Culture Plays a Fundamental Part in the Social Development of a Country
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, September 14th, 2006

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundaciónn Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) along with its initiative, The Global Media Arts Institute, and the Ministry  of Culture, hosted the well-known Columbian lawyer Gonzalo Castellanos Valenzuela in the auditorium of FUNGLODE on September 13, 2006 who talked about “Culture, Integration and Development”.

Gonzalo Castellanos Valenzuela is a well renowned Columbian lawyer who elaborated a model Law of Cinema for Columbia.  He has also been an adviser to diverse public and international organizations and has managed and designed social projects for the Inter-American Development Bank.

In his address, Dr. Castellanos stressed how culture can represent a serious role in the economy when it is stimulated in a suitable way, presenting it as an industry, emphasizing   the importance of cultural diversity as an important resource for human development and education. As an example, he remarked how cinematography is a cultural phenomenon in addition to a powerful economic sector.   A UNESCO report shows how most of the world illiterate population of 850 million has access to television from which they can form their own judgment and imagination in a collective form just by watching. Gonzalo Castellanos Valenzuela reckons that current development in the cinematography should call out for serious rethinking and advocates for the integration of an indigenous cultural dimension into the paradigms of growth, as a way of linking development with the ethical basis of life and living.

Culture has enormous possibilities when promoted in a serious way..  It has a unique way to connect one person to another, a community to another and a nation to another nation.  At this capacity, culture is the first step to international and intercultural dialogs, providing common ground for mutual understanding that can go beyond national and political boundaries and allows a more sustainable community. 

In this line, GFDD/FUNGLODE develops forums and global networks for cultural exchange and intercultural dialogue. With the purpose of encouraging the incipient local film industry, GFDD/FUNGLODE has developed several projects, like the Global Media Arts Institute which, in collaboration with the University of New York and One Race Films, offer film and TV production training for young professionals, the Dominican Republic Global Film Festival, and the Caribbean Culture body of study integrated into the InteRDom Internships Program with UNIBE University, introducing interns into a deeper understanding of the rich local culture. 

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development Projects:

The Global Media Arts Institute:  www.globalfoundationdd.org
DR Global Film Festival: www.drglobalfilmfestival.org
New York University site: www.nyu.edu
One Race Films: www.oneracefilms.com
InteRDom Program: www.globalfoundationdd.org/interdom