Text written by: Loize Antoniacomi Pereira and João Vitor Scremin Corrêa
Translated by: Ana Lucia Angulo
The LabCD is an extension project of the Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR) that serves as an environment for creating and developing inclusive methodologies. Its main goal is to strengthen access to culture in the shape of digital solutions based on plain language and accessible communication formats that value traditional and popular knowledge.
Currently, in partnership with the Secretary of Culture Committees at the Ministry of Culture – MinC, the project offers technical and methodological support for the implementation of the Aldir Blanc National Policy – PNAB, among other policies within the National System of Culture. Maria Tarcisa Bega, Head of the Lab, shared more details in an interview with the communications team about its current situation: “The LabCD has as one of its priorities the enforcement of the Aldir Blanc Policy, implementing the PNAB, and strengthening the National Plan for Culture Committees, helping, in that way, to the National Culture System”.
In this phase, the project focuses on key concepts including accessibility, digital literacy, and technological sovereignty. Some of our initiatives are made in partnership with the Culture Committees, spaces that assist with the formulation and follow up of policies in culture. This collaboration is built from debates that help define and implement strategies and allocate resources. It also involves territorial agents, individuals who work directly in the regions connected to the Culture Committees by organizing workshops, voicing local needs, and fostering connections among residents, the committees, and the Ministry of Culture. LabCD has an active role in training these agents, by providing support materials that aid them in their missions.
The internal organization of LabCD is structured around a strategic coordination team and five thematic coordination areas:
- Strategic Coordination: Ensures integration across all areas and oversees the execution of the project’s objectives.
- Digital Literacy Coordination: Designs and delivers training sessions focused on the conscious and responsible use of technology.
- Simple Language Coordination: Translates technical and legal texts into accessible formats to ensure their understanding, including versions in Sign Language.
- Public Policies Design Coordination: Develops and implements innovative public policies, aimed at increasing access and social participation in cultural policies.
- Federative Articulation and Narratives Coordination: Promotes collaboration among states, cities, and other ministries, strengthening partnerships in support of Digital Culture.
- Sovereign Digital Solutions Coordination: Creates open-source technological tools that promote digital autonomy and data protection in cultural policies.
Since 2023, LabCD has invested in developing tools and content that promote accessibility in the dissemination of public policies. This includes the creation of informational booklets and translating academic, technical and legal language into simpler, more accessible formats. We also take part in the production of courses aimed at educating communities in matters of culture and fostering the recognition of collectives and cultural initiatives.
Over its twelve years of history and operation, LabCD has faced some setbacks. Founded in 2013 during the Latin American Meeting of Digital Culture, the project was conceived as a proposal to integrate culture, technology, and social participation, grounded in the use of open-source software and collaborative methodologies. Between 2014 and 2016, it gained recognition by organizing events such as Democracia em Rede (Network Democracy), which featured workshops, hackathons, and debates on cyberactivism.
However, in 2017, LabCD’s trajectory experienced a significant pause due to government budget cuts, which affected scholarships and infrastructure. This led to a reduction in activities, culminating in a period of interruption. Maria Tarcisa describes the restarting process: “The Ministry of Culture, during that rebuilding phase — after being dismantled under Temer and Bolsonaro administrations and downgraded to a department within the Ministério do Turismo (Ministry of Tourism) — faced a shortage of technical staff
LabCD was relaunched in 2023 through the signing of a Termo de Execução Descentralizada (Decentralized Execution Term – TED), with the reestablished MinC. In this new phase, the project adopted an expanded focus, placing greater emphasis on accessibility and supporting the implementation of the PNAB. In 2024, LabCD entered a period of growth: it strengthened its ties with culture committees and territorial agents, and launched new products centered on training and skill development, reaffirming its strategic role in the field of public policy and digital culture in Brazil.
This year, LabCD is participating in organizing the Encontrão Nacional de Cultura Digital (National Digital Culture Encounter), scheduled to take place in August in Fortaleza, Ceará. This event aims to broaden discussions on digital culture by addressing topics such as open-source software, artificial intelligence, digital inclusion, and online communication.
In the future, one of the project team’s goals is to develop a public, nationally distributed hardware designed to store digital culture content, ensuring sovereignty and perpetuity.
“Our challenge is to reshape public policies and turn them into concrete and accessible actions, and that only happens when resources reach where they are most needed: the periphery, the outskirts, and small cultural groups”, stated Tarcisa at the end of the interview.