Opening of the exhibition "New Perspectives: Dominican Republic" in Samana

Dominican Republic, 01/31/2011

The photographic exhibition, featuring more than 40 images, can be seen at the Malecon and will be open for a month.

Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) and its sister organization in the United States, the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), in an effort to promote knowledge about the country and to raise awareness of its natural and historical heritage, opened the photographic exhibition "New Perspectives: Dominican Republic." The event took place in Puerto Laguada, Samana Bay, on January 28.

The objective of the "New Perspectives: Dominican Republic" project is to offer to the public, both domestic and international, a fresh new outlook of the incredible wealth, beauty and diversity of the country through publications and exhibitions (www.newpersepctivesdominicanrepublic.com). The book of the same title was published in 2007 and is already used as a benchmark tool, at the same time that educational photographic exhibitions have been offered in the country and the U.S. The photos are the work of Anne Casale, a French-Puerto Plata photographer.

The introductory remarks at the opening ceremony were delivered by the Director of the Department of Planning and Projects of the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR), Maribel Villalona, who explained that the objective of this activity is to launch the first tourist information center in this area. She also explained that the project involves a network of stands whose objective is to offer guidance, raise the quality of service provided to tourists, as well as to promote domestic tourism.

Likewise, Yamile Eusebio, FUNGLODE’s Director of the Educational Activities Program and GFDD’s Director of the New York office, said that the photo exhibition aims to promote the beautiful natural scenery of the Dominican Republic and to disseminate information about the country in order to strengthen respect for its culture and environmental heritage among Dominicans and foreign visitors.

For her part, the Deputy Minister of Tourism in Samaná, Elsa de León, stressed the importance of this exhibition and said that activities of this type are ideal for showing the natural beauty of the country. She concluded her remarks by noting that she expects to continue the alliance between MITUR and FUNGLODE/GFDD to bring this exhibit to other parts of the Dominican Republic.

The head table was made of Maribel Villalona, Director of MITUR’s Department of Planning and Projects; Orfelia Salazar, Director of MITUR’s Department of Cruises, Yarin Casquero, Director of MITUR’s Department of Business and Services, Antonio José, representing Samana’s Trustee; Anne Casale, the photographer; Yamile Eusebio, Director of FUNGLODE’s Educational Activities Program and Director of the GFDD in New York; and Elsa de Leon, Deputy Minister of Tourism in Samaná.

The exhibit, an initiative supported by the Ministry of Tourism through its Department of Planning and Projects, can be seen at the Malecon in Samana.

Since it was first opened to the public in May of 2009 in Santo Domingo, the exhibit has had an excellent reception in Santiago, Cap Cana and Playa Dorada (Puerto Plata), at the national level, and in Washington, DC, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, and in Barcelona, Spain, at the international level.

The book
New Perspectives: Dominican Republic is a masterful bilingual (English-Spanish) publication that includes some 400 images distributed in nine chapters: Reflections of Light, Coasts, Heights, Plains, History, City, People, Tourism and Work, with pictures and text describing different aspects of the country's history, culture, environment, and contemporary life.

The creation and publication of the book is part of the mission of FUNGLODE/GFDD to promote the image of the Dominican Republic throughout the world, to disseminate information about the country, and to strengthen appreciation and respect for its cultural and environmental heritage.

FUNGLODE and GFDD hope that this work will serve as a reference book for both the local population and for Dominicans living abroad, as well as for foreign visitors, businessmen, students, art and photography lovers, and for those interested in learning more about the Dominican Republic.

The book can be purchased at FUNGLODE’s headquarters in Santo Domingo, and at the GFDD offices in New York and Washington, DC. It can also be purchased through the Internet at http://www.dominicanaonline.org/Portal/english/compras/compras.asp.