The Colombian Minister of Culture, Arts, and Knowledge, Yannai Kadamani, defended the need to guarantee the continuity of cultural policies beyond changes in government.
With two weeks remaining in President Gustavo Petro’s term, the official warned that the country requires continuity in its development strategies to prevent the progress achieved from being modified every four years.
RELATED:
Colombians Mark Independence Day With Demonstrations and Cultural Events
In an interview with news agencies, Kadamani clarified that her concern lies in the lack of continuity in public policies and the breakdown of consensus reached with the artistic sectors.
“I am not worried about democratic changes in the leadership of institutions, but I am concerned that we are not capable of building a progressive policy, that every four years objective concepts of development are being changed,” the minister stated. In reviewing her tenure as head of Colombia’s Ministry of Culture, the Minister highlighted the expansion of access to arts education as one of her main achievements.
She emphasized the Arts for Peace program, which received an investment of 4.7 trillion pesos, equivalent to 1.455 billion dollars, over the four-year period. This arts education initiative reached 825 municipalities, representing 83% of the national territory, and increased enrollment from 95,000 to nearly 1.4 million places through ongoing programs taught by local instructors.
¡Así vivimos #CircuitosVivos hoy en Cartagena!
Casa Bolívar abrió sus puertas para el “Encuentro de Saberes” de Sankofa Trío.
La conversación nos permitió profundizar en el joropo llanero y las músicas andinas, demostrando que nuestros saberes tradicionales son el puente… pic.twitter.com/xCtDQ1zLaU
— MinCultura Colombia (@mincultura) July 24, 2026
Casa Bolívar opened its doors for the “Encuentro de Saberes” by Sankofa Trío. The conversation allowed us to delve deeper into joropo llanero and Andean music, demonstrating that our traditional knowledge is the bridge that connects the memory of all our regions.
Kadamani also championed the decentralization of cultural investment as a key focus of her administration, confirming that 82% of the Ministry’s resources were allocated to regions outside the country’s five largest cities.
According to the Minister, strengthening the cultural sector requires combining public and private investment, but above all, ensuring institutional stability and permanent funding mechanisms. Regarding the protection of historical heritage, he highlighted the legacy of the first Special Management and Protection Plan (PEMP) for underwater archaeological heritage, focused on the San José galleon, sunk off the coast of Cartagena de Indias in 1708.
“We are pioneering a heritage documentation management system that can protect underwater archaeological heritage and that has parameters and regulations to follow in order to address these types of situations,” Kadamani stated, emphasizing that this regulatory framework will strengthen the conservation of the nation’s submerged cultural heritage.
#Colombia | Demonstrators joined the “March for Life” in Bogota to support the government’s social programs and economic policies. Community members in Ciudad Bolivar highlighted achievements in minimum wage increases, rural road development, and environmental conservation.… pic.twitter.com/Uk7QpzVYVV
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) July 20, 2026
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.