Los Cultural rights and the strengthening of the social fabric

El caso del Centro Comunitario El Moral.

Abstract

Through this research, it sought to analyze the impact of artistic and cultural activities at the El Moral Community Center (MCC), in Xalapa, Veracruz, as a space for the exercise of cultural rights, strengthening of the social fabric and evaluation of local public policies. To this end, a census was applied to the users who were part of the MCC during the year 2023, complemented by in-depth interviews and documentary reviews. During the analysis of results, it was possible to corroborate that access to workshops and artistic presentations affects the creation of networks of neighborhood trust, the consolidation of a sense of identity and the appreciation of art as a human right. Likewise, it was evident that local cultural policies still have limitations in budgetary and continuity matters, but the case of the MCC reveals that community cultural management can become a replicable model.

Understanding artistic and cultural activities as a right makes it possible to build cultural policies with a participatory and democratic approach. This implies that the evaluation of these policies goes beyond exclusively quantitative models, incorporating indicators that recognize the symbolic and affective dimensions of cultural processes.