The Committee on Culture, Communication, Youth and Sport of the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic carried out a working visit to Braga yesterday, September 27, in the context of the city’s bid for the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) in 2027.
The members of the committee were welcomed by Ricardo Rio, mayor of Braga. On the occasion, the Mayor stated that culture is a commitment of his team as a central vector of the city’s development, highlighting the enrichment provided by the ECOC bid process, regardless of the final result.
“Culture is a factor in the transformation of territories, making them more competitive. We invested 4% of the budget in this area in 2017, rising to 8% in 2022 and we expect to reach 10% in 2028. There was also strong growth in direct support to cultural agents – from 600 thousand euros in 2017 to around 1 .5 million euros -, a value that was maintained and was even reinforced with specific support lines during the pandemic”, he said.
As the mayor underlined, this commitment to culture is also visible in the new challenges of the city, which in 2017 Braga was designated a UNESCO Creative City in the area of Media Arts and has been developing a specific programme in this sector. As a result, it is already possible to see the growth of audiences that, in the main cultural venues, have grown by around 40% in recent years.
“The need to combine efforts and strategies led to the simultaneous decision to apply for Braga as European Capital of Culture and to start by defining a long-term development strategy, the result of a long and plural process of listening to the local agents. Braga Cultura 2030, was approved in 2020 and envisages a culturally vibrant and attractive city where culture is at the center of its sustainable development and quality of life”, he stressed.
After the reception at Paços do Concelho, the members of the committee visited gnration, where they learned about the management model of this cultural facility and met with the teams of Braga Media Arts – UNESCO Creative City and the Braga’27 bid – and were informed on the development process and status of the bid. Finally, the visit ended at Theatro Circo, where a meeting was held with the city’s cultural agents.
