadores Culturais – SNIIC (National Cultural Information and Indicators System) - a collaborative platform, and Plano Nacional de Cultura – PNC (National Plan on Culture) - which allows targets to be monitored.

In conclusion, in order to have a policy – either public or private – to promote access to culture and guarantee cultural rights, it is not enough to increase the supply of cultural products and services. Such an increase should be accompanied by a policy that fosters demand and the desire for culture. To encourage demand means to recognize the many existing cultural practices of the population, and to give them their due value in the public policy plan, by allocating funds and offering the means for them to continue existing and reaching new audiences. In this context, promoting access to culture does not mean “to take” culture to citizens, but rather to ensure and encourage the already existing cultural diversity. It is these actual cultural practices that can draw individuals, based on artistic passions that have already blossomed in them, to new practices of production and enjoyment in which citizens can invent their own cultural objectives.

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