Pasto
The city of Pasto in southern Colombia is home to countless cultural assets that express the city’s diverse ethnic and religious customs, traditions and artistic legacies which enrich the life of its population. Home to numerous museums, cultural assets and architectural attractions, nowhere is this rich local cultural heritage more obvious than in the field of crafts and folk art. The city’s economic activity is based on commerce and services, with a focus on small industries and micro-enterprises, some of which are dedicated to artisanal manufacturing. Pasto is home to numerous creative industries, including wood carving, embossed leather and fabrics, which has seen it become the largest centre of handicraft production in Colombia representing 14.34% of the market production, marking the artisanal industry as an essential engine of regional development. The most important component of the creative industry is the Carnival of Blacks and Whites, which annually contributes 0.7% to local GDP and has been a source of inspiration for musicians, writers, plastic artists, and the subject of academic study, taking into account its contribution to the local economy. Held annually, over September and December, the Carnival is a dynamizer of productive employment. According to CEDRE calculations, in the period 2011-2016, the Carnival generated over 8,000 jobs in various economic activities.
As a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, the following steps will be important: • Strengthening creative industries as a strategy to generate employment, income, innovation and sustainable economic growth; • Strengthening the cultural identities and values of the city, so as to promote social inclusion and a sense of belonging; • Facilitating cross sectoral alliances permitting the flow of cultural goods and services; • Fostering the mobility of cultural actors among the member cities of the Network; • Promoting the local creative industry for its internationalization; and • Promoting research, exchange of knowledge and experiences on the creation, production and distribution of cultural heritage.
