NEWSLETTER No.1April 2021

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09· 2021 Call for

Applications of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is now open

08· Call for applications

to the UNESCO International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD)

10· Thank you, Leal

01· Editorial

03· Joint actions

for cultural exchange

02· Building capacities

for sustainable development

04· Procurement

06· Juan Garay: Transcultura,

a space where the magic flows

05· Who makes

Transcultura?

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Welcome, everybody! I am pleased to present the first issue of the Newsletter of Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity, a Programme jointly undertaken by UNESCO and the European Union (EU) seeking to strengthen the bonds uniting Cuba, the Caribbean and the EU through Culture and Creativity. The Culture Sector at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean in Havana, the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean in Kingston, the Antenna Office in the Dominican Republic, the UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels and Representation to the European Union, and the UNESCO Office in Port-au-Prince, together with the European Union Delegation to Cuba, the EU Delegations in the Caribbean, the EU National Institutes of Culture and the EU Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA) have joined forces in the Transcultura Programme. Also actively involved are the National Commissions for UNESCO in all participating Member States, the Ministries of Culture in the Caribbean, and other national cultural institutions, foundations, sub-regional governmental and non-governmental organisations.The Programme aims to strengthen capacities in the value chain of the region’s Cultural and Creative Industries and harness culture as an integration instrument through intercultural exchange.The Programme, funded by the EU, will benefit young people from the 17 Member States of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), namely: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, who will be relevant actors in integration initiatives, and synergies and receive unique capacity-building and entrepreneurship opportunities.

The Transcultura Programme is based on four components: Capacity Strengthening, Scholarships and Incubator Programmes, Twinnings and Cultural Exchanges, and Sustainable Cultural Tourism.Our first Newsletter offers an overview of some of the most significant steps taken on the road to achieving our objectives.The official visit to Havana made by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in December 2019, and her tour of the Santa Clara Convent, marked Transcultura’s official launching. It was an extraordinary occasion for many people; the long working hours dedicated to the Programme’s conception were beginning to bear fruit.The year 2020 began with an intense activity to launch Transcultura. Institutions were visited, and meetings with specialists were organized, starting a series of exchanges where everyone learned and benefited. The onset of COVID-19 imposed unexpected and unprecedented ways of working, relating and learning. All biosecurity measures were taken for proper protection, and the energy has not waned; since then work has continued unabated.Amid the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, we continued to prepare the Academic Offerings of the Regional Cultural Training Hub, one of the essential elements of the Programme. The difficulties involved in conducting the procurement process were overcome, and the recruitment of the Transcultura Team continued, among other tasks required in such a wide-ranging undertaking.We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Katherine Müller-Marín for her outstanding efforts and conscientious work giving birth to Transcultura and guiding its first steps as the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean and the Programme’s first Coordinator until her retirement on 31 January 2021. To Katherine, our best wishes for well-being in this new stage of her life.As a special closing of this first issue, we invite you to enjoy the interview with Juan Garay, Head of Cooperation of the European Union Delegation to Cuba, prepared by the Programme’s Communication and Visibility Team; in which he offers his vision of Transcultura. Using his own words, we invite you to be with us during the implementation of the Transcultura Programme, «a space in Cuba and the Caribbean where the magic flows».Come and join us!

Saadia Sánchez-VegasDirector and the UNESCO RepresentativeUNESCO Cluster Office for the CaribbeanOfficer-in-ChargeUNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean

Editorial

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Building the skills and capacities of the region's youth and creating opportunities in the field of culture are at the heart of the Transcultura Programme and a constant source of inspiration for the team. These efforts are guided by Sustainable

Development Goal 4, which calls for "ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all".Transcultura is working on identifying the training needs of the Caribbean in the Cultural and Creative Industries. To this end, it convened professionals, artists and academics from eight of the Programme's 17 target countries to join the Caribbean Experts' Voice Initiative, an advisory committee for capacity building in the culture and creative sectors. During an enriching day of exchanges, the panel provided relevant information and recommendations on training options that are considered a priority in the region in the field of heritage and Cultural and Creative Industries.The Programme will create a Regional Cultural Training Hub, comprising relevant academic institutions in Cuba

and the Caribbean, where young people from the region will receive courses on a wide range of topics, including taking into consideration the recommendations made by this Committee.The Santa Clara Convent, the starting point of the Programme, will be one of the institutions of the Hub,

when it is reborn as the Santa Clara College for Restoration, with a future outreach to the Latin American region.Given the conditions imposed by COVID-19, the Programme and academic institutions are hard at work adjusting the courses, adapting many of them to a distance learning modality. The calls will be launched through various means to ensure that the opportunity

to apply for scholarships will be available to the greatest number of potential beneficiaries.

Strenthening capacities for sustainable development

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The Transcultura Academic Offerings is the result of the joint work undertaken by the institutions comprising the Regional Cultural Training Hub and UNESCO.

Twenty-seven academics and professionals from the Cultural and Creative Industries of the Caribbean gathered at the first meeting of this initiative of the Transcultura Program.

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Meeting on 19 February 2021 between representatives of Cuban institutions belonging to the UNESCO Regional Cultural Training Hub.

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The Transcultura Programme creates opportunities to bring together artists, youth networks, state and non-state actors, civil society, the private sector and others – from both the European Union and the Caribbean – to share life experiences, transfer knowledge and recognise different viewpoints on issues of common interest or concern, promoting mutual respect for and understanding of culture and traditions.Through the promotion of meetings and debates between exponents of the culture and creative sectors, the Programme contributes to addressing important social issues and enhancing cultural understanding, promoting dialogue and exchanges on building resilience in the arts, advocating the protection of culture bearers at the community level, and raising awareness of the importance of creativity in overcoming the impacts of COVID-19, among other aspects. By organizing these collaborative events, the Programme seeks to support the creation of cross-border exchanges as a means to foster cultural diplomacy, share core values, showcase the cultural resources of the regions, boost intra- and inter-regional think tanks, promote the branding and visibility of nations and regions, and build the capacities of cultural initiatives relative to tangible and intangible cultural heritage and the Cultural and Creative Industries, among others.In the spirit of exploring responses to the challenges imposed by COVID-19 on the culture sector, Transcultura

joined the ResiliArt movement launched by UNESCO in April 2020. As part of this movement, the Programme has invited artists from several countries in the region to share their strategies for resilience in the face of the pandemic and to create cooperation networks. These and other exchange actions have made it possible to draw a map

of shared contributions and recommendations in the artists’ own voices.

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Joint actions for cultural exchange

ResiliArt: Transcultura and the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

ResiliArt: Music and Murals: Making Cities Work for Caribbean Visual and Performing Artists during and post COVID-19

ResiliArt: Artists and Creativity Beyond Crisis: Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Connecting the Cultural and Creative Sector in the Caribbean with Global Markets: The Asian Connection

Connecting the Cultural and Creative Sector in the Caribbean with Global Markets: The European Union Connection

I Virtual Meeting “Afro Women on Stage 2020”: Joint action for cultural exchange and cooperation of UNESCO, Transcultura, Ebano Teatro and Fábrica de Historias

Women Entrepreneurs in Culture: opportunities and challenges in the post COVID-19 era

As part of the I Virtual Meeting “Afro Women on Stage 2020”, Transcultura convened a roundtable that brought together leading figures of the performing arts in the region in a fruitful exchange of ideas.

On 8 March 2021, women from Cuba and the Dominican Repu-blic defended the value of cultural entrepreneurship in addres-sing gender inequality.

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Transcultura will strengthen the material capacities needed to guarantee more accessible and higher-quality public services in the group of institutions constituting the Transcultura Regional Cultural Training Hub. To this end, a procurement process has been carried out that includes technological equipment packages, musical instruments, restoration materials, vehicles, and specialised clothing, among others.Marked by a participatory and collaborative approach, the procurement process identified over 20 procurement packages. During these sessions, the specifications, quantities, ownership and/or standardisation requirements, among other characteristics of the equipment or inputs required, were specified in detail.

Procurement

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As one of the institutions of the Hub, the Santa Clara Convent is undergoing a major renovation process that will turn it into Santa Clara College for Restoration.

The San Antonio de los Baños International Film and Television School received kitchen equipment as part of the Programme’s procurement process.

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• Culture Sector at UNESCOHeadquarters in Paris.

• UNESCO Regional Office forCulture in Latin Americaand the Caribbean in Havana.

• UNESCO Cluster Office forthe Caribbean in Kingston.

• UNESCO Office in Port-au-Prince.

• UNESCO Antenna Office in theDominican Republic.

• UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels and Representation to the European Union.

• National Commissions for UNESCO of Member States participating in the Programme.

• Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHCH).• Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos Workshop Schools of

Cuba.• San Gerónimo de La Habana College.• Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cuba.• San Antonio de los Baños International Film and

Television School.• Cuban Fund of Cultural Assets (FCBC).• Higher Insitute of Design (ISDi) of Cuba.• University of the Arts of Cuba.• Ministries in charge of Culture and Youth of Caribbean

Member States and Associate Member participating in the Programme.

• University of the West Indies(UWI).

• Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).• Delegations of the European Union to

Cuba and the Caribbean.• Directorate-General of the European Union for

International Partnerships (INTPA), Brussels.• EU National Institutes for Culture.• Caribbean cultural institutions and foundations.• Caribbean sub-regional governmental and non-

governmental cultural organisations.

Who makes Transcultura?

Please click here for news and information on the Transcultura Programme

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From the Lesser Antilles to the Greater Antilles, from one end of the sea to the other, the Caribbean is unbelievably attractive and diverse, characterised by a vibrant artistic production where dissimilar cultural expressions and languages converge.Using this diversity as a starting point to promote regional integration and socio -economic development is one of the principles of the Programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity. It is implemented by the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, in partnership with several institutions in Cuba and the Caribbean, and is financed by the European Union (EU). To Juan Garay, Head of EU Cooperation in Cuba, this vision is deeply rooted in history. With the first year of the Transcultura Programme coming to an end, Garay shares his wishes and views on the Programme.What place does Transcultura have in the concert that exists between the European Union and Cuba? Why is it relevant?In the Caribbean, people feel very strongly about culture and art as communication channels. In this context, Cuba is clearly an epicentre of beauty, creativity, innovation, resilience, the transmission of thoughts and feelings. In this Programme, which is the only one of its kind in the world, the European Union saw a great opportunity for all these roots, those of Cuba and the Caribbean, to converge. It is a project that seeks to facilitate the communication of artistic forces in a region and to give them more channels for their dissemination, for their link with economic growth, for their connection with the challenges of sustainable development. For all these reasons, we are backing this magical programme that is Transcultura, in this fascinating region that is the Caribbean, with Cuba as its epicentre.

Why support culture as a scenario for integration?

For the European Union, culture is key to social cohesion: it’s what brings people together. After the Second World War, it was culture that facilitated the founding of Europe, peace. We bring this to our cooperation in all countries. We attempt to promote dialogue between people and communities through culture. Coincidentally, UNESCO

was the first United Nations agency to be created after the wars, and its main purpose is to contribute to peace. (...) To me, culture, art and human values are closely related to the creation of a 21st century society with much more empathy, much more sensitivity to nature. Transcultura has that same vocation, that spirit of bringing different forces and beautiful elements together. ▶

Juan Garay: Transcultura, a space where the magic flows

Transcultura has that same vocation, that spirit of bringing different forces and beautiful elements together.

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In the second part of the poem “El Apellido” [The Surname], the Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén says: "Without knowing each other, we will recognise each other in our eyes heavy with dreams.” In your opinion, what do these words tell you about young people, culture and creativity in the Caribbean region?Young people in the Caribbean are a light in this world. There are many lights, but they are a very strong light. Those of us who are not Caribbean, but love the Caribbean by simply opening our eyes, our ears, and especially our hearts, we can feel a strong creativity. Perhaps it is the melting pot of cultures, the sea, the situation of islands, like ships, so many things. But there is magic here, magic that inspires a lot of innovation, a lot of creativity, a lot of courage to express the soul. I invite all the young people of the Caribbean and the world to let what those dreams are out of your soul. The dreams that, as Guillén says, unite us. To make those dreams come true, you need training, opportunities. What importance do you give to training in the Programme?The Programme has two key components. One is to build capacities and the other is to increase opportunities. We would like the project to approach capacities without, let us say, having to adapt to the orthodoxy of techniques and methods. Methods and techniques are important for all disciplines of art expression-. But I think that it is just as important to have a space for creativity, innovation, laboratories where even this orthodoxy can be challenged, and new artistic expressions may be found. In addition, this Programme can put different cultures in contact. Moreover, it can and should put different art expressions in contact. Whenever a writer or a poet get together with a musician, and then with a filmmaker, unbelievable magic springs to life.

There is a man who played a key role in the birth of Transcultura. How do you remember Eusebio Leal? What does he mean to the Programme?It is impossible to capture the greatness of Eusebio in a few words. Eusebio combined his worship of culture with history and social harmony; the ideas of the Revolution with a cult of the past and the future, in a leitmotif of nobility and beauty. Without him, we would not be here today. Eusebio spoke of this idea during conversations in Europe, where he was often invited to give a lecture or talk about his dreams. It was there that his ideas caught the attention of our colleagues in Brussels; that the idea came to life, with the restoration of the Santa Clara Convent as the starting point. Later, I proposed the idea of integrating the University of the Arts and the International Film and Television School.

He will always be re-membered for his love, his perseverance. We would not have gotten this far without him. He was, to a great extent, the driving force behind this idea.

What is your impression of the team that is working on this Programme?I have been to many countries and you rarely find such a team, with so much passion, enthusiasm and dedication. A wonderfully dedicated team! And I would like to thank Katherine and the whole team for their commitment.Transcultura turns this drive for culture into a means of connecting people. I am positive that, with that passion, the Programme and its many offspring will enlighten our work.What is Transcultura to you personally?To me, Transcultura is a space in Cuba and the Caribbean where magic flows.

The Programme has two key components. One is to build capacities and the other is to increase opportunities.

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From 17 March to 16 June 2021, UNESCO will receive applications to the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD). Established under the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the IFCD is a voluntary multi-donor fund which supports the emergence of dynamic cultural sectors in developing countries.

This year, the IFCD joins the celebration of the International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development by calling for projects that aim to make strong contributions to the creative economy in developing countries that are Parties to the 2005 Convention.

Public institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGO) from eligible countries are invited to submit their proposals, as well as international NGOs registered in countries that are Parties to the 2005 Convention. The projects must clearly lead to structural changes through:

⯀ Introduction and/or elaboration of policies and strategies that have a direct and structural impact on the creation, production, distribution of and access to a diversity of cultural goods and services;

⯀ Reinforcement of skills in public sector and civil society organizations to support viable local and regional cultural industries and markets in developing countries.

All projects shall ultimately contribute to sustainable creative ecosystem and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda of the United Nations.Since 2010, the IFCD has invested $8.7 million through 120 projects in 60 developing countries. These diverse initiatives have assisted the emergence of sustainable systems of cultural governance, notably by creating an enabling environment for cultural entrepreneurs, access to new markets for cultural goods and services, and accessibility to diverse cultural expressions. In 2021, as the creative sector faces an unprecedented challenge caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the IFCD reaffirms its commitment to continue investing in culture and creativity as drivers of sustainable The 12th Call for Applications will close on 16 June 2021, noon Paris time.For any inquiries, please contact the 2005 Convention UNESCO Secretariat at: development.convention2005.ifcd@unesco.orgSee past projects funded by the IFCD.Apply for fundingEligible countries for Call for Applications 2021 (developing countries that have ratified the 2005 Convention)

Call for applications to the UNESCO International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD)

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Created in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) fosters international cooperation across cities of the world that invest in culture and creativity as accelerators of sustainable development. Through seven creative fields - Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music – cities in the Network are innovative and strategic with a large scope of initiatives that have positive economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts.

Together with its 246 member cities from over 80 countries, the UCCN aims to fulfil the enabling and transformative power of culture and creativity in building cities that are resilient, sustainable and future-proof, thus supporting the implementation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the local level.

The UCCN Call for Applications is open to cities from all UNESCO Member States and Associate Members, and through its specific Cooperation Framework, UNESCO continues to strengthen the geographical representation of the Network. Interested cities are encouraged to submit their applications using the official standard form by 30 June 2021 (midnight CET). Applications received after the deadline, incomplete and/or transmitted in a different format will not be considered.

As part of the 2021 Call for Applications, a series of tutorials illustrating the key elements related to the UCCN and its Call are also made available to support candidate cities in the preparation of their application files.

To know more and to apply, visit here : https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/content/call-applications

Available only in English and French

UNESCO Creative Cities Network member cities within the 17 countries covered by the Programme are:

2014 Jacmel, Haiti / Crafts and Folk Arts 2014 Nassau, Bahamas / Crafts and Folk Arts 2015 Kingston, Jamaica / Music 2019 Havana, Cuba / Music 2019 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago / Music 2019 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic / Music 2019 Trinidad, Cuba / Crafts and Folk Arts

2021 Call for Applications of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is now open

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In late July 2020, it was with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of Dr Eusebio Leal Spengler, a close friend and collaborator of UNESCO, whose heartfelt wish to recover the Santa Clara Convent was the seed that gave birth to the Transcultura Programme.“We are steadfast defenders of UNESCO. It is like a title of nobility,” he once stated. Aside from his status as Historian of the City of Havana and Director of the Conservation Programme for the Historic Centre of Havana, Leal was an exceptional witness to and actor for cultural heritage worldwide, a symbol, an enlightened humanist, a man of his time.During his fruitful career working with the Organization, he received the World Decade for Cultural Development Medal in 2011 and the UNESCO 70th Anniversary Medal in 2015, among other awards.The dream he shared with UNESCO, born inside the walls of the Santa Clara Convent, grew and conquered wills in Europe, the Caribbean and Cuba until it became Transcultura, a programme that transcended the initial seed to place in the hands of young people from 17 Caribbean countries the real possibility of making culture and heritage a driver for sustainable development, a means to transform their lives and communities, a foundation for intercultural dialogue and a pillar of cultural integration.Reasons abound for your place in history. Thank you, Eusebio.

Thank you, Leal

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Eusebio Leal during the Cuba-Caribbean-European Union Socialization Workshop in September 2019, where the foundations of the Transcultura Programme were laid.

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EDITORIAL TEAMSaadia Sánchez-VegasTatiana Villegas ZamoraOlga Rufins MachinLeslie Salgado Arzuaga Elba Suárez MenéndezJunior González RamosDesign: Lisveth Cantillo Ponce de León Translation: Sonia Dunn Marqués

UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean

Newsletter of the Transcultura ProgrammeCopyright © UNESCO, April 2021. All rights reserved.

Contacts: Olga Rufins Machin: o.rufins@unesco.orgLeslie Salgado Arzuaga: le.salgado-arzuaga@unesco.org