Explorez Digest

21 DIVERSITY OF FICTIONAL CONTENT ON PUBLIC TELEVISION (ALTERNATIVE INDICATOR): 25% (2013) 

18 PERCEPTION OF GENDER EQUALITY (ALTERNATIVE INDICATOR): 62% (2013)

14 TOLERANCE OF OTHER CULTURES (ALTERNATIVE INDICATOR): 59.9% (2001)

2 CULTURAL EMPLOYMENT: 3.1% (2012)
 
In 2012, 3.1% of the employed population in Uruguay had cultural occupations, 43% of which were women and 57% men. 83% of these individuals held central cultural occupations, while 17% held occupations in supporting or equipment related activities. The sub-sectors that contributed the most to national cultural employment include handicraft workers (22.5%); architects, planners, surveyors and designers (17.7%); teachers of arts and culture (16.2%); and creative and performing artists (11.7%).

Though this result already emphasizes culture’s importance as a provider of employment and wellbeing in the country, the global contribution of the culture sector to employment is underestimated in this indicator due to the difficulty of obtaining and correlating all the relevant data. This figure likely does not cover all informal employment in the culture sector due to the reluctance of some participants to convey such occupations during official surveys. In addition, this figure does not cover induced occupations with a strong link to culture or non-cultural occupations performed in cultural establishments. Nevertheless, in regards to the latter constraint, an additional indicator illustrates that 2.8% of the total employed population worked in cultural establishments in 2012, highlighting a similarity to the core indicator and reinforcing its validity.

To further enhance culture’s economic role, Uruguay has adopted a cluster policy for culture sub-sectors, which promotes links between companies, research institutions, private sector institutions and government bodies in order to promote the activity of each sub-sector with an emphasis on economic contributions and the development of each sub-sector as a creator of income, exports, employment and wellbeing.

3 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES ON CULTURE: 3.08% (2005-2006)

In Uruguay, 3.08% of household consumption expenditures were devoted to cultural activities, goods and services in the year of 2005-2006. 72.8% was spent on central cultural goods and services, and 27.2% on equipment/supporting goods and services. The consumption of cultural services was responsible for the largest share of central goods and services consumed (48%). Cultural services include entry fees to cinemas, museums, theatres, concerts, national parks and heritage sites, the hire of equipment for culture (televisions, video cassettes) etc. The purchase of books was responsible for the second largest share of central goods and services consumed (13%), and the repair of equipment for the reception, recording and reproduction of sound and pictures (such as televisions, radios, stereos etc.) was responsible for the largest shares of equipment/supporting goods and services (13%).

This result suggests a significant demand for cultural goods, though variations in the consumption of cultural goods and services can be noted across income quintiles suggesting that an increase in consumption of cultural goods corresponds to an increase in wealth. This data should be taken into account when analyzing policies and mechanisms in place to permit individuals of all income groups to participate in cultural activities and the consumption of cultural goods and services.
 
Though already significant, this final result of 3.08% is a sub-estimation of the total actual consumption of households. It does not account for the value of cultural goods and services acquired by households and provided by non-profit institutions at prices that are not economically significant (e.g. in-kind transfers). For example, it does not include museum and public library services and free public cultural events.

>> While the Economy indicators suggest that there is a non-negligible demand for the consumption of cultural goods, services and activities, and that culture is already a significant employer, cross-analysis with CDIS indicators from the Communication and Governance dimensions suggests that the potential for production and the domestic consumption of cultural goods could be further enhanced by reinforcing support of local cultural industries and the equal distribution of cultural infrastructures.

4 INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: 0.96/1 (2011)

‘Secular, free and compulsory’ education has been installed in Uruguay since the Valerian Reform in 1876. Primary education is accessible to nearly all citizens since the second half of the twentieth century, and the illiteracy rate is low amongst Uruguayans. Within this context, the result of 0.96/1 reflects the success of national authorities in guaranteeing the fundamental cultural right to education in a complete, fair and inclusive manner. This result shows that on average, the target population aged 17-22 has 9.8 years of schooling, which is only slightly below the targeted average of 10 years. In addition, only a very small minority of 2% of the target population lives in education deprivation, having less than 4 years of schooling. This result shows that public authorities’ efforts have been overwhelmingly successful in assuring that citizens enjoy the cultural right to an education, and participate in the construction and transmission of values, attitudes and cultural skills throughout school, as well as benefit from the personal and social empowerment of learning. Nevertheless, to further enhance education opportunities in the country, targeted policies may still be necessary to address high repetition rates in primary school, educational underachievement and high dropout rates in high school, which continue to be highlighted as key obstacles by the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Education and Culture (2011).

5 MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION: 49.5% (2011)

The Education Act of 2008 states that “language education will aim to develop the communication skills of individuals, mastery of written language, respect for linguistic diversity, reflection on language, the consideration of the different mother tongues in the country (Uruguayan Spanish, Uruguayan Portuguese, Uruguayan Sign Language), and multilingual education through the teaching of second languages and foreign languages” (Article 42).

In 2011, 49.5% of the hours to be dedicated to languages in the first two years of secondary school was to be dedicated to the teaching of the official national language- Spanish. The remaining 50.5% of the time was to be dedicated to the teaching of international languages, dominated by the teaching of English. These results indicate the priority given by the Uruguayan educational system to the promotion of international linguistic diversity and bilingualism. It should be noted that non-verbal languages are not considered for the construction of this indicator according to CDIS methodology.

However, in spite of the promotion of diversity, Portuguese, a spoken language, is not part of the required curriculum in schools as a local, regional or foreign language despite its recognized status and importance within the South American continent. Nevertheless, select learners in the regions bordering Brazil may now have the opportunity to partake in Education Immersion Programs in Portuguese during primary education. The objective of these programs is to promote academic achievement of oral and writen standard Spanish and Portuguese, respecting the border region’s diversity and exchanging amongst communities. Such initiatives could be reinforced throughout the country at various levels of the education system to provide Uruguayans enhanced language opportunities and promote cultural exchanges with their geographic neighbors.

6 ARTS EDUCATION: 9.7% (2011)

In 2011, 9.7% of the total instructional hours in the first two years of secondary education was to be devoted to arts education. This result is above the average for countries having implemented the CDIS, which is around (4.84%), and is reflective of authorities’ recent commitment to increase opportunities in arts and culture.

Recent changes have been implemented in public educational programs in Uruguay. Arts education was diversified with the creation of artistic programmes for upper secondary schools in 2007. From 2009 onwards, a new Primary Education Program has been implemented and includes courses for artistic knowledge, breaking from previous programs where arts and culture were absent. These changes, both in secondary and in primary schools, reflect improvement in the degree of valorization of arts education in Uruguayan public education. Through arts and cultural education, horizons for personal development and cultural participation are expanded. Although no major recent changes have occurred for basic secondary education, these amendments confirm authorities’ intention to encourage the development of artistic talent; ensure the training of producers of cultural content, goods and services; and foster the appreciation and consumption of cultural and artistic expressions.

7 PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN THE CULTURE SECTOR: 0.90/1 (2013)

Uruguay’s result of 0.90/1 indicates that the national authorities have manifested a clear interest and willingness to invest in the training of cultural professionals. The coverage of the national public and government-dependent private technical and tertiary education is rather comprehensive, offering various programmes in higher education to citizens who want to undertake technical and professional studies in the field of culture.

Although Uruguayans benefit from both primary and secondary opportunities in arts education, one key gap remains in the training of cultural professionals. The field of cultural management is not represented in Uruguay’s technical and vocational educational system. Transforming artistic and creative capacities into economically viable activities, goods and services and the effective management of cultural businesses requires considering culture-specific aspects of the sector. A lack of training in cultural management may hinder the emergence of a dynamic cultural class and the development of competitive cultural enterprises. Nevertheless, to meet such training needs at the tertiary level, a new Diploma Programme in Cultural Management was created in 2013 as a graduate specialization offered by the Universidad de la Republica.

Also to be noted are other opportunities created in 2013, such as a 2-year technical training programme in film and video at the Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay (UTU), which have helped to complete the coverage of education in the country. As part of the latter programme, the first-ever specialized technical audio-visual course has been made available on the capture and processing of sound and image. Such recent developments are signs that efforts are being made to address education and training gaps to be filled.

8 STANDARD-SETTING FRAMEWORK FOR CULTURE: 0.82/1 (2013)

Uruguay’s result of 0.82/1 indicates that there is already a reasonable standard-setting framework for culture in place and that the country has made many efforts to ratify key international legal instruments affecting cultural development, cultural rights and cultural diversity, as well as to establish a national framework to recognize and implement these obligations.

Uruguay scored 0.91/1 at the international level, highlighting the degree of priority given to culture and the country’s high level of commitment to international norms on cultural development, cultural rights and cultural diversity. Uruguay has ratified all recommended conventions, declarations and recommendations, with the exception of the Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, and the Brussels Convention Relating to the Distribution of Programme-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite.

At the national level, a lower score of 0.77/1 indicates that public efforts have been made to integrate many of the international obligations that Uruguay has adopted into national legislation, a vital step for the active implementation of these obligations. However, room for improvement still remains as several key items continue to be missing from the national legislation and regulatory frameworks. For example, certain key provisions and cultural rights have yet to be explicitly integrated in the national constitution, such as the right to participate in cultural life, and the recognition and respect of linguistic and cultural diversity. Furthermore, no ‘framework law’ for culture yet exists. Nevertheless, within the Ministry of Education and Culture, the National Directorate of Culture has begun drafting such a bill for future consideration. Such improvements in the national framework and its continual updating are a priority of authorities. For example, in 2005, Law 17.930 on the National Budget for the Promotion of Arts and Culture was adopted; offering companies the possibility of tax breaks if they support cultural projects, helping to promote the sector and create a favourable environment. Another example of on-going improvement, the Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Nation has been working on a new draft bill, updating heritage law to include concepts such as intangible heritage. In 2008, the Status of the Artist and Related Trades (Law 18,384) was established extending social security benefits of performing artists. Furthermore, consultations had also begun regarding reform and the recognition of the specific circumstances of writers and visual artists in existing regulations on the Status of the Artist. Finally, one more bill currently under deliberation is the Services and Audiovisual Communication Bill, which is meant to update the Radio and Television Law of 1977. This new bill proposes means to promote the production of quality national content, and specifically educational programs and television fiction for children and adolescents. The latter merits consideration when analyzing the indicators of the Communication Dimension. Finally, it is to be noted that the country has shown a clear interest in ensuring continuous opportunities for training to accompany the process of institutionalization of culture through the professionalization of its actors. The Stimulus Fund for Artistic Training and Creation (FEFCA) was created by Article 507 of Law 18,719 .

9 POLICY AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR CULTURE: 0.91/1 (2013)

The final result of 0.91/1 reflects the many efforts of national authorities to establish targeted policies and mechanisms to promote the culture sector and implement the obligations and priorities found in national legislation, while revealing the select remaining improvements necessary in the policy framework and administrative system. Uruguay’s results are just above the average result of test phase countries of the CDIS, which is 0.79/1.

Uruguay scored 0.91/1 for the Policy Framework sub-indicator, indicating that many well-defined culture and sectoral policies and strategies have been put in place. One priority seen in national policy is the promotion of access and participation of minorities and other groups with specific needs in cultural life, demonstrated through many policies and programs that target marginalized groups. For example, Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) Centres for Digital Literacy offer workshops relating to different forms of artistic expression in towns with fewer than 5000 inhabitants. In addition, Grant Funds for Culture have been decentralized to the Department level to help promote local development of the sector, and since 2009, the Fund for the Development of Cultural Infrastructure in the Interior of the Country has aimed to increase access and the quality of cultural centres available to those that are the most isolated and socially marginalized. Many such actions are led by the Cultural Citizenship Unit of the National Directorate of Culture (MEC) and merit consideration when cross-analyzing with the other indicators of this dimension. The main gap in the national cultural policy framework is the lack of integration of culture in national development strategies and plans, a key obstacle to the systematic inclusion of culture in development activities.

Uruguay scored 0.92/1 for the Institutional Framework sub-indicator, which assesses the operationalization of institutional mechanisms and the degree of cultural decentralization. Many positive factors account for such a result. Multiple institutions have been founded for the management and promotion of specific cultural sub-sectors, such as the National Institute of Performing Arts founded in 2010 and the Department of Cinema and National Audiovisuals founded in 2011, which unified National Television, National Broadcasting and the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisuals of Uruguay. Regarding the decentralization of cultural governance, since 2012, Uruguay has a Network of Departmental Directors of culture to promote dialogue and horizontal exchange on culture at the Department level of government. However, no specialized institutions or positions for culture have yet been established at the local/municipal level of public administration. While overall the results for this indicator are very positive and reflect the many formal institutions, policies and mechanisms in place in Uruguay, additional research is necessary to go further and evaluate the effective impact of the national policy and institutional framework for culture and the translation of words into action and results.

10 DISTRIBUTION OF CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURES: 0.53/1 (2013)

Uruguay’s final result is 0.53/1, 1 representing the situation in which selected infrastructure is equally distributed amongst Departments according to the relative size of the population. The score of 0.53/1 thus reflects that across the 19 Departments of Uruguay, there is an unequal distribution of cultural facilities.

When looking at the figures for the three different categories of infrastructures, Uruguay scores 0.62/1 for Museums, 0.44/1 for Exhibition Venues Dedicated to the Performing Arts and 0.52/1 for Libraries and Media Resource Centers. This suggests that the most equal distribution of access exists for Museums, and that the most unequal distribution for Exhibition Venues. All Departments have access to at least one of each category of facility but the concentration relative to population size greatly varies. For example, while Montevideo benefits from relatively proportionate distribution of cultural infrastructures given its population, the bordering Departments of Canelones and San José are amongst the lowest scoring for all three types of selected infrastructures. Several of these Departments’ most populous cities being within the Montevideo Metropolitan Area, many inhabitants use the capital’s facilities to partake in cultural activities, in part explaining the lack of infrastructure development. Similarly, in most Departments the Libraries and Exhibition Venues available are located in major cities, presenting an obstacle to cultural participation as it requires mobility from more rural areas, and prevents the creation of strong ties between cultural centres and communities. Other Departments that are inadequately furnished with cultural facilities relative to population size include the Rivera Department bordering Brazil, having a total of only 4 Museums (2%), 2 Exhibition Venues (1.6%) and 6 Libraries (1.6%) but 3.2% of the total population.

It is interesting to note that amongst the Departments with the most access to cultural infrastructure are those like Colonia and Maldonado, which are characterized by significant flows of tourists. In Maldonado, Punta del Este is one of the main national tourist attractions and 5 of 12 Exhibition Venues of the entire Department are located in the city despite only 6% of the total population of the Department living in the area. This suggests a relationship between available infrastructures and the cultural consumption habits of a mobile tourist population. While such a correlation contributes to the development of cultural industries and the cultural economy for foreign consumption, increasing the equality of access across all 19 Department could increase opportunities for Uruguayans to take part in cultural activities, promote the development of the cultural and creative industries for domestic consumption and enjoyment, and provide an enabling environment for cultural professionals and businesses to create, produce, promote and disseminate their work. A detailed analysis of cultural participation could assist in assuring appropriate supply of cultural facilities, taking into account the characteristics of cultural consumption of the population and the artistic and cultural offerings available (time availability, ticket prices, dissemination and outreach strategies, etc.). This is a crucial and common challenge among all the countries that have implemented the CDIS, as the average score for this indicator is 0.43/1.

11 CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN CULTURAL GOVERNANCE: 0.89/1 (2013)

The final result of 0.89/1 indicates that many opportunities exist for dialogue and representation of both cultural professionals and minorities in regards to the formulation and implementation of cultural policies, measures and programmes that concern them. Such opportunities for participation in cultural governance exist at the national as well as regional and local levels.

To facilitate the participation of cultural professionals in governance, there are several institutional mechanisms and statutory bodies that provide for participation at the local, regional and national levels. One of the key permanent structures that provides a space for dialogue with cultural professions is the National Assembly of Culture, which through intense participation and exchanges between the State, arts and culture trade unions, NGOs and academics, tries to reach a consensus on the direction and priorities of cultural policy. As for statutory bodies, cultural professionals are included in the deliberation and decision processes of many such bodies regarding the implementation of policies and mechanisms meant to benefit the sector and promote the work and status of creative professionals. For example, cultural professionals assist the Certification Commission for the Status of the Artist and Related Trades in the decision to assign the status of ‘professional artist’ to an individual, and they assist the Board of Assessment and Promotion of Cultural Art Projects (CONAEF) in the selection of projects meant to benefit from the Fiscal Incentives Act.

Though less formalized and ad hoc in nature, limited examples do exist showing the punctual participation of minorities in cultural governance and will hopefully lead to enhanced and more institutionalized integration of minorities in decision-making processes in the future. For example, minorities have been included in a national level consultative process regarding the National Plan Against Racism and Discrimination and they have been included in the roundtables concerning the declaration of Candombe as intangible cultural heritage. Though not uniquely specific to culture, select government structures are already formalizing minority participation in stable decision-making mechanisms, such as the Department of Afro Women of the Ministry of Social Development. Nevertheless, the dissemination and regularity of these mechanisms can still be further developed at all levels of public administration and further analysis of their ability, as well as that of cultural professionals, to effectively influence the formulation and implementation of cultural policies and measures may be necessary.

12 PARTICIPATION IN GOING-OUT CULTURAL ACTIVITIES: 68.8% (2009)

In Uruguay, 68.8% of the population 12 years or older participated at least once in a going-out cultural activity in 2009. Going-out cultural activities include visits to cultural venues, such as cinemas, theatres, concerts, music festivals, galleries, museums, libraries, historical and archaeological monuments. Such activities require people actively choosing to attend a particular cultural activity, thus providing insight into the degree of cultural vitality and appreciation of culture. They also imply physical places for encounters to occur between audiences and artists, as well as among audiences, and thus insight into the degree of social interaction and connectivity. A result of 68.8% suggests a relatively high degree of participation in going-out activities overall and a steady base for a domestic cultural audience; the average for countries participating in the CDIS is situated at 46.1%.

The results vary indicating that out of the total, 61% of participants in going-out cultural activities were men and 39% women. Similarly, adults 30-60 years of age (52.3%) represented the majority compared to those 16-29 years of age (27.3%) or above 61 years of age (20.3%). There is also a connection between partaking in cultural outings and being members of the middle and elite classes of society, as most participants were from the highest income group (38.3%) and had at least a secondary education (84.7% of participants had a secondary education or higher). Finally, a geographical divide can also be confirmed as 60.1% of all participants were located in Montevideo. To further stimulate participation amongst youth, women and marginalized populations, and to develop targeted policies to increase access to such cultural activities, the above results merit cross-analysis with the indicators of the Education and Governance dimensions, the latter of which reveals that in the case of Montevideo, over 40% of all cultural infrastructures nation-wide are found in the capital region, suggesting that increasing equitable access to facilities may further enhance levels of participation in going-out cultural activities amongst all, boosting social connectivity and the consumption of cultural goods and services across all socio-economic groups.