Colombia's Cultural Sector Demands Emergency Plan for Artists After Earthquake

In the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Colombia, the Ministry of Cultures has focused its response on protecting physical heritage, but critics argue that artists and cultural workers have been overlooked. The ministry identified 40 Bienes de Interés Cultural (BICs) affected, along with 12 historic centers and 39 religious buildings, and announced a network of professionals for their recovery. On August 18, it issued Resolution 0536 of 2026, allowing temporary interventions such as first aid, shoring, and protection on affected heritage properties for six months. However, this measure primarily addresses the physical safeguarding of patrimony, with no specific emergency plan for artists, cultural managers, independent spaces, or cultural houses impacted by the quake. The article, published on Esfera Pública, highlights the contrast between images of people helping to remove rubble and those of collapsed buildings, emphasizing the bodily and communal toll of the disaster. The author calls on the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Knowledge to consider an emergency plan for the cultural sector, arguing that in a country where many communities have historically suffered from state abandonment, rebuilding infrastructure must go hand in hand with strengthening social bonds. The piece underscores the urgency of supporting not just bricks and mortar, but the people who sustain cultural life.