• "Culture and Citizenship" is a program of the Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Government of Spain
• The program includes the forum "Culture and Ruralities", which is held annually in rural enclaves throughout Spain.
• This year the 5th "Culture and Ruralities" forum takes place in June in Navia (Asturias)

Etymologically, the word culture in Spanish comes from the Latin cultus (meaning "care of fields or livestock"). That is, culture has to do with cultivation : cultus, colo, colore, cultum .

The Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Government of Spain oversees the "Culture and Citizenship" program with the aim of promoting citizen participation in the field of culture, understanding culture as a regenerative, structuring, and energizing element of the region . Therefore, the program is structured around two lines:

1. The Culture and Citizenship Meeting (annual)
2. The Culture and Ruralities Forum (annual)

“Culture and Ruralities” Forum

The "Culture and Ruralities" project was created to highlight and promote cultural activities and experiences that have a social impact in rural areas . To this end, it hosts an annual meeting in a rural town in Spain lasting several days, bringing together national and European projects whose framework aligns with the specific theme of that year.

The forum is a space for reflection, exchange, articulation of proposals, and creation of collaborative networks . Each year, it includes dialogues with artists and creators, analysis of proposals, workshops, artistic activities, and work spaces with local producers.

The 5th Culture and Ruralities Forum will take place from June 1 to 3, 2022, in Navia (Asturias), under the theme of "Aid to expand and diversify the cultural offer in non-urban areas," a plan that will be developed during 2022 and 2023 in collaboration with the autonomous communities, within the European Next Generation Funds.

Rural Experiment

Rural Experimenta is an initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Sport and Medialab Prado —part of the "Culture and Citizenship" initiative—which consists of a workshop for the collaborative design of experimental and innovative projects in rural areas . Each edition sets a deadline for submitting projects and selecting collaborators.

The first edition took place in 2019 in Villanueva de Santu Adrianu (Asturias), while the second edition was held in the Campoo Valley, Cantabria. The third edition It was carried out in Vilafranca (Castellón) as the main headquarters and l'Espluga de Francolí (Tarragona) as the expanded headquarters.

Cartography Culture and Ruralities

The Culture and Ruralities cartography is a mapping of national and international cultural agents and projects that develop their activity in rural areas .

This is an open process with cultural initiatives that must be connected to the territory and the notion of rurality, as well as have a positive impact on the demographic challenge and the ecological transition.

The projects are presented through the following link .

Publications

The program also includes a space for educational and informative publications that address the topics discussed in each of the program's forums and spaces.

For example, the book " Thinking and Doing in Rural Areas: Cultural Practices in Context " has been published—in both paperback and digital formats— which brings together a collection of voices, knowledge, reflections, tools, projects, and practices related to the different ways of imagining and creating culture in rural areas.