2020 Yearbook: Culture as an enduring sign of hope
Culture is hope María Amalia León President of the Eduardo León Jimenes Foundation and director of Centro León COVID-19 jolted our customs and traditions. The world moved indoors to prevent massive contagion of the virus and has, since then, been overwhelmed by loss, economic and social effects caused by lockdown. Our existence is a daily personal and collective effort to exist and coexist. Other than material resources, we need each other to live, we need affection to nurture our feelings and to move forward, to overcome the difficulties that we may find along the way. Culture is part of those feelings and actions shared by members of society. It creates a common language through which we can communicate. Culture helps us rise and keep walking on the path of life. Centro León was created as an institution for cultural service: through the arts, critical thinking, and socio-cultural activities, it has aimed to promote to a wide national and international audience the tangible and intangible Dominican heritage. This past year, more than ever, humanity as a whole and we as part of it, have required a breath of hope and solidarity. Cultural institutions around the world have understood their role during these uncertain and distressing times: to entertain, to guide, and to remind us better days are coming. Culture is hope. That is the educational mission presented to us, and we have lived up to it. Experiencing art and culture is a mean to bring together knowledge of the past, present and future. It is a way to build bridges between us and other latitudes. A way to nourish inventiveness, human creation, empathy, community, and solidarity. As a result of the country’s situation and the orders given to us by the authorities a few months into 2020, Centro León decided to cease its in-person activities. Even so, the Centro León team kept working from home. First, we took care of our colleagues and their families. We then followed closely each new situation, to inform our community and protect each other. We prepared cultural offers made available through various digital platforms. These activities, both recreational and educational, were drawn from our archives at Centro León: virtual visits to art exhibitions, live talks, and conferences on various subjects.
120
