Between 1999 and 2006, the number of municipalities which have a local Internet provider increased by 178%, and the number of municipalities which have higher education institutions increased by 103.1%.

Between 1999 and 2006, the number of municipalities which have a local Internet provider increased by 178%, and the number of municipalities which have higher education institutions increased by 103.1%.

 

Embroidery is the most widespread type of handiwork in Brazilian municipalities, being present in 75.4% of them. Brazilian municipal governments spend, on average, R$ 273.5 thousand on culture, and employ in this sector approximately 58 thousand persons - 10.4 workers by municipality. Over one fourth of the Brazilian municipalities have a project to implement cultural tourism. These are some of the highlights of the Survey of Basic Municipal Information (MUNIC) 2006 ,conducted by IBGE, which is based on questionnaires answered by city governments of the 5,564 municipalities in the country.  

 

In order to support the creation of a system of cultural information in Brazil, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, now releases the results of the Culture Supplement Edition of the Basic Municipal Information Survey – MUNIC 2006. The sixth edition of MUNIC was conducted  in the second quarter of 2006, through questionnaires answered by municipal governments and investigated the territorial and cultural diversity of the 5,564 Brazilian municipalities. 

 

MUNIC 2006 brings information about: municipal organs in charge of culture and its infrastructure, culture human resources, management instruments, legislation, existence and work of councils and existence and characteristics of municipal funds, financial resources, existence of the Municipal Culture Fund, policies, projects and activities developed – as well as the survey of means of communication, existence, and, in some cases, quantity of equipment and cultural and artistic activities existing in the municipality.

 

The uneven distribution of the population was also taken into consideration. In Brazil, 71% of the municipalities have up to 20 thousand inhabitants, that is, 17.6% of the total population (32,5 million persons). Nevertheless, only 36 municipalities (0.6%) have over 500 thousand inhabitants, that is, 28.0% of the popualtion (51,6 million persons).

 

Eighty-four percent of the municipalities lack a specific organ for culture management

 

MUNIC 2006 shows that in 72% of the Brazilian municipalities culture is still predominantly associated to other fields. Adding this figure to the 12.6% of municipalities in which the sector is subordinate to another secretariat, and consequently have a lower status, we have 84.6% managing organs which do not deal exclusively with culture. When in partnerships with other sectors – usually with education – culturet is often considered in a marginal way.

 

In 6.1% of the municipalities, Culture is directly associated to the Executive Power. In these cases, it is often seen as a producer of events which benefit the image of the managing organ. The inexistence of a managing organ is an important indicator of the relatively low prestige of the cultural segment.

 

 

Another sign of the still marginal position of the cultural sector in the municipal government agenda is revealed as we examine the low percentages of municipalities which have an exclusive secretariat for culture (4.2%) and public foundations (2.6%), which, together, make up only 6.8% of the management organs.

 

Culture employs 58 thousand persons in Brazilian city government - 10.4 workers per municipality

 

In 2006, the number of persons employed in the culture segment of municipal administration was approximately, 58 thousand persons, meaning, on average, 10.4 workers per municipality. The higher the class of population size considered, the bigger the number of persons employed in the culture segment. Whereas the classes of population size in municipalities with up to 50,000 inhabitants employed, on average, from 3.6 to 8.9 persons in the culture segment, the three higher classes employed, on average, 19.5 persons, in municipalities with 50 thousand to 100 thousand inhabitants; 55.7 persons, in municipalities with 100 thousand to 500 thousand inhabitants, and 282,9 persons in municipalities with over 500 thousand inhabitants.

 

Municipalities spend, on average, R$ 273.5 thousand on Culture

 

In 2005, municipal resources directed to culture  amounted to R$ 273,5 thousand, on average, corresopnding to only 0.9% of the total municipal revenue obtained.

 

 

 

In terms of the Major Regions, the one which most directed resources to culture was the Northeast Region (1.2% of the total revenue obtained); the North and South Regions, on the other hand, directed to culture 0.8% and the Southeast and Central West Regions, 0.9% and 0.6%, respectively. The percentage directed to culture is the biggest in municipalities with 10 thousand to 100 thousand inhabitants, about 1.0%. For those with over 100 thousand, it was 0.9% and in the municipalities with up to 10 thousand inhabitants, 0.8% of the resources were directed to culture. However, considering the absolute values of expenses on culture, it is observed that one third of this total is spent by the municipalities with over 500 thousand inhabitants, and represents more than half of the resources in the case of municipalities with 100 thousand to 500 thousand inhabitants.

 

There are policies for culture in 57.9% of the municipalities

 

The existence of policies for culture in the municipality is one of the main indicators of the importance of the management of this sector. As previously mentioned, this is the most relevant task, since it indicates the commitment of public management with the culture segment. Graph 3 shows that about 42% of the Brazilian municipalities do not have specific policies for culture, which means culture is not yet included in the agenda of public policies in a still high percentage of municipal governments.

 

 

 

 

Laws supporting culture are present in 5.6% of the municipalities

 

Among all the Brazilian municipalities, 5.6% declared to have laws supporting culture. In Brazil, according to the Culture Supplement Edition of MUNIC, there were expenses with culture in 83.3% of the municipalities.

 

 

However, a big part of these resources is applied to administrative functions of culture organs, and some muncipalities do not have enough financial resources to implement their own measures and projects. This situation ends up leading to the use of grants from public funding laws, that is, part of the resources covers the gaps left by the absence of specific budget. We can observe (Graph 6) that 3.9% of the total of municipalities surveyed declared the law was directed to providing fiscal incentive to physical or juridical persons, and 2.1% declared it was directed to providing public funding.

 

By analyzing the distribution of 5.6% of the total number of municipalities which have incentive/supporting laws, by Major Regions (Table 21), we observe that 27 of the 36 municipalities with a population over 500 thousand  inhabitants have incentive/supporting laws (75%). Among classes of population sizes with 100 thousand to 500 thousand inhabitants, 33.4% have incentive laws. Considering classes of population size of up to 5 thousand inhabitants, the percentage is 1.3%; for those with a number of inhabitants between 5001 thousand to 10 thousand, the percentage is 2.7%.

 

Over one third of the municipalities have projects to implement cultural tourism

 

In 26.2% of the Brazilian municipalities there is a project for the imlementation of cultural tourism, and in 19.8%, these projects are being implemented; in 6.4% they are being executed. The projects are executed in 18.1% of the total of municipalites by the culture management organ (69.1% of the total of municipalities which have a project) and in 14.8% of them the projects also count on the execution of the tourism management organ (56.5% of the ones which have a project).

 

 

The project for implementation of cultural tourism includes in 23.5% of all the Brazilian municipalities a calendar of festivitie and/orsevents (89.7% of the municipalities which have a project). The dissemination of attractions is found in 21.9% of the municipalities, or 83.6% of those which have a project. The elaboration of guides and brochures encompasses 15.2% of the municipalities (58.2% of those which have a project). It can also be observed that the culture segment seems to be more interested in spreading tourism than the tourism segment itself.  

 

Over 30% of the municipalities provide update courses for Culture professionals

 

About one third of the Brazilian municipalities provide update courses for Culture professionals in order to form the organ responsible for culture in the municipality. The percentage is also significant for those entities which are responsible for projects or cultural programs conducted by the city government (24.9%) and for the persons involved in specific cultural activities (21.2%).

 

In 46.9% of the municipalities there is some kind of school, workshop or regular course on typical cultural activities, the main ones being music (33.8%), handicraft work (32.8%), dance ((30.8%), theater (23.2%), traditional popular festivities (19.4%) and arts (18.0%). It is observed that courses on cultural management are present in only 3.3% of the municipalities, although they are the ones which most often receive support from municipal government (86.8%). Other courses which have more participation of city government are music (85.9%), patrimony, preservation and restoration (83.7%), theater (78.6%), literature (78.4%), dance (76.6%), handicraft work (76.8%) and traditional popular festivities (76.3%).

 

Councils, Funds and Foundations

 

MUNIC 2006 also showed that 17% of the Brazilian municipalities have Culture Municipal Councils and 13.3% have Municipal Councils for Preservation of Cultural Patrimony.

 

The Culture Supplement investigated the existence and the activities of Municipal Culture Funds, which are persent in 5.1% of the Brazilian municipalities. Besides investigating the occurrence of these funds, the supplment covered their year and law of creation and if they exclusively directed to culture. Municipalities also provided information abotut the administration of these funds.

 

Of the total of 2.4% of municipalities which declared to have culture foundations, the main activities developed by these institutions were: promotion of events (2.1%), cultural dissemination (1.9%), artistic and cultural production (1.7%), administration of municipal cultural facilities (1.5%) and artistic formation (1.4%).

 

Movie festivals take place in 10% of the Brazilian municipalities

 

Among the cultural activities existing in municipalities, the highlights were:exhibition of handicraft objects (57.7%); arts and handicraft work fairs (55.6%);  traditional popular festivities (49.2%); music festivals (38.7%); dance festivals (35.5%); dance and music competitons (34.8% and 31.2%, respectively).

 

Movie festivals, which take place in about 10% of the municipalities also evidence the gap existing between those with a small and a big population. Festival happened in 61.1% of the municipalities with over 500 thousand inhabitants (being 4.2% in those with up to 5 thousand). Rio de Janeiro is once more the highlight (28.3%), although the Northeast Region had the second highest percentage among the areas, due to the activities in the states of Ceará, Pernambuco, Alagoas and Sergipe.

 

 

 

Two traditional activities reflect the geographic diversity of the country diversity: traditional popular festivities and cordel literature (popular and cheap printed booklets pamphlets containing folk novels, poems and songs, which are produced and sold in fairs and by sidestreet vendors in the Northeast of Brazil). Popular festivities are most significant in the North and Northeast Regions, reaching 74.8% in the state of Pará. The change for popular festivities between the biggest and smallest ones ,in terms of oppulation, is 37% for municipalities with up to 5 thoisand inhabitants, reaching 75% fro those with 5000 thousand or over. In terms of cordel literature it occurs mainly in the municipalities of the Northeast Region, especially in Ceará (20.1%).

 

There are capoeira groups in 48.8% of the Brazilian municipalities

 

Sixteen different types of cultural activities were investigated: handicraft (64.3%), dance groups (56.1%), bands (53.2%), caopeira groups (48.8%), traditional popular groups (47.2%), musical groups (47.2%), choir groups (44.9%) and theater groups are the main ones (44.9%). Handicraft work appears as one of Brazil’s major cultural aspects, followed, to a great extent, by activitites related to music and dance. Between 2005 and 2006, the number of movie clubs increased by 29.7%, although they were present in only 4.2% of the municipalities, in 2006. The existence of theater groups had significant increase – 14% - and reached 39.9% of the municipalities which have at least one group performing this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

Whereas the number dance groups and traditional popular festivities¹² increased at lower rates between 2005 and 2006 (5.5% and 3.0%, respectively), the oppositte happened to choir group activities (-6.9%), literature associations (-10.5%) and musical groups (-18.1%). Considering the importance of musical groups, the fall corresponded to 10 percentage points (57.6% in 2005 and 47.2% in 2006). Both bands and orchestras, between 2001 and 2006 increased significantly, in 21.7% and 105.4%, respectively¹³.

 

Theater groups receive benefits from city governments most often

 

Theater groups are the ones which most often receive benefits from city governments (80.5%). Bands, orchestras, folklore, dance and choir groups and handiwork activities receive the support of at least 50% of the municipal public government in which their existence is acknowledged.

 

 

 

 

 

Although it is not an activity with a high level of occurrence in the municipalities, orchestras received some support from municipal management. On the other hand, music and capoeira groups, which present the highest percentages of occurrence, are more independent from municipalities. On the other hand, circuses have not received much support from municipal government in general.  

 

Embroidery is the main handicraft activity in Brazilian municipalities

 

Embroidery is the most widespread handicraft activity in Brazilian municipalities, being performed in 75.4% of them. Other important activities are those which employ wood (39.7%), clay (21.5%) and recycled material (19.5%). Handicraft work made of recycled material had the highest increase between the two years (17.0%), being followed by handicraft work with plant fibers (13.0%). Embroidery remained stable in the period (0.3%). Most activities faced decrease between 2005 and 2006. The main decreases occurred in handicraft work using lace (-29.0%), metal (-16.4%), precious stones (-14.9%), tapestry (-14.5%) and stones (-13.7%).

 

Between 1999 and 2006, the number of municipalities with a local Internet provider increased by 178%

 

In 1999, the thirteen types of equipment and means of communication investigated by MUNIC (table below) were present in 4.0% of the municipalities. This amount changed to 4,5% in 2001, and to 5,1%, in 2005 and 2006.

 

 

 

 

Network TV was present in 95.2% of the Brazilian municipalities. Technological changes related to audiovisual content in progress (digital television, public television) had an impact on the percentage of communitarian television channels, which, when surveyed for the first time, were present in 2.3% of the municipalities. The presence of video rental shops increased by 28.3% between 1999 and 2006, when there were 4563 municipalities in Brazil.

 

Internet providers also spread all over the country: in 1999, they were present in 16.4% of the Brazilian municipalities and in 2006, in 45.6%. This was the highest increase of the survey: 178%. In 2006, there were higher education institutions in 2212 municipalities (39.8%) versus (19.8%) in 2001 (the first year surveyed). There was, then, increase by 103.1%.

 

However, the percentage of municipalities with bookshops existing in Brazil fell by 15.5%, in seven years, changing from 35.5% to 30.0% of the municipalities (1667). Higher education institutions were present in 39.8% of the municipalities in 2006 and this represented increase by 103.1% in relation to 2001, the first year in which this type of comparison was investigated.

 

Public libraries are the cultural facilities which receive most support from municipal governments

 

 

Concerning governmental support, among the five cultural facilities surveyed (public libraries, stadiums or gymnasiums, cultural centers, museums and theaters or auditoriums), the ones which receive most support are libraries (97.8% of the municipalities have at least one library ruled by municipal government) and stadiums and gymnasiums (94.1%). This cultural facility may lead to a better understanding of its role as a disseminator  of cultural content, not only in terms of reading, but also of other possibilities of access, such as videos, Internet, CDS, DVDS, etc. The lowest percentage of maintenance is that of theaters or auditoriums (76.8%).  

 

 

 ________________________________________________________

 

¹² In the 2005 survey, traditional popular festivities were referred to as folklore groups.

¹³ It is worth mentioning that the non inclusion of bands and orchestras in 2005 may have acused a higher percentage result in 2005 and decrease in 2006.