Cultural rights: how to put them into practice?

Isto é PARTIS & Art for Change 2025

Event Slider

In 2009, a United Nations Special Rapporteur on cultural rights was appointed for the first time. The goal was to bring greater visibility to cultural rights within the context of human rights. Fifteen years later, how are we defending culture as an essential right?

In 2025, the Isto é PARTIS & Art for Change conference focuses on the practice of cultural rights and the intersections between art, participation, and identity.

Jazmín Beirak, Director General for Cultural Rights at Spain’s Ministry of Culture, will deliver the opening keynote, highlighting the action lines of this new office. This will be followed by a conversation with cultural and arts consultant Catarina Vaz Pinto.

The panel that sets out the conference’s title will explore the promotion of cultural rights through the experience of community-based projects Chamadarte, Braba.plataforma, and Unidigrazz, as well as insights from deaf artist and mediator Patrícia Carmo.

The second panel will delve into the role of art in recognizing and expressing cultural identities and legacies, featuring actresses and theater directors Coco Reyes (Gitanas a Escenas) and Maria Gil, musician and composer Edvânia Moreno, and intercultural mediator Rajendra Shiwakoti.

Additionally, the new digital platform Arte e Comunidade (Art and Community) will be unveiled, offering publications, methodology manuals, and other resources on participatory art and access to culture in Portugal.

Image © Carlos Porfírio


Speakers


Programme

10:00 / Welcome

Cristina Casalinho – Executive Trustee of the Calouste Gulbenkian FoundationJosé Pena do Amaral – Member of the Strategic Council for Portugal of the “la Caixa” Foundation and of BPI's Social Responsibility Committee

10:30 / Directorate General of Cultural Rights

Jazmín Beirak – Director General of Cultural Rights for the Spanish Ministry of Culture
Moderator:
Catarina Vaz Pinto – Arts and culture consultant— Coffee-break —

11:45 / Cultural rights: how to put them into practice?

Clemente Tsamba – Associação Chamadarte Gaya de Medeiros – Braba.plataforma Patrícia Carmo – Artist and teacher of Portuguese Sign LanguageTristany Mundu – Associação Unidigrazz
Moderator:
Maria João Caetano – Journalist

14:45 / Art, participation and cultural identity

Coco Reyes – Stage director and actor Edvânia Moreno – MusicianMaria Gil – ActorRajendra Shiwakoti – Intercultural mediator
Moderator:
Joana Simões Piedade – Researcher— Coffee-break —

16:30 / Digital Platform ‘Art and Community’

New digital platform which brings together publications, methodology manuals and other resources on participative art and access to culture.
Inês Henriques – Project manager of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

16:50 / Closing comments

Alice Neto de Sousa – Poet

Funded by

An initiative by

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation reserves the right to collect and keep records of images, sounds and voice for the diffusion and preservation of the memory of its cultural and artistic activity. For further information, please contact us through the Information Request form.

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