This Thursday, the Culture Commission was finally installed in the Senate of the Republic and with it six of the nine legislators who will integrate it during the LXVI Legislature were presented.
The president of this commission, Senator Beatriz Mojica Morga, whose responsibility had been previously announced, is joined by María Martina Kantún Can (Morena), who will serve as secretary, and as members: María Guadalupe Murguía Gutiérrez (PAN), who is coordinator of his parliamentary group; Ivideliza Reyes Hernández (PAN), Javier Corral Jurado (Morena) and Susana Harp Iturribarría (Morena).
Harp Iturribarría chaired this same commission during the last two legislatures, while for the present he will assume the presidency of the Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation Commission, which, judging by its members and those of the Culture Commission, will have a Frank opportunity for transversal work. And Senators Harp, Murguía and Reyes, as well as Senator Corral, make up both groups.
“A source of economic development”
During the installation session of the Culture Commission, President Mojica highlighted that this is a transcendental moment for the country’s culture and explained: “because culture is not only the living expression of our identity but also the indispensable engine of development in Mexico, and that’s how we have to think about it.”
He recognized that unequal access to artistic manifestations persists in the country, “the lack of support for creators, and the deterioration of our historical heritage.” For this reason, he urged work on necessary legislation to address these issues, “with special emphasis on those sectors that have historically been marginalized and underrepresented.”
Immediately afterwards, he stressed: “we must recognize that culture is also a source of economic development. The promotion of creative industries is an engine for job creation and the revitalization of our economy. Investing in culture not only preserves our history, but also generates culture.”
For this reason, he assured that “in this commission we will support so that the budget assigned to culture is sufficient and distributed equitably, taking into account the needs of both the large cities and the communities of the country. “The protection of our cultural heritage is an obligation that should not wait.”
He expressed the willingness of this group to link with cultural authorities, artists, cultural communities and academics.
More money for the sector
The first of the statements was that of Senator María Murguía Gutiérrez, who expressed: “we require more resources to finance culture. Our artists demand a greater number of supports and complain that in many cases the resources remain centralized, mainly in the country’s capital. This implies that in various entities with enormous cultural wealth, resources are insufficient.”
He returned to UNESCO’s recommendation on the desirable designation of 2% of GDP to the cultural field, when in Mexico, he said, this area has received between 0.2 and 0.4% in recent years. “This has resulted in a deterioration in cultural infrastructure, a reduction in funds for research projects and heritage conservation, and not a full recognition that culture is an important economic engine.”
For her part, Senator Harp pointed out that one of the palpable changes of the administration that concluded and a feeling of continuity in which it begins “is that culture is not just the fine arts, which were always taken for granted: opera, ballet, contemporary dance. Of course that is part of the culture, but the indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples and communities also have the beautiful arts that will be very present in this six-year term.”
Javier Corral, in the next turn, returned to the relevance of making this commission a space for dialogue and dialogue with the cultural sectors “where we not only look for how to recover those resources and funds but also rebuild some bridges, rebuild the dialogue with the cultural sector ”.
Finally, Senator María Kantún stated that the recent reform to Article 2 of the Constitution is an advance in the comprehensive recognition of the cultural rights of indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities and peoples. “This legal framework not only strengthens our national identity but also promotes an intercultural dialogue necessary to build a more just country. Culture must be seen as a priority on our political agenda.”
Another addition to the Ministry of Culture
Returning to the words of Javier Corral, he told the jurist and specialist in cultural rights and heritage Diego Armando Guerrero García, who was present at the session and to whom he introduced himself as a liaison for the Ministry of Culture, “to convey to the secretary that this “The commission wants to be an ally and we are going to help it recover resources and position the cultural agenda in the public life of the country.”
The Economist consulted the Social Communication area of the Ministry of Culture about the position that Dr. Guerrero García will have, and it confirmed that the jurist is part of the team headed by Claudia Curiel de Icaza, but indicated that the responsibility he will have within the dependency will be announced later.
Culture Commission – Senate of the Republic
This is how it is integrated so far:
Presidency:
- Beatriz Mojica Morga (Morena)
Secretariat
- María Martina Kantún Can (Morena)
To be defined
Members:
- Susana Harp Iturribaría (Morena)
- Javier Corral Jurado (Morena)
- María Guadalupe Murguía Gutiérrez (PAN)
- Ivideliza Reyes Hernández (PAN)
To be defined
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