Caracas, January 11, 2025. The anti-colonial struggle and the rescue of indigenous culture were at the heart of the debate during the ALBA-TCP Culture Practitioners’ Meeting, held this Saturday within the framework of the International Anti-Fascist Festival, at Centro de Convenciones La Carlota, Caracas, Venezuela.
In his opening remarks, Arreaza declared, “The aim here is to coordinate, unite our efforts, combine our capabilities, and create a strong movement for the defense of our identity and culture, making it impenetrable against imposed transculturation.”
He also warned that no revolution is possible without a cultural revolution. “Today, the cultural battle is more decisive than ever. It is necessary for ALBA to convene cultural practitioners; we feel the need to defend our identity, who we are, and fight that battle from the Alliance’s platform.”
People’s Power Minister for Culture of Venezuela, Ernesto Villegas, emphasized that if anything is to transcend, it will be in the realm of culture. “Culture will be the vehicle for any encounters in other spaces. In the end, everything that happens is cultural.”
He asserted, “It is from meetings like these, from these spaces, that victories in various battles can be constructed.”
Critical Instinct
Abel Prieto, president of Casa de las Américas of Cuba, expressed that within the Bolivarian Alliance, “we must create ALBA-TCP cultural circuits, even including other nations. Self-help books are a plague; we need to figure out how to produce meaningful works, book fairs, bestsellers, and fresh audiovisuals.”
He argued that it is essential to create an anti-colonial vanguard, “a critical instinct; our people must have a critical perspective. Unfortunately, cultural hegemony still belongs to the empire.”
Irene León, REDH Ecuador Coordinator, proposed creating a common cultural agenda from ALBA, as well as defining a framework of digital policies to defend against the capitalist onslaught.
She also invited the cultural practitioners of the Alliance to commit to defending Venezuela. “There is no better way to resist than with this creative proactivity. Cultural cooperation is essential in the battle against capitalism,” she added.
Similarly, Joel Linares, Coordinator of the Plataforma Cultural Nuestramericana Territorio Abya Yala, highlighted that cultural policies should be viewed not only from the institutional perspective but also from the concrete reality of each people. “It is about connecting with the collective, enabling the generation of permanent changes,” he stated.
To conclude, Jorge Arreaza reminded everyone that ALBA-TCP belongs to the people. “That is why today I warmly greet comrades from Guatemala, Iran, Italy, El Salvador, Peru, Colombia, the United States, Namibia, among other nations.”
It is worth noting that this activity is being held in preparation for the upcoming meeting of the ALBA-TCP Culture and Communication Council, which consists of the Alliance countries and serves as a platform for debates and proposals that will feed into the Council.