2015-2017 Kazan culture development
1. Context
Kazan is one of the biggest cultural centres in Russia which preserves classical achievements and facilitates development of modern, avant-garde trends in culture. It is traditionally said that Kazan is a multicultural city due to its mutual enrichment of two cultures: Russian and Tatar. Kazan annually held International festivals such as opera, ballet, classical music, modern music, jazz music, rock music or literature.
Multireligious and multinational nature have a determining influence on city cultural environment. Various cultural and civilizational levels including many subcultures have an enormous creative potential. Tatarstan capital is a city of classical art and traditional national culture, which unites Kazan “ancient” and national traditions with modernity and tendency to experiments and innovations.
2. Kazan and culture
The cultural policy of the city is based on competitive advantage and aims to resolve current problems and disadvantages. The main priority within the conception is given to the programs, festivals, competitions and events directed to:
- Preserve unique multinational and multireligious environment, architectural, historical and cultural heritage of Kazan city.
- Use capabilities of holding large international events to positioning Kazan as one of the world’s cultural capitals.
- Educate cultural person and to increase level of aesthetic and cultural education of Kazan city residents
- Ensure access to cultural services and give equal capabilities to satisfy cultural and religious needs of the residents
- Increase effectiveness of process management and use of investment attractiveness of Kazan Culture
THE PROJECT AIMS TO MODERNIZE THE CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT OF KAZAN CITY THROUGH THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL HERITAGE AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF TIS CITIZENS.
3. Objectives and implementation of the project
3.1. Main goal
Modernization of cultural environment of Kazan city through preservation of unique national features and historical heritage, which directed to increase the level of competitiveness and improve citizens’ quality of life.
3.2. Key stages
Main purpose of 2015-2017 Kazan Culture Development project is to improve cultural environment in the city and it involves the creation of cultural infrastructure in Kazan city. Therefore the goals of the project are very broad.
One of the main goals is to increase number of youths, who participate in cultural city life. For doing so, various events take place in order to attract more creative groups. Development of concert organisations, museums, interactive games and creative groups are part of the project.
Currently 108 cultural objects are under the control of Culture Department of Executive Committee. For example, centralized library system (50 libraries), 13 Palaces and Houses of Culture, Kazan Zoo or Centre of Russian Folklore.
Nowadays, 2449 employees are working in cultural organisations and institutions, 119 of them are young specialists (4.9%), 1543 people (63%) are middle aged and 787 (32.1%) people are over 60 years old.
Moreover, thanks to the project, a lot of open-space literature events have been launched in the city. This is the case of the Literature parks and alleys (55 from the beginning), II City festival “Book fest”, “Kazan is reading “campaign, Poetic Wednesdays in museum patios and Festival of Parks and Alley.
Due to the wide scope of action, a lot of groups have benefitted from the project, including: youth, students, scholars, employees of cultural organisations, tourists and residents.
- Increasing number of registered users in libraries ( 200 000 people)
- Increasing number of visitors in libraries (2 million people)
- Increasing number of events for all ages
- Increasing number of scholars and students, who participate in festivals and competitions of: federal and city level
- Increasing number of children, who participate in Children Creative Communities (2000 people)
- 100% stability in activities of creative groups
- Increasing effectiveness of participation in festivals and competitions (prizes- 51, 4%)
- Increasing number of individual visitors of Kazan Zoo (225 500 people)
- Increasing number of participants in cultural and mass events (520 000 people)
- Increasing number of events, holding in the districts (85 events)
KAZAN IS A MULTICULTURAL CITY, DUE TO ITS MUTUAL ENRICHMENT OF TWO CULTURES: RUSSIAN AND TATAR.
4. Impacts
4.1. Direct impacts
Impacts on the local government
During the ‘90s topic cultural industries were not popular in Kazan municipal officials. But since 2006, the city starts paying attention to its historical and cultural heritage, tourism industry development and reconstruction of historical monuments.
Impact on culture and local cultural actors of the city/territory
The salary of employees in cultural organisations and institutions increased. It leads to the arrival of new young specialists, new festivals and competitions. Moreover, grants and subsidies support are available.
Impact on the territory and its population
Special attention is given to culture development in relationship with youths. Today one out of three children aged from 6 to 15 years, studies art or music. Also, the number of creative children who enrolled into universities and institutions of culture and art increases annually.
Number of participants of competitions movement increases: in 2014/2015 2 473 children have been nominated by various prizes and awards. It is more than 29, 4% of students of cultural schools and it is higher on 5.8% than in 2014.
DUE TO THE WIDE SCOPE OF ACTION, A LOT OF GROUPS HAVE BENEFITED FROM THE PROJECT, INCLUDING: YOUTH, STUDENTS, SCHOLARS, EMPLOYEES, TOURISTS OR RESIDENTS.
4.2. Transversal impacts
During Culture Development project in Kazan, significant changes have occurred in economic, social and other spheres. Financial support of Cultural organizations of Kazan allows to increase tourist attractiveness and overall number of visitors including residents of the city and guest. It brings more money to the municipal budget and allows to increase employees’ wages to employees and buy new equipment. Finally, it creates positive impact not only on the ecological environment, but allows people to spend more time outside, which was unusual for Russia.
4.3. Evaluation
The effectiveness of the project was evaluated based on the indication system, which was developed during the preparation of the project and on the assumption of aims and purposes of the project.
Due to the incompleteness of the project, the results can be analyzed partially:
- Increase in number of creative groups
- Increase in tourist attractiveness and number of visits to cultural institutions and organizations and to cultural events
- Development of event-tourism
- Cultural resources base expansion, cooperation with businesses
- Development of new creative industries and creation of creative clusters
- Qualitative and quantitative increase of library funds
- Increase in resource management effectiveness in municipal culture organizations
- Increase in quality of service in cultural organizations
- Attraction of youth and independent creative professionals
- Maintaining the level of professional skills of teachers and professors of cultural and art educational institutions
- Creative infrastructure development
- Development of cultural services and increase of the population to whom they are provided
- Introduction of cultural values and development of aesthetic education of youth
- Integration of all subjects’ of cultural industry and society within the cultural policy
CULTURE HAS A CONTINUITY BECAUSE IS INFLUENCING IN THE INHABITANTS TRAINING AND EDUCATION PROCESS.
4.4. Continuity
Demonstration of stability in the culture is its “continuity” which means transmission of current culture to new generations. Culture has a continuity because is influencing in the inhabitants training and education process. Culture as abiotic and achieved good can be controlled by genetic laws and it can be gained only in the process of social inheritance. To educate new generation as more conscious than we are- exactly in that, Kazan sees its main aim.
A Cultural Council was created with Mayor’s Office support in this purpose and it includes main actors of cultural industry of federal and republican level. This Council will help to open Kazan tourist and cultural potential to other cities and makes it strong center of cultural industry.
5. Further information
The city of Kazan was a nominated candidate for the second 'UCLG International Award – Mexico City – Culture 21' (January–May 2016). The awards jury produced a final report in June 2016 and asked the UCLG Committee on Culture to promote this project as a practical example for the implementation of Agenda 21 for Culture.
Text approved in December 2016.
Good practice published in January 2016.
This factsheet was put together by Madiev Bulat, Head of Public relations and grants policy department, Kazan, Russia.
Contact: bulatkstu (at) rambler.ru
Main website: www.kzn.ru www.metshin.ru
