The Access to Culture Awards 2023 distinguished Lu.Ca – Luís de Camões Theater, in Lisbon, the band 5.ª Punkada and the cultural association Figura Nacional for the project “Cinema Insuflável”, announced today the organization.
The announcement of the awards and honorable mentions took place late this afternoon at the Marvila Library, in Lisbon, in a ceremony organized by the Acesso Cultura association, as part of a week of initiatives to promote reflection and greater awareness around physical, social, and intellectual access.
Honorable mentions were given to the Terra Amarela association for the show “Zoo Story”, to the cultural association Música Portuguesa a Gostar Dela Própria for the project “A música cigana a gostar dela própria”, and to the Bagos D’Ouro association for the project “FazParte! – Artistic Expression Programs for Social Inclusion”.
The jury for these cultural accessibility best practices awards was made up of museologist Ana Braga, curator and cultural programmer Lara Seixo Rodrigues and dancer Mickaella Dantas, Acesso Cultura said in a statement.
Contacted by the Lusa agency, the organization explained that it decided to do away with the award categories this year “because all the entities already work habitually in the various areas”.
In the justification, the jury recalled that Lu.Ca – Teatro Luís de Camões reopened in 2018 “with the mission of programming this peculiar neighborhood performance hall, exclusively for children and young people.”
Noting the need to resolve the situation in a room on the second floor of the building that has access only by stairs, the jury stated that it is “remarkable to see the integrated vision they have created, which starts by appointing a team member responsible for the articulation of programming and audiences, ensuring the safeguarding of physical, intellectual, and social accessibility instruments.
This application did not have the appreciation of jury member Ana Braga, because she is part of the professional staff of the Empresa de Gestão de Equipamentos e Gestão Cultural (EGEAC), being Lu.Ca a cultural equipment managed by that Lisbon municipal company, said the organization.
The 5º Punkada is a project of the Coimbra Cerebral Palsy Association founded by Fausto Sousa almost three decades ago, and to which Fátima Pinto, Jorge Maleiro, and Miguel Duarte have been added.
These four musicians were recently joined by Omnichord, at Quinta da Conraria, under the guidance of producer Rui Gaspar (from First Breath After Coma), mediation by music therapist Paulo Jacob, also with collaborations by Surma and Victor Torpedo, and there they recorded the album “Are we Punks or not?”, which became a show and went on tour.
By distinguishing this project, which even went on stage with the British band Coldplay in the last of the band’s four nights at the Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, the jury aimed at “the public recognition of all the entities involved in it, as an example of social, intellectual and physical integration.
Another entity distinguished was the Figura Nacional cultural association, for the “Cinema Inflatable” project that takes “quality cinema to children where it doesn’t reach.
“This project stands out for the creative and integrated way in which it responds to barriers to access to cultural participation, in particular geographical isolation and the lack of cultural facilities in certain regions,” the jury noted.
Since 2013, the association Acesso Cultura has been developing its activities to promote inclusion and create cultural accessibility in various areas, having published in 2020 the manual “Cultural participation of people with disabilities: how to create an accessibility plan”.
This non-profit entity, officially recognized in February 2021 for its public utility, works on a volunteer basis and with partnerships.
