Argentina sharing culture

The stage is set for increased cultural cooperation between Barbados and Argentina.

Celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations and the 202nd anniversary of Argentina’s Independence Day, the Argentine Embassy in Bridgetown will be sharing its artistic expressions with their friends from Barbados and the world.

This is according to Argentine Ambassador Martinez Pandiani as he welcomed guests to the inaugural “Argentine Film Festival 2018”, held at the Errol Barrow Center for Creative Imagination, University of the West Indies (UWI) on Monday night.

He revealed that the Argentine Embassy has organised an ambitious programme of cultural activities for 2018, open to all free of charge, to honour 50 years of common history, under the slogan ‘Celebrating our Friendship, Sharing our Culture’.

“This program includes all our main artistic expressions: film, music, dance, theater, performing arts, gastronomy, painting and photography, and its main purpose is to bring Argentine art to the Barbadian people.

“Our films are a faithful mirror of our society. The next three days we will screen a drama, a family comedy, and a thriller. I hope you enjoy all of them and take this opportunity to grasp the essence of our people a little better,” he expressed.

Diplomatic relations between Barbados and Argentina, since being established in 1968, have deepened with a marked enhancement in collaboration in agriculture and food security, education and language training, trade and investment and cultural development.

Furthermore, Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the Hon. Sandra Husbands identified that over the years, the two countries’ most active engagement has been in the area of technical cooperation.

She recalled that as recently as two months ago, the Government of Argentina, through the offices of its Embassy in Barbados, convened a Regional Cooperation Workshop in Barbados. CARICOM participants were exposed to expert Argentine advice on the development of agro-industries for the strengthening of food security, the teaching of Spanish and the development of small and medium sized businesses.

“These are all areas, which the Government of Barbados considers critical to the country’s sustainable development,” she stressed, also noting that the Governments of Barbados and Argentina signed a Bilateral Agreement on Technical Cooperation which seeks to promote technical cooperation in areas of common interest between the two countries through the exchange of technical expertise and people-to-people exchanges.

Minister Husbands further expressed that the Government of Barbados is immensely grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to participate in Argentina’s internationally renowned Mar de Plata Film Festival.

“I am also confident that Barbadian artistes as well as the wider Barbadian public will avail themselves of the opportunity to benefit from performing arts workshops as well as learn the fundamentals of the Argentine tango – all events being organized by the Embassy in the coming months.”

The “Argentine Film Festival 2018” continues with the screening of the films “Mum Went Away” on July 10th and “The Sailboat” July 11th, 7.30 p.m. (TL)