Cultural rights and the intersection between art, participation and identity were the topics in focus during the conference Cultural Rights: How do we put them into practice?.

The conference kicked off with a conversation between Jazmín Beirak, Director General of Cultural Rights at the Spanish Ministry of Culture, and Catarina Vaz Pinto, a consultant for culture and the arts, about the strategy of the newly created Spanish government office and its lines of action, as well as the role that the state and public policies can play in guaranteeing cultural rights.

This was followed by the first panel discussion, moderated by journalist Maria João Caetano, where the promotion of cultural rights was debated from the perspective of the community-based projects Chamadarte, Braba.plataforma and Unidigrazz and the Deaf artist and mediator Patrícia Carmo.

Actresses and directors Coco Reyes (Gitanas a Escena) and Maria Gil, musician and composer Edvânia Moreno and intercultural mediator Rajendra Shiwakoti gathered around the panel Art, participation and cultural identity, moderated by researcher Joana Simões Piedade, to share their experiences on the role of art in recognizing and expressing cultural identities and legacies.

Inês Henriques, project manager in the PARTIS & Art for Change team, presented the new Arte e Comunidade digital platform, which brings together publications, methodologies manuals and other resources on participatory art and access to culture in Portugal.

The conference ended with a closing comment from the poet Alice Neto de Sousa.