Permanent commission in Congress approves legislation for Ministry of Culture

The permanent commission in Peru’s Congress approved legislation on Wednesday that would create a Ministry of Culture, daily El Comercio reported.

The vote was the second by Congress required to approve the legislation, which will now go to President Alan García who has the option to ratify it.

If approved by President García, the ministry would be responsible for creating and evaluating national policies on culture. It would have two deputy ministers to promote cultural heritage and cultural industry on the one hand and the letters and arts on the other.

Current government agencies that would fall under the supervision of the Culture Ministry would include the National Institute of Culture (INC), the Radio and Television Institute of Peru, the National Institute for the Development of Andean, Amazonian and Afro-Peruvian communities (Indepa), the National Library and the Nation’s General Archives as well as the Academy for the Quechua Language.

“I am very happy with the approval of the legislation to create the Ministry of Culture,” the director of the INC, Cecilia Bakula, said. “I consider it a big step for the country. Now we only have to wait for the president to sign it into law.”

The approval of the legislation was criticized by representatives of indigenous communities. They argue that the moving Indepa from the Office of the Prime Minister (PCM) to the Ministry Culture would be unhelpful for their community.