the mayor of Montevideo, Caroline Cosseresponded to criticism received in recent days about the cost of the festival “Here we are” which will take place this Sunday on the Rambla de Punta Carretasand pointed out that there are “reasonings of doubtful validity.”
With the participation of the Brazilian Daniela Mercury and from Argentina Lali Espositothe cultural festival organized by the Municipality of Montevideo (IM) It was quickly on everyone’s lips. And not only from the fans and residents of the area, for the opportunity to witness the two artists, but also from the critics, who quickly came out to question the amount allocated to the event and the payment of the artists who, according to the information that was known contemplates 256,478 dollars for the Espósito show, and 62,387 dollars for the Mercury one, only.
In this regard, Cosse questioned the attacks received. “I have seen that there are some reasonings that establish that what an artist’s cache costs is equivalent to such or such a thing, and I want to say that those are arguments of dubious validity if we want democracy and progress to progress,” she said on Friday at a press conference in which she was accompanied by most of the artists who will perform at the festival.
Likewise, the leader maintained that in addition to the festival, the IM also works in the most needy neighborhoods, it works making streets, infrastructure, squares.” “The mayor’s office is going to develop this year Montevideo Goes Aheadis illuminating all of Montevideo, it is redoubling its health policy, its support for food, it has just received an international award for its policy of promoting healthy eating, with four other cities”, he highlighted, realizing that there is no bad use of the public funds.
“So actually when one develops a Integral plan for Montevideo, or for any place, one cannot go around comparing ‘this costs me half of this, or the other’. Policies develop and they all go together“La Cosse remarked.
“The culture It’s not just the shows. When we put together a program with a hundred women who don’t have work to train them with a ten-month program so that they learn all the corners of biology to manage the land and then end up building gardens on the vacant land that we expropriated, that’s culture, that’s it is a cultural policy as well. And it’s all done at the same time,” she noted.
And, finally, he pointed out: “I don’t know the final cost of this, but what I do know is that The investment we make in culture is returned to us multiplied by the population“.
Criticism of the festival
The information on the expenses of the “Here we are” festival caused a stir and the critics They came from the opposition, which was quick to describe the event as “bread and circuses” by the IM.
As a recent precedent, there was also criticism for the amount disbursed to carry out the act in homage to the Brazilian president. Lula da Silvawhich totaled 1.5 million dollars.
From the IM they pointed out that “the expression of bread and circuses is sad because it has to do with how we build the city. A city that generates events and culture, that is open to different cultural expressions, is not bread and circuses”.
“We are convinced that it is an event that puts the issue of women on the table,” considered the director of Municipal Development and Participation of the MI, Federico Granawho also assured that “there will be a recovery of money through tickets and various sponsors.”
Source: Ambito
