By José Gandue @Gandour
The second edition of the event will take place in Bogotá from October 17th to 20th. Southern Cultural Industries Market (Micsur), an event designed to consolidate a platform for the knowledge, dissemination, promotion, circulation and marketing of goods and services generated by the cultural and creative industries of the region. In other words: To think of and conceive of culture as a vital sector for the growth of our countries' economies, where talent abounds, and where a lack of understanding of this concept leads many to refuse to connect the arts with job creation, social stability, and the development of thriving businesses. To learn about the aims and characteristics of this activity, we spoke with Adriana González Hassig, ccoordinator of Cultural Entrepreneurship Group of the Ministry of Culture of Colombia, the entity in charge of organizing this event.
What is Micsur?
Micsur is the cultural industries market of the south. It brings together six sectors (design, music, performing arts, publishing, audiovisual, animation and video games). In an initiative taken by ten countries, their cultural institutes and ministries, without an organizing body. The first Micsur was in 2014 in Mar del Plata. The 2016 edition was hosted by Bogotá, and the 2018 edition will be in Brazil. The idea is to present a consolidated offering., a single showcase of all cultural goods and services, through a business forum, networking activities, music and performing arts presentations, a stage for audiovisual and animated works, as well as business meetings and an academic program. But the heart of Micsur, It's the business roundtable and networking activities.
How receptive are the Micsur countries to buying the cultural products of their partners?
Actually, it's not being measured by that standard right now. We know that There is an acceleration in intra-regional demand, which will soon be comparable to European demand. We also know that there is a need for alliances to improve the circulation of goods produced in the region. The Micsur forum allows us to examine what exists and how it can circulate in a more efficient and organized way., and above all more beneficial for everyone involved. We are currently on the second version of the market and It is important to consolidate the offer, Then, we can begin to measure the effects and impact within the region. That starts to become an indicator, more or less from the fourth edition onwards.
How aware are the governments of the region of the importance of culture as an economic sector?
It's becoming more and more visible. Colombia is a pioneer in the region with the measurement of the satellite account of culture. This yields a striking result: in 2013, culture accounted for 1.61% of GDP. This is equivalent to the contribution of coal mining, for example. Argentina, although it does not have a satellite account, has its own measurements that yield even more favorable results, at around 51% of GDP. Productivity divisions exist in all countries of the region. or groups like the Cultural Entrepreneurship group in Colombia, who are increasingly better at this measurement, as it is the one that allows them to improve their arguments when requesting budgets for the promotion of culture.
What is needed for the reality you describe to be understood by all economic and social actors in a country?
The magnitude of the cultural sector's impact on a country's economy is being understood little by little. There are nations that rely on it as one of their main sources of income, Many of them are associated with cultural tourism, such as France or Mexico, or with the entertainment industry, as is the case in California. The measurements are very telling for economists and can convince public opinion. It is a construction that must be done jointly between the cultural sectors and institutions.
How can the general public get involved with Micsur's activities?
Micsur has an agenda open to the public at two main points: On the mornings of the 18th, 19th and 20th there is an academic agenda at the Corferias auditorium From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Musical performances take place from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m. onwards in the Corferias Grand Hall. There is also a full program of additional events prepared by Idartes, and several live performances by Brazil and Argentina. The program is available online at www.micsur.org
Finally, what results do you expect from this edition of Micsur?
For now We expect a successful business roundtable. And by successful we mean that it meets its objectives: that the schedules are attended to at 100%, and that we can follow up on the offer during the next 24 months to better understand and perfect the characteristics of the market. We are also investing in a platform for the performing arts, called Palco. This platform will complement the work of familiarizing programmers worldwide with Colombian performing arts. The performing arts are at a point where they need to accelerate their development, and we are establishing the necessary infrastructure for this with Palco.
We want to be leaders in Micsur maintenance, and that it becomes an undisputed event for all interested parties in South America and cultural managers in our region.
This is a sample of the music that will be played at the Micsur 2016 auditions: