Since 2021, and with the ambition of rewarding the most successful partnerships, highlighting best practices and increasing the visibility of the SIDS partnership framework, the United Nations member states have created the “United Nations Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Partnerships Awards”. In 2024, the “Social” category was awarded to UNESCO's programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean, and the European Union through Culture and Creativity.
Building Bridges Through Culture
In line with its mandate, UNESCO created the Transcultura programme to ensure that cultural creation fosters entrepreneurship, improves social cohesion and well-being, develops freedom of expression and dialogue, ensures substantial economic growth and creates jobs worldwide.
The rich cultural diversity of the Caribbean, represented by 17 SIDS benefiting from the programme, has become a driving force for sustainable development, enabling the creation of professional opportunities for young people in the cultural and creative industries sector and giving a boost to sustainable and creative tourism.
In the face of challenges encountered by Small Island Developing States (SIDS), culture contributes not only to community spirit and social cohesion but also to employment, economic growth, and innovation. Through Transcultura, we are supporting young people in the region to build their future.
Thanks to 16,5 million US Dollars, provided by the European Union (EU), Transcultura has acquired new technical equipment and a platform for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). Implemented in 3 languages, it provides young people with opportunities for their future, in the region and in Europe, through training, support to entrepreneurship, networking and mobility programs.
Empowering Agents of Change
In four years, over 1,600 young people aged 18 to 35 have benefited from the programme. Through a combination of in-person and online courses, 600 cultural professionals have been trained. Transcultura training ranges from technical and manual skills to higher education, the arts and heritage. The restoration of the Santa Clara convent is a good example of a large-scale undertaking to learn how to conserve and restore both movable and immovable heritage.
I think it is a very important program to know or have an idea of how to enter the creative industries and, if you are already in the creative industries, how to found an enterprise or a business idea.
Transcultura has also facilitated cooperative cultural exchanges involving over 200 organizations from the Caribbean and the European Union. Transcultura also resulted in the establishment of the Caribbean Cultural Training Hub, which fostered synergies between key educational institutions in Cuba and the Caribbean, creating a robust platform for cultural exchange and professional growth.
I think the Transcultura Programme has been so far very impactful, in a very positive way. It has open up avenues that weren’t open before for many artists, creatives and entrepreneurs.
Promoting professionalization in the cultural and creative industries is one of the pillars of the Transcultura programme, particularly for women, who represent 55% of beneficiaries. Transcultura is also a means of facilitating communication between all the artistic forces in a region to open up more opportunities for dissemination and economic growth. For example, promotion of Caribbean artists and professionals at international events is widely encouraged, enabling them to access new markets.
The first time as Alexx A-Game in Europe, presenting ma music, it’s a decisive opportunity for me.
The transformative impact of Transcultura has been profound, as noted by the award’s jury. By empowering young people to become agents of change and development in their communities, the programme has underscored the vital role of culture and creativity in sustainable development.
