The Instituto Cervantes and the Mexican government’s Cultural Diplomacy unit have begun collaborative activities for the international promotion of Spanish and its culture in 2021, following last month’s signing via videoconference of an action protocol between the two organizations.
In the agreement, they committed to developing joint actions on the Spanish language (and the culture created through it) in countries around the world, through the Ibero-American Regional System of Cultural Diplomacy, of which Mexico holds the Executive Directorate in 2021, and through the Cervantes international network.
The director of the Cervantes Institute, Luis García Montero, stressed that it was “fortunate to be able to collaborate with Mexico, and more so now that with the pandemic, cooperation is essential.” In addition, he pointed out that Spain and Mexico share “the same outlook towards the future where what matters is the role of social justice, democracy, and equality.” He added that this agreement “is the way to open the way to a sister relationship with the other Latin American countries.”
Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, after mentioning her recent visit to Mexico, commented that “both countries are united by a common language and by a culture that shares values back and forth” and that they must work “with a marked Pan-Hispanic accent” for the promotion of Spanish in the world. “Mexicans and Spaniards see languages as spaces for dialogue and not for confrontation,” she declared.
For his part, the executive director of Cultural Diplomacy, Enrique Márquez, stressed “the promotion of intercultural dialogue through the international promotion of our language.” In this project aimed at the Mexican and Latino communities, Mexico will have “the great experience of the Cervantes Institute,” he stressed.
The accord states that after the cultural crisis caused by the coronavirus “it is essential to redouble efforts” to reposition culture as the “main factor of social cohesion and dialogue between nations.”
Among the objectives of the agreement, it is worth highlighting the implementation of joint projects and campaigns to promote Spanish in the U.S. through the Cervantes centers in the country and the soon to be created César Chávez Digital Institute for Spanish in North America, the purpose of which is the cultural promotion of Mexican communities and their native peoples to consolidate their identity.
In addition, the Cultural Diplomacy of Mexico will soon launch the 2021 Radio and TV Network, which will integrate all the associated stations of the 50 Mexican consulates in the U.S. and serve as a broadcaster for the César Chávez Digital Institute.
Since last July, Mexico has coordinated the Ibero-American Network for Cultural Diplomacy, which represents 22 countries, opening them up to cooperation with various cultural institutions in the region and worldwide.
