Paraíba is the newest State to deploy the platform Mapas Culturais, a free software for collaborative mapping and culture management developed by Instituto TIM. The launch of Cultura na Paraíba (pb.mapas.cultura.gov.br) took place on the night of June 13 at Fundação Casa de José Américo, an agency of the State Secretariat for Culture of Paraíba (SECULT), in João Pessoa-PB. About 50 people attended the event, including managers, cultural producers, local artists and authorities, such as the Acting Governor of Paraíba, Ana Lígia Costa Feliciano, and the Secretary of Culture, Lau Siqueira.
The ceremony was started with a presentation of a forró band. Later, the SECULT Research Manager, Rosildo Oliveira, explained that, with Mapas Culturais, the Secretariat fulfills the demand to map the State’s culture. “I have been to all of the regions of Paraíba, to some municipalities, and most of the information that is contained in the map is the result of our work that was started years ago in SNIIC [National Information System and Cultural Indicators],” he said.
The representative of Instituto TIM, Felipe Leão, welcomed the State of Paraíba to the Mapas Culturais Network – formed by almost 30 municipalities and states that have already installed the platform. “Among the objectives of the project, there is the strengthening of the National Culture Plan and being useful for cultural management throughout the country. That is why we opted for a free software and networking.” Felipe Leão recalled that the ideas that guided the creation of Mapas Culturais were born from a meeting held by Instituto TIM in 2013 that brought together managers and cultural agents from all over Latin America.
The Federal Deputy João Bosco Carneiro, who was also present, spoke about the first time that he participated in a Council of Culture, in João Pessoa, and he said that, with the tool, the State has the opportunity to map the culture of all 223 municipalities of Paraíba.
Lau Siqueira, State Secretary for Culture of Paraíba, explained that the platform will contribute to the planning very much needed in cultural management. “It is an additional instrument to consolidate that, because it helps Paraíba to organize the cultural equipment,” he explained. “The owner of this instrument is each of you, because it is a public action that transcends everything. We are going to put a lot more people on the map, and I am sure that Instituto TIM will be proud of this partnership with Paraíba, because we are going to ‘rock it’.”
The last one to speak was Ana Lígia Costa Feliciano, Acting Governor of Paraíba – the titular Governor, Ricardo Coutinho, was on a trip to Buenos Aires. Ana Lígia stressed out the importance of culture for the people and assured that the tool will contribute to disseminate the culture of Paraíba. “This cultural platform is an important tool so that we can find everyone, and so that people’s talent and art can be found there, so that managers can see the culture of Paraíba as a whole and make important decisions so that Brazil and the world see not only the big artists, but also the small ones,” she said.
After the speeches by the authorities, the coordinator of Mapas Culturais project, Thaís Rigolon, demonstrated the platform. The event ended with a cocktail party and a square dance. The launch was also attended by the Federal Deputy Damião Feliciano, the executive secretary of the Culture of Paraíba, Fernanda Norat, and the president of Fundação Casa de José Américo, Damião Ramos.
