Network of Cultural Centres, Spanish Cooperation. Culture as a necessary framework for sustainable development

Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda

For over 30 years, Spanish Cooperation has argued that culture is an element of crucial importance in the international agenda. This view was expressed forcefully in the Culture and Development Strategy Paper, published in 2007, which set out our conviction that culture is fundamental to the construction of global citizenship and to universal, comprehensive development. While culture is not explicitly mentioned in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this vision is present in the 2030 Agenda, where the concept of culture is implicit in many of its objectives and in the introductory statement. In 2018, once the mandate was issued to implement the 2030 Agenda, the Spanish Government submitted its Action Plan for a Sustainable Development Strategy, thus reinforcing Spain’s commitment to the global agenda. Of the ten transformative measures proposed, two are of special relevance to Spanish Cooperation; the First Measure defines the 2030 Agenda as a fundamental pillar of Spanish foreign action, while the Fifth states that cultural action should be employed as a key element in the transformation, dissemination and application of the Agenda. Broadly speaking, this is the context of the NCC. In the years to come, its actions will be focused on converting the above mandate into concrete actions in line with the Agenda, in which culture will be addressed from a broad perspective, as an exercise in solidarity, seeking to achieve greater equality on the global stage. This undertaking must be approached with respect for and encouragement of cultural diversity, which we consider to be part of the great heritage of humanity. Supporting participation in cultural life should be seen as a good practice favouring sustainable human development. Moreover, the NCC should contribute to producing a comprehensive discourse, with an open-door policy to other approaches, such as inclusion, gender diversity, the environment and a culture of peace and innovation both for society at large and for the constituent members and goals of Spanish Cooperation.

II. The Network of Cultural Centres, acting within local ecosystems

The recent proliferation of cultural facilities in Spain is paralleled by that of AECID cultural centres abroad. In each sphere, the aim of these initiatives is to highlight dynamic, innovative and creative aspects of our society. Regional and local administrations have spearheaded this institutional and social commitment, working to promote culture in multiple ways. The cultural centres opened by Spanish Cooperation are intended to provide areas of citizenship, participation and exchange, where citizens’ groups can organise, thus creating important spaces of democratic legitimacy. Many centres work closely with international artists and institutions, facilitating the entry and acceptance of innovative ideas. Within this context, the operative model of the Spanish cultural centres has taken shape through an inverse process. Institutions that had originally focused on international promotion and cooperation gradually evolved into spaces that became better known for their locally-oriented cultural policies. Whether due to their own nature or to the lack of equivalent alternatives in the proximity, the centres formed close relations with local society, providing instruments and resources and promoting local creative experiences. In consequence, the NCC constitutes the main platform within many countries – apart from major cultural infrastructures such as museums and libraries – for developing and applying policies of cultural cooperation and promotion. The NCC has progressively advanced towards a model in which culture is viewed as a component of development, and thus a necessary aspect of AECID policies. Spanish Cooperation has supported this approach, which is now shared by most of the parties involved. In this respect, the main focus of cultural policies implemented overseas has shifted away from strategies basically intended to disclose, publicise and internationalise our own cultural productions, towards new and enriching perspectives. Therefore, the NCC currently seeks to foster cultural and scientific cooperation as a means of supporting development. The cultural centres are expected to operate and expand within this broad field of action, in the belief that the cultural dimension both accompanies and drives economic and social development, in all countries, and contributes to social cohesion and sustainable development. Most of the countries in which the NCC is present share certain features that impact on the development of their societies. The cultural centres work to eradicate poverty and inequality, to promote and defend human rights and cultural diversity, to protect and safeguard the cultural heritage, to combat climate change, to support gender equality and to achieve a peaceful and inclusive society in which all may exercise their full global citizenship rights – via the medium of culture. One of the elements that significantly characterises the work of the cultural centres is their interaction with society, in most cases, playing a very significant role within the local cultural fabric. In general, the more central the position of the cultural centre within the local ecosystem, the more pronounced its role. Of course, individual situations vary, but basically there is an inverse correlation between the cultural power of the territory and the role played by the cultural centre in question. In other words, in more dynamic cultural ecosystems, the cultural centre tends to play a secondary role, and vice versa. According to their centrality within the local ecosystem, the AECID cultural centres can be grouped into different types. Some play a significant role in cultural promotion but are less effective as agents for

cooperation. Others, perhaps in a national capital where the cultural scene is highly concentrated, may be located in a less prominent space in the local environment. Finally, some are equipped to take significant action in cultural promotion and also have the potential to promote culturally-related development in the local context. In summary, the AECID cultural centres seek to work in harmony with local actors, to promote Spanish culture and to present a favourable image of the country. In addition to the high-quality cultural programming offered, these centres have become well established as open, inclusive and unifying spaces for public participation, facilitating access to culture, strengthening the Ibero-American cultural space and helping create networks where cultural interests may be fostered and exchanged.

III. Areas of action

The cultural centres provide spaces for public participation, in coordination with local counterparts (institutions and civil society organisations). In this, they employ a multi-part strategy, in which scheduled events are related to development, cooperation and cultural promotion. This action spans three broad areas:

1. Culture and development: promotion of culture as a tool for development

Taking the Culture and Development Strategy Paper (published by Spanish

Cooperation in 2007) as a reference, the cultural centres address the following strategic areas: training human capital for cultural management through the

ACERCA Programme; the political and economic dimensions of culture in its contribution to development; the relationship and complementarity between education and culture; the sustainable management of the cultural heritage for development; the relationship between communication and culture with respect to development; and the promotion of processes for the recognition of cultural rights.

2. Cultural cooperation: fostering culture among equals

The cultural centres promote bilateral and multilateral relations with countries, institutions and cultural actors, via exchanges among creative, intellectual and scientific communities and the implementation of joint projects. In addition, relations and exchanges between Spanish cultural institutions and similar institutions in partner countries are encouraged. Multilateral cultural cooperation is promoted, mainly in the context of the European Union and

UNESCO. Finally, the centres contribute to strengthening the Ibero-American

Cultural Space and foster the creation of new networks, while supporting the consolidation of those already in existence, in all areas of culture.

3. Cultural promotion: encouraging culture as an element of external projection

To promote Spanish culture, in its diverse forms and languages, the cultural centres favour internationalisation, advocating the inclusion of artistic and creative communities and of cultural activities in general within international networks. The centres, thus, facilitate the presence of the cultural sector in international events, promoting the Hispanic cultural heritage and encouraging the use of the Spanish language and of the co-official languages of Spain.

Book fair, supported by the Honduras Cultural Centre, at Redondel de los Artesanos in Tegucigalpa (Honduras)

In the latter respect, inter-institutional coordination is especially important, in order to harmonise the interests and activities of the various organisations in Spain with mandates related to cultural action abroad. The cultural centres, therefore, follow the guidelines set out by the AECID Directorate of Cultural and Scientific Relations – following the principle of unity of actions overseas – in order to ensure appropriate coordination with Spanish institutions active in this field (such as Instituto Cervantes, the Ministry of Culture, Spanish Cultural Action (AC/E) and the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), as well as with the Autonomous Communities (regions) and local agencies. The boundaries of the above-mentioned areas of action are often blurred. Thus, a promotion-oriented activity may have a positive impact on cultural development both in the initiating country and in the territory where the activity takes place; furthermore, there may also be components of cooperation and dialogue. The outcome is like a room full of mirrors, in which the role of the beneficiary is constantly changing. For example, in the exhibition The Prado Museum in the Streets, organised by the cultural centre of Bata-Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), in collaboration with El Prado, we might inquire, who is the real beneficiary: the people of Equatorial Guinea who visited the exhibition? The students of the National University of Equatorial Guinea who attended the workshop prior to the exhibition and who later guided the school visits? The Spanish people and the museum, for the dissemination of their heritage? Probably, the only answer possible is that the initiative produces benefits for a variety of subjects. This apparent paradox is one of the most interesting aspects of the cultural cooperation activities organised by the network of cultural centres.

Students visiting the exhibition El Museo del Prado, on the waterfront at Bata (Equatorial Guinea), 2016

Mulïer, A show by the Spanish company Maduixa, presented in the historic city centre of San Salvador.

IV. The Cultural Centres as agents of cooperation

Spain’s cultural centres have established themselves as dynamic and diverse agents of cooperation for development. Apart from their defence and promotion of cultural diversity, these centres have made a special impact in areas such as fostering public participation, the recovery of public spaces, preventing violence, advancing regional integration and strengthening public and private cultural institutions. The cultural centres are recognised by their counterparts as active, flexible and innovative partners which, in addressing ever-changing priorities, act in accordance with the strategic paper published by Spanish Cooperation and at the same time with the 2030 Agenda, whilst taking the local context very much into account. The centres also represent important communicative spaces for development, and provide valuable meeting points for cooperation agencies, beneficiaries and the general public. In addition to highlighting the projects undertaken by Spanish Cooperation, they raise the profile of work done by NGOs and supranational entities, by presenting initiatives, launching campaigns or simply informing society about the cooperation work performed. Finally, let us draw attention to two essential qualities of the network of cultural centres of Spanish Cooperation: on the one hand, their multifaceted role as hybrid agents of cooperation, which enables them to establish good relationships with a wide range of actors, thanks to their long experience and profound knowledge of local contexts. On the other hand, the centres enjoy a multi-sectoral capacity of involvement, which allows them to reach out to other sectors through programmatic actions, both locally and regionally.

Cultural centres as hybrid agents of cooperation

One of the advantages offered by Spanish Cooperation, with respect to other benefactors – and one that is internationally acknowledged – is the existence of different types of cooperation units within the countries involved: thus, according to local circumstances, there may be technical cooperation offices, training centres and/or cultural centres. Thanks to this variety of options, which are now well established, especially in the case of the cultural centres, Spanish Cooperation is able to create networks with different types of structures, as needed, and to generate a range of relationships with a broad spectrum of actors in the partner countries. As the cultural centres are identified as agents of AECID and therefore are recognised by local institutions as areas of governmental cooperation, they are able to undertake major projects with the corresponding ministries. On the other hand, they are also perceived as agents with a non-institutional profile, often operating in a way comparable with the work carried out in the private sector. One of the characteristics of the NCC, with respect to day-to-day work with associations, creative groups and other social entities, is that the cultural centres play a role similar to that of an NGO, involving proximity to civil society in the partner country in question. As a result of this characteristic, the cultural centres often become mediators in cooperation activities and may offer direct support to local organisations.

This confluence of stakeholders in the activities performed by the cultural centres means that in many countries the spaces thus created and employed have facilitated the legitimisation of civil society, presenting a supportive commitment to development and providing a forum for debate, without fear of confrontation, and for critical thought. In many cases, moreover, the cultural centres exert a degree of political influence, via their support and accompaniment of civil entities. These characteristics, together with the centres’ proximity to civil society, have not gone unnoticed by other international organisations of cooperation. With their direct, visible actions, the cultural centres are frequent partners of multilateral organisations, other agencies of cooperation, embassies and NGOs (the latter, in particular, often view the cultural centres as entities they can work with or to which they can present their actions). This hybrid functionality may have arisen from the advantages offered by the vocation of cultural cooperation and of exchanges between equals, which establish ties of complicity with public institutions and with civil society. Lastly, as the cultural space thus provided is permanent, open to all and with access for public participation, the centres are uniquely transparent about what they do and why, not only to Spanish society but also to our partner countries.

The cultural centres as multi-sectoral agents of cooperation

The cultural centres are an acknowledged force for good in the area of culture and development, and have a record of achievements in fields such as cultural heritage and diversity, gender mainstreaming, human rights and the environment. In addition to questions of culture per se, in recent years their work has extended to include collaboration with other sectors (including education, gender issues, governance and the environment), an expansion that has heightened the integration between these centres and other agents of cooperation in local contexts. Through their cultural programmes and projects, the centres have contributed to programmes aimed at preventing violence and at supporting the development of the economic fabric, among other areas. These collaborations, with different degrees of synergy, have taken place most intensively over the last decade. Through this development, the cultural centres have matured and acquired experience as agents of cooperation, entering into alliances with many other actors – institutional, private, from other areas of Spanish Cooperation, local and multilateral – to carry out specific plans or programmes, thus enhancing local ownership and alignment with partner countries. Finally, the current Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation (2018-2021), in its evolution and strategic orientation towards the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda, has helped focus efforts, enhancing dialogue with partner countries and facilitating a strategic framework in which the cultural centres may continue to function within a broader horizon.

V. Culture is development

Further examining the work of the cultural centres in terms of development, their activities can be grouped into the following main areas (each concerning a specific aspect of the Strategy for Culture and Development): culture and citizenship;

Poster for the Transtravesti reading group in the Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre in Asunción (Paraguay)

Poster for a debate on girls and videogames, in the Juan de Salazar Cultural Centre in Asunción (Paraguay)

cultural and creative entrepreneurship; institutional strengthening and the defence and promotion of cultural diversity.

Culture and citizenship

The cultural centres have been putting the ideals of Spanish Cooperation into practice for many years, consolidating democratic processes by promoting the participation and involvement of civil society. By implementing joint projects, training local actors, presenting and publicising their actions and, above all, by creating and applying a transparent model of institutional intervention, the cultural centres have helped strengthen the existence of an organised and participative citizenship, based on cultural and social agents playing an active role in transparently equitable processes, with ongoing dialogue and, in some cases, new forms of sustainable, replicable collective cultural management. In this area, the cultural centres have played an essential role in promoting the defence of vulnerable groups, with particular respect to cultural identity and individual rights, indigenous and African-descendant communities and social groups at risk of exclusion. Regarding the defence of women’s rights and the promotion of gender equality, the cultural centres have advocated the recognition of formal, real equality, organising campaigns on political, economic, social, cultural and sexual and reproductive rights. Initiatives have also been undertaken to collaborate with feminist and women’s organisations.

Some of the countries where the cultural centres are located have suffered rising levels of public insecurity, a deterioration that has had a direct impact on development. In consequence, the cultural centres have reinforced their efforts in the field of violence prevention and have sought to foster education for a culture of peace. In this respect, the cultural centres support or take joint action with local associations and groups to implement strategies for the public good, actively seeking the recovery of public spaces, promoting the collective ownership of such spaces and generating areas for meeting and socialisation.

Cultural and creative entrepreneurship

After many years during which the cultural centres have supported artistic creation and dissemination by local communities – a task that continues to form an essential aspect of the centres’ activities – different forms of promoting cultural and creative initiatives are now being considered. Culture forms an intrinsic part of complex production chains and processes, due to technological advances and changes in the media and in public access to cultural products. In consequence, cultural content must address different levels of the market, and cultural and creative industries must devise new ways to create, produce and distribute their products. In this respect, the cultural centres have sponsored training programmes focused on cultural management and technical training in the sector. A good example of this is the “media labs”, which seek to enhance proficiencies in digital cultural creation. This new approach has led to the creation of laboratories

Laboratorio de Ciudadanía Digital, a project jointly sponsored by the Spanish Cultural Centre, Fundación Telefónica and Ateneo Español in Mexico.

and start-up incubators, enhancing the creative economy and enabling ties to be established with fields such as technology, innovation and tourism, and highlighting the importance of creative services and content. The centres provide training according to the needs of the project, generate ideas for future business, and study their formulation, implementation and feasibility. In short, the cultural centres accompany artistic and cultural initiatives from their birth to the final implementation. On occasion, the cultural centres’ work in the field of entrepreneurship parallels business and public-sector initiatives related to corporate social responsibility (CSR), as the cultural sector is an area with great potential for the development and application of CSR practices, thus generating a solid framework for the negotiation of economic and social matters.

Institutional strengthening

Since its inception, Spanish Cooperation has sought to develop the skills of publicservice personnel within partner countries. In this context, the cultural centres have contributed significantly to the establishment and implementation of training programmes, working in close collaboration with the corresponding institutions. In addition to specifically cultural affairs, the centres also provide resources to other areas in which its policies may foster social inclusion, such as gender equality and the protection/inclusion of especially vulnerable groups. Thus, some centres have participated in the provision and implementation of policies targeting cultural fields, while in other cases they have worked to promote public participation, especially at the local level, i.e. in individual municipalities, where such action may still be only incipient, thus contributing to processes of decentralisation. Finally, in most of the countries in which Spanish Cooperation is active, work has been done to help strengthen civil society. In this context, the cultural centres play a very significant role in the functioning of regional networks, both public and private, across the entire cultural spectrum.

Cultural diversity

Respect for cultural freedom and the promotion of diversity are fundamental principles of Spanish Cooperation, and these values have been incorporated in the successive Master Plans that have guided its work. In this respect, too, the introduction to the 2030 Agenda Declaration emphasises the importance of granting recognition and respect to cultural diversity, and highlights the potential contribution of all cultures and civilisations to sustainable development. The promotion and defence of cultural expressions is probably the most widely-recognised work performed by the cultural centres. Their actions in this field are coordinated with other agencies within Spanish Cooperation and with international institutions (including UNESCO, the Organisation of Ibero-American States, and SICA, the Central American Integration System), reflecting the fact that the work performed involves strategic actions that in many cases must be addressed beyond national frontiers. Spanish Cooperation outlines the path to be followed by the cultural centres in promoting access to culture, heritage and cultural diversity, which we consider

to be a global public good and a basic element of sustainable human development. In addition, the centres normally support and apply the proposals set out in international framework documents on cultural questions, taking the view that in order to address and overcome the challenges presented in the global agenda, it is essential to create culturally inclusive and diverse societies. The cultural centres are closely integrated into their respective environments and have a profound understanding of local and national contexts. Thus, they are perfectly equipped to promote respect for cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and freedom of expression and creation, and to foster the effective participation of citizens in cultural life.

VI. Spanish Cooperation Cultural Centres: looking towards the future

The main strength of the Spanish Cooperation Cultural Centres is the singularity and flexibility of the model they embody, by which diverse types of action can be undertaken, in accordance with the needs of different contexts, ranging from more conventional content to innovative, cross-cutting projects. This multi-faceted nature enables the centres to implement projects of international importance whilst at the same time maintaining basic cultural services. In many cases they have become reference-level institutions, without renouncing the freedom to be unconventional. By the very nature of its governance, the Network of Cultural Centres has a fluid, changing character, but each centre remains closely connected with the environment in which it is located. As agents of Spanish Cooperation, having become consolidated as a very significant influence in their local contexts, the cultural centres must continue to

play an active part in safeguarding the intrinsic relationship between sustainable development and cultural concerns. The main way in which this can be achieved is by putting into practice culture’s instrumental role towards the environment, by implementing the great potential offered by the creative community for generating dialogue on climate change, and by inspiring the will to take action. The cultural centres need to be more ambitious in seeking the full incorporation within society of the groups addressed in the inclusive spaces of their facilities and activities. Beyond promoting gender equality and the participation and recognition of the LGBTIQ community, as well as facilitating unrestricted access for persons with different capacities, these groups should also take part in the corresponding planning and programming. In the coming years, cultural models will continue to evolve significantly, in their forms of creation and dissemination, in types of access and participation and in how they relate to other sectors. In order to react appropriately and adapt to new situations, the cultural centres must accentuate the characteristics that have enabled them to become an essential part of diverse communities and environments, with varying levels of development and social complexity. The challenge to be addressed in creating a model for the future is – without renouncing the diversity of the centres’ actions, representatives and approaches – to identify the exact balance required in each context and, within the framework of the new global agenda, to maintain their commitment to sustainability, inclusion and the potential of networking. Cultural models will inevitably evolve in important ways, in terms of creation and dissemination, of accessibility and participation, and of relations with other sectors. If the cultural centres are to react and adapt accordingly, they must take careful stock of exactly what has made them such successful agents, namely their capacity to form part of such variegated communities and environments, where social situations present multiple levels of development and complexity. Therein lies the challenge of the model. Without renouncing the diversity of our scope of action and of the persons responsible for putting our plans into practice, we must achieve an appropriate balance in each context, within the framework of the new global agenda, in order to maintain our commitment to sustainability, inclusion and the benefits available from an interconnected existence as a network of agents.

11

18 10 9 17

8 16 7

6

5

3 4

15 14

1 2

1213

1312

Red de Centros CulturalesNetwork of Cultural Centres, de la Cooperación EspañolaSpanish Cooperation

Unidades de Cooperación en el ExteriorOverseas Cooperation Units

1. CCE Buenos AiresCultural Centre of Spain in Buenos Aires 2. CCE MontevideoCultural Centre of Spain in Montevideo 3. CCE Santiago de ChileCultural Centre of Spain in Santiago de Chile 4. CCE AsunciónCultural Centre of Spain in Asunción 5. CCE La PazCultural Centre of Spain in La Paz 6. CCE LimaCultural Centre of Spain in Lima 7. CCE Santo DomingoCultural Centre of Spain in Santo Domingo 8. CCE San JoséCultural Centre of Spain in San José 9. CCE TegucigalpaCultural Centre of Spain in Tegucigalpa 10. CCE San SalvadorCultural Centre of Spain in San Salvador 11. CCE Ciudad de MéxicoCultural Centre of Spain in Ciudad de México 12. CCE BataCultural Centre of Spain in Bata 13. CCE MalaboCultural Centre of Spain in Malabo

Centros asociados a la Cooperación EspañolaCentres Associated with Spanish Cooperation

14. CCE RosarioCultural Centre of Spain in Rosario 15. CCE CórdobaCultural Centre of Spain in Córdoba 16. CCE PanamáCultural Centre of Spain in Panamá 17. CCE ManaguaCultural Centre of Spain in Managua 18. CCE GuatemalaCultural Centre of Spain in Guatemala

ARGENTINA Cultural Centre of Spain in Buenos Aires

Address

Paraná 1159, CP 1018, Buenos Aires

Opened

1988

Web

http://www.cceba.org.ar/