CAF and OLA have signed a memorandum of understanding that contemplates the possibility of carrying out joint actions to strengthen theatre and opera in the region.

On Wednesday, December 6, a memorandum of understanding was signed in Rio de Janeiro between CAF, the development bank of Latin America, and the association of theatres, companies and festivals Ópera Latinoamérica, OLA, with the aim of promoting the dissemination of the theatrical and operatic arts in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

The document, which bears the signature of the Secretary General of the CAF, Alejandra Claros Borda, and Alejandra Martí Olbrich, Executive Director of OLA, is a framework collaboration agreement that seeks to develop future projects with specific agreements over the course of two years to promote objectives such as the promotion of the Latin American identity, strengthen the institutions of the Association, promote innovation and the digital transformation of theaters in the LAC, among others.

“These initiatives are aligned with what is currently promoted by the General Secretary of CAF, through its Cultural and Sports coordination. In just a year and a half, we have carried out more than 200 activities in different artistic areas such as opera, music, arts, theatre, among other manifestations, which has allowed us to link our institution with more than 25 organizations at the regional level. with which we have achieved the participation of more than 2,000 artists and, likewise, we have generated jobs in more than 680 companies in the cultural industries sector. The alliance with Ópera Latinoamérica Association will promote the positioning of more than 15 theatres in Latin America and the Caribbean as relevant spaces for the advancement of the cultural heritage of our countries,” said Alejandra Claros, general secretary of CAF.

“Today, more than ever, the organizations that are part of OLA are community spaces and agents of change, epicenters of critical thinking, innovation and public-private coordination, as well as promoters of Latin American culture. They generate greater social cohesion in our countries and link thousands of people in their territories through music and the performing arts. This framework agreement between CAF and OLA will be an example of international coordination between two organizations of different nature, but that fulfill the same purpose: to improve the quality of life for the inhabitants of our continent,” says Alejandra Martí, executive director of OLA, an association non-profit founded in Chile in 2007, made up of more than 45 organizations from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela.

CAF, development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, has the mission of promoting sustainable development and regional integration through the financing of projects in the public and private sectors, the provision of technical cooperation and other specialized services. Founded in 1970 and currently made up of 21 countries, 19 from Latin America and the Caribbean, along with Spain and Portugal, and 13 private banks, it is one of the main sources of multilateral financing and an important generator of knowledge for the region.