BRICS cultural diplomacy: Building bridges between people and nations

Beyond climate action, governance and economic cooperation, BRICS has grown into an important platform for strengthening people-to-people connections and building cultural bridges among its member countries. The grouping represents more than 45 per cent of the world’s population and uses its Cultural and People-to-People Exchange Pillar to promote greater interaction among communities.

The cultural track works through the annual BRICS Culture Working Group sessions, dedicated arts and theatre festivals, and the annual meeting of BRICS Culture Ministers.

During India’s BRICS Chairship, the 11th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting was held in Bhopal on August 7. The meeting ended with the adoption of the Bhopal Declaration, which sets out a practical framework to deepen cultural cooperation among BRICS member states and partner countries.

The declaration focuses on expanding cooperation in cultural and creative industries and the wider creative economy. It calls for countries to share methods, experiences and best practices while supporting creators and strengthening professional networks. It also seeks to expand market opportunities for artists and creative professionals through digital tools.

The declaration also promotes cooperation on UNESCO multinational nominations, research into the origin and ownership of cultural objects, and the return and restitution of cultural property. It also proposes exploring artificial intelligence-based tools to help trace cultural property.

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Protecting heritage and creators

The Bhopal Declaration calls for greater efforts to protect Traditional Knowledge Systems and Traditional Cultural Expressions. It also encourages cooperation among museums, libraries and archives to preserve documentary heritage through digitisation and conservation.

The declaration further focuses on protecting creators’ rights in the age of artificial intelligence. It calls for transparency and fair and equitable remuneration when copyrighted works are used in AI systems.

India also announced a pilot initiative to create a Voluntary Artist Registry under the Culture Track. The initiative aims to support cultural exchanges, strengthen professional networks and create more opportunities for artists and creative practitioners across BRICS countries.

The Culture Track also created space for bilateral discussions. Union Minister of Culture and the Secretary, Ministry of Culture, held meetings with representatives from participating countries. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cultural cooperation and identifying areas of mutual interest.

India’s cultural heritage takes centre stage

The cultural programme also allowed visiting delegations to explore India’s cultural and civilisational heritage.

On August 5, delegates visited the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya in Bhopal. Following the ministerial meeting, delegations are being taken to Sanchi to explore its important Buddhist heritage.

A visit to Bhimbetka is scheduled for the morning of August 9. The site will allow participating delegations to experience India’s prehistoric rock shelters and ancient cultural heritage.

Through these initiatives, the BRICS Culture Track seeks to bring people closer by creating opportunities for cultural exchange, cooperation and shared understanding beyond national borders.