Uniting Through Music

For the past 6 months, France has taken over the streets of Colombia to promote its culture and music. Now, it is the turn for Colombia to do the same in France.

Starting in July 2017, with a duration of 6 months in total, the Colombia-France year will feature more than 250 events promoting Colombian culture in 19 cities across France.

Through this cultural exchange, the Colombian Government hopes to change European’s view of Colombia by turning away from the image of a country torn by conflict and towards that of a diverse and multicultural nation.

Colombia’s cultural mission in France was inaugurated with a musical performance by the Bi-National Colombian-French Orchestra, which was created thanks to an initiative taken by the Colombian Ministry of Culture and Paris’ Demos Foundation. During their performance, they played a variation of Colombian and French rhythms interwoven to create one melody.

During his visit to Paris, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos had meetings at UNESCO to discuss the importance of both education and culture within society. Furthermore, he emphasized the usefulness of literature, music, dance, theater, cinema, art and cultural heritage in strengthening coexistence between nations.

As an example, he mentioned the “Library On-Wheels” program, an idea taken directly from France and applied to Colombia as a means to educate those Colombian individuals whose education has been inhibited by the country’s long-lasting armed conflict.

With the Colombia-France initiative, President Juan Manuel Santos hopes that cultural strengthening will allow for stronger relationships between Colombia and France/EU.

In his very own words: “That is the world we want. A world filled with music and friendships, where there aren’t barriers but bridges, to unite each other, to appreciate each other.”