Hundreds of artists and performing arts students demonstrated outside Colombia's Ministry of Cultures in Bogotá on Monday, using music, dance, puppets and giant banners to oppose deep cuts to arts funding. The government has proposed reducing the ministry's 2027 budget by nearly 30%, and has already suspended the National Incentives Program (a key grants scheme that funds awards and recognition for Colombian artists) for 2026. Protesters are calling on the government to release withheld funding and restore broader support for the cultural sector.