Minister of Culture Swears In Mario Bonetti as New Governor of the Columbus Lighthouse

Minister of Culture Swears In Mario Bonetti as New Governor of the Columbus Lighthouse
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 2/18/2013

Ministerof Culture, José Antonio Rodríguez, swore in writer and sociologist Mario Bonetti as the new governor of Columbus Lighthouse. Mr. Bonetti promised to work for the good of this important monument, inaugurated in 1992.

He defined the museums as part of the cultural industries of the Dominican Republic. “We have seen the capacity they need to generate which I consider should be transformed into an industry that contributes to development.”

During the event, which took place at the Lighthouse headquarters, Rodríguez said he was confident in the project being headed up by Bonetti. He said, as an initiative, the museums under his management, should be open to the public so people can become familiar with the origin of Dominican identity, history and culture.

He defined the museums as part of the cultural industries of the Dominican Republic. “We have seen the capacity they need to generate which I consider should be transformed into an industry that contributes to development.”

The museums, he said, including Columbus’s Lighthouse should not just be open to foreign tourists but should attract Dominican tourists as well.

He explained that the Ministry of Culture has made efforts to create the Satellite Account of the Cultural Sector in the Central Bank “so that, once and for all, we can see its contribution to culture.If not, we are going to lose not just a Ministry, but many years of effort in this cultural endeavor,” said Culture Ministry Rodríguez.

For his part, Mario Bonettisaid his interest in contributing to cultural development from his position includes immediately undertaking actions at the Lighthouse, including “redoing the upper floors, replanting the garden and fumigating to get rid of any bacteria.”

In addition, he said the exhibit galleries need to be renovated and made bigger because they are in bad shape, have not been well kept and are not attractive because nothing has been done to them since 1992. Bonetti said culture should contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and to achieve this, there needs to be change and investment.