18 cultural projects from four provinces were approved

18 cultural projects from four provinces were approved
Santo Domingo, September 24, 2013

A total of 18 cultural projects were approved on Saturday, to be implemented in the provinces of Peravia, Azua, San José de Ocoa, and San Cristóbal, with the support of the Ministry of Culture.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Culture, José Antonio Rodríguez, at the conclusion of the third meeting of the First National Call for Cultural Projects, which was held at the Perelló Cultural Center in this city.

Amid the applause from the cultural managers who filled the hall where the projects were presented, discussed, and selected, the Minister of Culture also informed that seven other initiatives will receive an institutional response to be implemented in those provinces.

The following projects were approved for the province of Azua de Compostela: “La Edición en dos tomos de la Historia General de Azua (The Publication in Two Volumes of the General History of Azua),” “Azua, Ciudad Poesía (Azua, Poetry City),” “Formación de Ballet Folklórico de Azua (Training of the Azua Folkloric Ballet),” “Escuela de Canto Popular (School of Popular Singing),” and “Festival Cine Triple CCC de Cine Creativo y Cultural (Triple CCC Creative and Cultural Film Festival).”

Of the projects submitted by the representatives of the provinces of San José de Ocoa, the following were approved: “The Taíno Route of Rancho Arriba” and the “Creation of a seed fund to establish the Museum of Ocoa Traditions.”

The following initiatives were approved for San Cristóbal: “Apalancamiento Cultural de San Agustín (San Agustín Cultural Leverage),” “Haina, para que regrese el diablo Cojuelo (Haina, for the return of the Cojuelo devil),” “Formación y difusión de la música de atabales, ritmos folclóricos de San Cristóbal (Training and dissemination of drum music, folk rhythms of San Cristóbal),” “Desarrollo del Turismo Cultural en la Provincia de San Cristóbal (Development of Cultural Tourism in the San Cristóbal Province),” “Centro Cultural Artesanal de Cambita Garabito (Cambita Garabito Cultural Crafts Center),” “Salón Constitucional de Arte Joven (Young Art Constitutional Hall),” and “Concurso Anual de Artes Plásticas Multidisciplinarias (Annual Contest of Multidisciplinary Arts).”

The approved projects for the province of Peravia are: “Construcción de espacio físico para promover la cultura de Nizao (Building of a physical space to promote the Nizao culture),” “Escuela taller de formación de muñecas de trapo (Training workshop on rag dolls),” “Formación de grupos de atalabes (Training for drum groups),” and “Raíces y tradiciones de la Santísima Cruz (Roots and traditions of the Most Holy Cross),” among others.

In presenting the pre-selected projects at the beginning of the meeting, the Deputy Minister of Culture, Carlos Santos, reported that 78 was the total number of projects that were presented, of which 25 were initially pre-selected. Of these, 18 were approved and seven would receive an institutional or inter-institutional response, which means that they will not be funded by the RD$100,000,000 available for those projects.

As he announced the selected projects, the Minister of Culture José Antonio Rodríguez said that the purpose of the call is to create mechanisms that effectively contribute to facilitate the exercise of the rights of all Dominicans, as stated in the constitution of the Republic and in the National Development Strategy.

During the meeting, the Minister shared that his agency has a modern recording studio, one of the largest in the country, in terms of the number of technical equipment, which will help to create a record of the national rhythms.

That project will begin with the recordings of the famous Chuineros of Baní, whom he urged to get their best couplets ready.

He also informed that the traditionalist painting (pintura costumbrista) contest will be announced in November, through an alliance between the Ministries of Culture and of Tourism. The goal is to fill the tourist areas of the country with traditionalist paintings.
The meetings were led by the Minister of Culture accompanied by Carlos Santos, Deputy Minister of Institutional Development; Nelson Camilo Landestoy, Municipa Trustee of Baní; Carlos Salcedo, Cabinet Director; Nerva Fondeur, Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage; Luis O. Brea, Advisor to the Minister; Julio César Díaz, Governor of the San Cristóbal province; Guarocuya Félix, Director of the Internal Revenue; Pablo Mackiney, Journalist; and Tommy García, in charge of the Vice Ministry of Creativity and Popular Participation.

Prior to the meeting, Minister Rodríguez and the cabinet of the Ministry of Culture were declared guests of honor by the municipal government headed by Nelson Camilo Landestoy, the President and the Secretary General of the Council, Dalma Rosa Arias and Nelson Guerrero, respectively.

In turn, the Ministry of Culture declared the Province of Peravia as “Cultural City of the Valdesia Region”.