The opening ceremony took place at the Santa Clara Convent, in Havana’s Historic Center, a site that is undergoing an extensive renovation process to become the College for Training in the Arts and Crafts of Restoration, coordinated by the Office of the City Historian.

Anne Lemaistre, representative of UNESCO’s Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, emphasized the importance of Transcultura in accompanying and promoting artists between the ages of 18 and 35 in the cultural and creative industries sector.

She recalled that the program is coordinated by that international organization and financed by the European Union (EU), and it is supported by numerous Cuban institutions. She evoked the figure of Eusebio Leal, who died three years ago, as the driving force behind the Santa Clara College project.

In statements to the press, Lemaistre stressed that Transcultura creates bridges of communication and interaction between Europe, Cuba and the whole Caribbean, as well as within the Caribbean space.

Present at the ceremony were Cuban Deputy Minister of Culture Fernando León Jacomino, European Union Ambassador to Cuba Isabel Brilhante; the President of the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO, Dulce Buergo; and the President of the Board of the Caribbean Cultural Training Pole, Gladys Collazo.

The EU representative emphasized the hard work to implement the courses, thanks to the commitment by the different institutions involved.

Deputy Culture Minister Jacomino invited young people to discover the cultural wealth of the host country and to benefit from the experience of professionals with very high competencies in the various subjects proposed.

For several weeks, the students will receive training in workshops dedicated to handicrafts, music, design, among other subjects.

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