The Secretary of State for Culture and the Regional Directorates for Cultural Affairs

The Secretary of State for Culture is also assisted by Regional Directorates for Cultural Affairs, which at the local and regional level (and sometimes at an international level, for cross-border initiatives), pursue objectives defined by the Secretary of State, within their respective geographic areas. Each Directorate develops specific support programmes for cultural agents, and encourages and fosters creativity (directly, or by supporting other entities) across various forms of artistic expression, circulation of works and artists, and dissemination of international artistic manifestations.
For example, the Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs of the Alentejo supports the Alentejo Editorial Project, which aims to fund and publish regional studies that will enrich the Alentejo region’s cultural and scientific heritage and encourage the publication of works which will introduce a body of knowledge to a wider audience and thus contribute to a better understanding of the region and help preserve its cultural identity. Other initiatives supported by the Regional Directorate include the Project to Support the Publication of Audiovisual and Multimedia Material (aimed to supporting the publication of CDs of erudite and traditional music by Portuguese and foreign artists, whose works have a regional focus); the Alentejo Amateur Theatre Network Project (which aims to encourage creative work by amateur theatre groups/associations in the region, and help local populations gain access to theatre performances, through support for shows to tour the region’s network of municipal theatres); the Support Project for Cante Alentejano and Portuguese Traditional Music, (for preservation, promotion and dissemination of Alentejan collective memories that underpin the Cante Alentejano (male choir chants) and Alentejan Traditional Music, via support for Cante Alentejano and Alentejan Traditional Music groups); and finally the Performing Arts Project (which supports organisation of itinerant tours in various artistic areas - theatre, puppet theatre, dance (classical ballet and contemporary dance), erudite music and Alentejan traditional music, by cultural agents from the Alentejo region).