CULTUROPOLIS invites you to reflect on and discuss cultural rights. How do we define cultural rights? What kind of mechanisms do we need to guarantee them for all?

CULTUROPOLIS: international days on cultural rights focus on the following four areas:

Cultural work and sustainability

The framework of cultural rights also includes the right to work in the cultural sector under decent conditions. All the necessary tasks for culture must be recognised and valued, not only the most visible ones. We must approach gender, class, age, origin, and territorial inequalities, among others, that occur in cultural work from an intersectional perspective and ensure the economic, social and environmental sustainability of cultural work.

Diversities

This area tackles the diversity of identities included in cultural rights (gender, sexual, ethnic, language, origin, trajectory, etc.) and the difficulties that may occur in regard to freely experiencing this diversity.

There is a need to tackle the insufficient presence and visibility of diversities in cultural expressions and practices, as well as in participation and the decision-making capacity inherent in the design of cultural policies.

Participation and communities

There are various conditions that affect the right to participate in the city’s cultural life, as well as the various forms of participation. This area tackles the various ways of exercising cultural rights in a collective fashion, analysing the opportunities and challenges involved in experiencing culture as a community.

Digital environments

There is a direct relationship between cultural rights and digital rights. The digitalisation of culture, as well as social and economic life as a whole, has opened up new possibilities for access and participation, but also for reproducing and creating new inequalities that condition cultural rights. The circulation of content, the ability to access it and facilitate its use are all part of this area.

Barcelona City Council and Culture Action Europe are jointly organising the sessions, with the collaboration of UCLG – United Cities and Local Governments.

The 2022 edition of Culture Action Europe “Beyond the Obvious” conference joins CULTUROPOLIS this year.

The CULTUROPOLIS programme will include discussion panels, the presentation of good practices, an academic congress and an artistic programme.