Inauguration of the Cultural Center of Spain in Nicaragua
ViaNica.com | Nov 16, 2010
The Cultural Center of Spain in Nicaragua (CCEN) will be inaugurated and will officially start functioning on Friday, November 19 in Managua. Concerts, art exhibitions, conferences, workshops and financial support to cultural projects will be part of the services of this institution, which is an organism of the Spanish cooperation.
During the press conference given to the national media, the Spanish consul, Miguel-García-Herraiz, said that the project aims to have an influence on the promotion of national culture and cultural exchange. Also, it goes beyond the infrastructure since they plan to have more activities in other places of the city and the country.
The new establishment was built in the facilities of the Nicaraguan Institute for Hispanic Culture (INCH), in Las Colinas (residential area), and has a library, a multipurpose room, cafeteria, free Internet and an audiovisual production laboratory. Also, it has a bus that will connect the center with other places of the city whenever they have cultural activities.
With the official inauguration on Friday night, the CCEN will begin its activities with a collective photo exhibition that will be moved to other places in Managua. Between November and December, there will also be a Central American Music Festival, the Fair of the Nicaraguan Album and the First Hispanic Cinema Cycle. For further information, go to our Events Calendar.
David Ruiz, coordinator of the CCEN, explained that the institution will start receiving project proposals in order to give financial support. The projects must be related to their principles: cultural rights, technological gap and economical development through culture and abilities training. Interested people have to fill a form and for direct consultations, "our space and offices are always open," he said.
The consul García-Herraiz assured that the CCEN is a new stage of the cooperation towards Nicaragua with the perspective of "culture" as a factor in wealth creation, through the promotion of cultural industry and training of people in the area. "We want to have a direct influence on creators," he stated.
The center will share its facilities with INCH, an institution also related to the Spanish embassy that has been functioning for 50 years. In the past, the center developed cultural activities with the support of the embassy, but now it will have its separate agenda.
In a short-term, said the consul, they expect to see CCEN as a modern, open and member of the cultural management of the country, both private and official initiatives. The center is part of the Network of Spanish Cultural Centers in Latin America and the Caribbean.