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Cayman Islands Represented at Americas Cultural Summit 2019
The Cayman Islands through the Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF) was invited by the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies to participate in the 2019 Americas Cultural Summit hosted by Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology of Argentina with the theme of “Cultural Change in a Diverse Territory” held in Buenos Aires from 27th to 29th June 2019.
CNCF Chairman, Martyn Bould, represented the Cayman Islands, at the Summit, and given the recent adoption of the National Culture and Heritage Policy & Strategic Plan for the Cayman Islands 2017-2026, the Summit provided a great opportunity to review how well the Cayman Islands has developed its strategy in preserving our heritage and is developing our cultural awareness against some 20 other countries in the Americas.
The theme of the Summit noted that cultural experience in the Americas is subject to emerging phenomena and new paradigms; communication in the digital era; social movements that promote gender equality and call for conservative practices and views to be deconstructed; migration flows that expand our environments and perspectives; the rise of collaborative culture and networking hyper-connectivity; digital inclusion; environmental issues; and the resurgence of movements and minorities fighting for their rights. In what conversations should the cultural and artistic fields engage to rethink the agreements and disagreements of the diverse Americas region?
Cultural representatives from some 20 countries from North, Central and South America and the Caribbean listened to presentations and debated the Summit’s theme including Building Cultural Citizenship in a Diverse Territory, Deconstructing Cultural Models, On the Cultural Horizon: Dilemmas and Opportunities of the Digital Experience, Cultural Experience in a Digital Key and Coordinates for the Future.
Following the presentations a workshop was held which gave an opportunity for IFACCA members and cultural officials in government agencies, designers of public policies and leading cultural managers to engage in dialogue and address the issues covered during the presentations from a practical and concise viewpoint and propose solutions to the many problems raised.
The Summit provided an invaluable opportunity for the Cayman Islands to network with regional cultural leaders and policy makers and to showcase the strides Cayman has made having published its Culture and Heritage Policy and Strategic Plan.
