Interview: Rasmane Ouedraogo, President of the International Federation for Cultural Diversity
How would you describe the first couple of years that the International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity has been in existence?
Rasmane Ouedraogo – Even before the meeting of Coalitions, there already existed a committee in France that was active, so this is not a new issue. The main concern that led to the creation of the Federation was the need to counterbalance the World Trade Organization. The WTO advocated the position that every transaction should be treated as if it were commercial, but cultural goods cannot be treated in this same manner. Initially we worked informally but after four years the Federation was established. From very early on we enjoyed the respect of other international organizations. UNESCO, the Organization of Ibero-American States and the WTO are just some examples. This was due, in part, to the fact that countries that are members of these organizations were responsible for signing the Convention.
There was growing awareness regarding the importance of cultural diversity. In retrospect, how would you rate your time as President of the Federation?
RO - Even thou the number of national Coalitions is growing (the most recent being the one from Djibouti) there’s still a lot of work to be done in promoting the spread of Coalitions in some regions such as Asia and the middle-east. There are presently coalitions in 50 countries but we would like to see that number grow even more. A highlight from my time in office was the partnership that we managed to establish with a number of official organizations. UNESCO in particular, has invited us to participate in every discussion session ever since the Federation was established. To a great extent this respect is due to the fact that we were chosen to represent a large number of non-governmental organizations.
Do you think it’s meaningful that the first president of the Federation is from Africa?
RO - This is not an issue within the Federation. We are all equals and I was elected in a democratic dispute against a representative from Spain. On the other hand, it is significant that the President hails from the Southern Hemisphere, which historically has been underprivileged in terms of cultural exchanges due to having weaker cultural industries. So, my election can be interpreted as signaling solidarity in this sense.
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Jorge Serrano and the Ecuadorian film industry: Ecuador stands out with a set of new policies to protect audiovisual works.
Abstract: The Head of the Ecuadorian Film Delegation explains the changes that have taken place in the countries’ audiovisual production in the last few years, detailing the difficulties facing the distribution of audiovisual works, the way local communit
Members of the Coalitions discuss Brazilian culture
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Perspectives of diversity and cultural integration in Bahia
Even though the Minister of Culture, Juca Ferreira, was not able to attend the event this morning, we still had a great time promoting culture diversity and understanding between the peoples.
Protecting the Rights of Peoples
Secretary Américo Córdula participated in the opening of the International Meeting on Cultural Diversity
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Interview: Geraldo Moraes, President of the Brazilian Coalition
The first one relates to the approval of the UNESCO Convention. We are working so that this document becomes an effective instrument in promoting diversity and starts to be taken seriously during the negotiations of bilateral or multilateral treaties.
Interview: Rasmane Ouedraogo, President of the International Federation for Cultural Diversity
Even thou the number of national Coalitions is growing (the most recent being the one from Djibouti) there’s still a lot of work to be done in promoting the spread of Coalitions in some regions such as Asia and the middle-east. There are presently coaliti
