The cultural sector in Mexico and in the world is in one of its most critical moments. A new updated report from UNESCO reveals an unprecedented drop in jobs and income in this sector that involves creativity by 750 billion dollars.
According to the document “Re-Thinking Policies for Creativity. Raise culture as a global public good”, culture and creativity represent 3.1% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 6.2% of total employment.
In Mexico, the cultural GDP was 2.9%, with an amount of 640 thousand 687 million pesos. In 2020, the culture sector had a 9.4% drop, even higher than the total economy, which contracted 7.9% the same year.
It is paradoxical because knowledge, creativity and innovation are the raw materials that most generate wealth in an Information Society.
The cultural and creative sectors are among the most affected by the pandemic. In 2020, more than 10 million jobs were lost globally. In Mexico, the total number of jobs decreased 12.4% in 2020.
In our country, the areas of the cultural sector that suffered the most were the performing arts and shows with 43.1%; music and concerts (27.1%); books, prints and press (24.5%); crafts (19.2%) and visual and plastic arts (17.4%).
In other words, these are activities that require face-to-face activity and interaction and the accompaniment of audiences in venues or bookstores, which was most affected by the pandemic.
It should be noted that audiovisual media such as the Internet, movies and video games are the item that contributes the most to Mexico’s cultural GDP with 37.8%. Except for the cinema, whose production and attendance at screening rooms was seriously affected, the Internet and streaming platforms have experienced a stellar moment during the pandemic.
There is no doubt that online activities are growing exponentially. 62.1% of total music revenue came from streaming in 2020. In 2016, 38,052 hours of music were listened to on Spotify; in 2021 it grew to 196 thousand 917 hours.
The same can be said of the audiovisual: 69 thousand 444 hours of viewing in 2016 versus 584 thousand 222 hours in 2021.
In 2019, at the height of the coronavirus crisis, for the first time the World Health Organization conducted a study on the links between art, health and well-being. He called on governments and authorities to apply policies that improve collaboration between the health and artistic sectors.
The Report recognizes the potential value of the arts to contribute to health promotion; prevent the onset of mental illness and age-related physical decline; support the treatment or management of mental illness, non-communicable diseases and neurological disorders; and assist in acute and end-of-life care.
However, during the confinement there were closures of cultural venues and the cancellation of events; the work of the cultural and creative professions was hindered or stopped; international mobility was curbed and the purchasing power of the public that attended cultural activities was hurt.
UNESCO recognizes that Covid-19 accelerated the digital transformation of cultural and creative industries and their business models in creation, production, distribution and access.
The National Digital Strategy does not address the specific problems, challenges and needs of the cultural and creative sectors.
The cultural sector in Mexico was the first and most visionary to have a Digital Agenda, when the National Council for Culture and the Arts still existed, before becoming the Ministry of Culture. But Culture Sector Program 2020-2024 of the Fourth Transformation only dedicates four paragraphs to the Digital Agenda for Culture (ADC).
UNESCO’s recommendations are clear: design national digital roadmaps that include activities in the cultural sector; increase access to digital technologies and develop digital skills and abilities in both creators and audiences; conceive business models that fairly remunerate those who create on the Internet and invest in local content, and improve its discovery on digital platforms.
Twitter: @beltmondi
President of the Mexican Association of Right to Information (Amedi)
in communication
Media and telecommunications analyst and academic from UNAM. He studies the media, new technologies, telecommunications, political communication and journalism. He is the author of the book media presidentialism. Media and power during the government of Vicente Fox.