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European Union Ambassadors confirm the progress of the restoration work on the Santa Clara Convent in Havana |
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13 September 2022/ UNESCO Havana
The Ambassador of the European Union in Cuba, Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa, Ambassadors to Cuba of EU Member States and the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, Anne Lemaistre, visited the Santa Clara Convent in Havana today to see first-hand the progress of its restoration works. Built in the 17th century, this building was the first women's convent in Havana. It is located in Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage property.
This intervention is receiving the support of the programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity, implemented by UNESCO and funded by the European Union, to procure materials for the building's rehabilitation. To date, the Transcultura programme has facilitated the import of more than 250 tons of material for the restoration of the Santa Clara Convent, corresponding to an amount of US$1.8 million, and further procurement for more than US$2.5 million is planned in the upcoming months.
In her welcoming remarks, the Ambassador of the European Union in Cuba stressed that "cultural cooperation between the EU and Cuba, but also with the entire Caribbean region, is an important vector for sustainable development. I am pleased that this visit takes place days after what would be the 80th birthday of Eusebio Leal, who was the decisive driving force behind this restoration project, one of the most important contributions of our cooperation and our support to culture".
Once restored, the Convent will house the Santa Clara College for Training in Restoration Arts and Crafts in Cuba and the Caribbean, an institution that is part of the Caribbean Cultural Training Hub promoted by Transcultura, and will train specialists in conservation and restoration of both movable and immovable property from across the area. The Transcultura programme aims at boosting the cultural and creative industries of 17 Caribbean countries through exchange and cooperation in the region and with the European Union. It is based on capacity building and the creation of opportunities for young Caribbean professionals.
"UNESCO is proud to join hands with the European Union to support young cultural professionals in the Caribbean through high-level capacity building, such as the one which will be provided in the Santa Clara College", highlighted Anne Lemaistre.
During the visit, the Assistant Director-General of the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana, Perla Rosales, and her technical team presented the progress made in the works to the representatives of the European Union embassies. The intervention, facilitated by Transcultura, focuses mainly on the first cloister of the Convent, which will house the classrooms, laboratories and lecture hall of the Santa Clara College. After a thorough diagnosis of the construction and restoration needs, the work now centres on repairing the roofs and structures with wood and wood treatments, scaffolding, mortar, paint and copper piping, among the materials supplied by the programme. The entire roof of one of the wings of the convent has already been restored, as well as the ceilings of the four galleries of the cloister.
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Related Link(s): Cultural Industries, Cultural Diversity, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
, Cultural Policies, Culture and Development, World Heritage |
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