Cultural producers from Nova Alvorada do Sul braved heavy rain on Sunday (Oct. 26, 25) to participate in a workshop on developing cultural projects, offered by the Mato Grosso do Sul Comitê de Cultural (CCMS).

The workshop, held at the Antonio Coelho State School and led by Anderson Lima (president of OSCIP “Flor e Espinho,” which operates the committee in Mato Grosso do Sul), was highlighted by participants as a necessary initiative given the “lack” of technical training in the municipality.

Charles de Souza Santos, 44, known as the clown Chalito, stated that the difficulty in accessing information about calls for proposals affects both artists and local public administration itself.

“It’s extremely important… we’re really lacking in this regard. So much so that when calls for proposals are issued here—specifically from Aldir Blanc—we’ve had difficulties… Then the city government itself, the administrators themselves, also have trouble drafting the call for proposals and figuring out what to do with the funds, right?”

What set the workshop apart, according to Chalito, was the speaker’s approach, which focused on practical experience.

“I think the way they brought in a speaker who has real-world experience—someone who also struggled back then to put projects together—and now he’s passing that on to us, because today we’re in the same situation he was in back then. So, someone who’s been through that—I think they’ll have more to share with us.”

Actor and cultural producer Enri Amorim, 32, saw the workshop as a necessary opportunity to stay up to date with changes in funding laws.

“It’s very important because, since we’re constantly evolving, right? Laws can change, so I think it’s always good to reinforce our understanding… specific details like this budget issue were very important for those who weren’t aware of this information. I liked the more practical part.”

At the end, Charles de Souza Santos offered to help coordinate new initiatives in the city: “You can put Nova Alvorada do Sul on the itinerary—I’ll take responsibility for acting as a cultural agent to mobilize the city for these kinds of initiatives.”

The day before their visit to Nova Alvorada do Sul, the CCMS team conducted similar workshops in downtown Dourados and at the Yvu Verá Indigenous Resettlement, near Aldeia Jaguapiru, which is located on the outskirts of Greater Dourados.

For Bruna Egídio, the Committee’s program coordinator, the central goal is to provide information."“An informed and empowered community has the power to effectively realize its cultural rights—rights that I view as fundamental to a sense of belonging, the appreciation of identities, and the promotion of citizenship as a whole,” she added.

ABOUT THE CULTURE COMMITTEES

The Culture Committees are networks of civil society actors and institutions, selected through public calls for proposals, with the goal of coordinating and strengthening cultural policies in their respective territories.

Aligned with the principles of the National Plan for Culture and Citizenship (PNCC), they work to foster social mobilization and provide education on cultural rights.

The mission of these committees includes supporting the development of projects, expanding access to information about federal initiatives, combating misinformation, and strengthening the National Culture System.

THE COMMITTEE IN MATO GROSSO DO SUL

In Mato Grosso do Sul, the Civil Society Organization of Public Interest (OSCIP) Flor & Espinho, located in Campo Grande (MS), was selected through a call for proposals issued by the Ministry of Culture (MinC).

Therefore, Flor & Espinho is the organization responsible for carrying out the Committee’s initiatives in various municipalities in Mato Grosso do Sul that were pre-selected in the work plan.