III Latin American Cultural Market         |    Versão em Português

The Latin American Cultural Market is a leading open space that showcases and promotes the distribution of rich artistic productions, stimulates creativity, enhances professional networking, engages audiences and challenges cultural entrepreneurs. Unlike other commodity markets, this cultural market of ideas and cultural productions is not simply about buying and selling, it is also about connecting people, sharing knowledge and enriching the mind, building intercultural bridges for mutial respect and international cooperation, and seeding conditions for professional linkages, collaborations and partnerships.

The recent history of the Latin American Cultural Market begins with the Celebration of the African Heritage Festival that Casa Via Magia initiated in 1997. The main objectives of this arts and culture festival held in Salvador were to showcase of the work of Pan-African artists and to promote cultural exchanges between Africa and Brazil within the broader framework of the Ubuntu Movement for Pan-African cooperation. In 1998, the festival expanded to Rio de Janeiro and drew broad support from public and private sponsors. Due to the programmatic success of these two pilot years, and considering a strong interest from participants in opening up the festival to include Brazilian groups from diverse ethnic backgrounds, Casa Via Magia decided to expand the scope of the festival. The organization addressed issues related to the politics of cultural representations, the quest for inter-regional cultural exchanges and the economic valuation of cultural enterprises by launching the Latin American Cultural Market in 1999.

From its inception, the Market has combined the celebratory aspect of the festival with the business dimension of thrade shows. Moreover, the Market has kept its original multidisciplinary and international characters as groups representing media, arts and culture from various regions of the world continue to participate. ver the past two years, this Market has created unprecedented opportunities for many of its participants hwo have also contributed to its further development. Accordingly, the success of the first two editions of the Latin American Cultural Market goes far beyond an assessment of the amount of business conducted of the number of contrcts signed. For example, the Bahia Market has inspired certain Arab cultural markets within their own cultural context and to revive and update the concept of Souk Ukaz, a competitive gathering of poets and musicians which predates Islam. This Amman experience has also led the Asia Pacific region to develop a similar initiative in Hong Kong.

This third edition of the Latin American Cultural Market is special in many ways. The Market has built on a number of strong strategic alliances among regional and global professional networks. The merging of the Latin American Cultural Market with the Strictly Mundial Festival has tremendously enriched the event's artistic programming, significantly augmenting the number of participating groups. The public humanities component is streamlined to address critical issues in the field and to enhance professional interactions. Above all, the organization of this Market within the current world context attests to the determination of committed individuals and institutions to advance the cultural agenda for social change. Our continued support for this and similar other regional/international cultural markets speaks to the se challenges and opportunities.

Damien M. Pwono
Fundação Ford - Novembro 2001

One of the perspectives which has gained increasing significance in recent years is that of the relevance of culture as a fundamental factor in the processes of regional and sub-regional integration of our America, as we situate ourselves in the context of globalization.

We may refer to studios of identity and integration, culture and economics, culture and education, historical patrimony, and vast etcetera encompassing fields of theoretical perspectives as well as practical actions produced through cultural exchanges, from governmental initiatives to civil society networks and individuals.

Festivals, encounters, seminars and events provide generous fora to protagonists of artistic and cultural activities, allowing for the creation of spaces aiming at the establishment of integrative dynamics and the visibility of the artist. Moving beyond mere encounters and representation, and approaching the possibilities of enhanced circulation and exchange of cultural products, ideas and seervices, culture becomes a catalyst in the generation of new entrepreneurship for the arts.

In this capacity surges a singular protagonist, the MERCADO CULTURAL LATINOAMERICANO (Latin American Cultural Market), a solid, inclusive and provoking event taking place annually in Salvador - Bahia - Brazil, as an initiative of Casa Via Magia. A platform for the dissemination of Latin American cultural production, particularly performing and musical arts, it permits the exploration of this vast and diverse panorama of creativity, establishing a space for transactions of practical nature regarding cultural circulation and exchange.

It is with pride that our organization, La Red de promotores culturales de Latinoamerica y el Caribe (Network of Cultural Promoters of Latin America and the Caribbean) that we join efforts, partake, thank and celebrate this initiative. The Third edition of Cultural Market simultaneously hosts the second edition of Strictly Mundial, a market and exhibition of world music, allowing our America to act a protagonist within an event of great significance in the cultural panorama of the world.

Octávio Arbelaez
President - La Red Latin American Network of
Cultural Promoters
November 2001

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