President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has inaugurated the new “Kirchner Cultural Center”, the biggest one in Latin America, as part of the «Semana de Mayo» celebrations.
«Today is a historic day and I feel very glad. Culture has followed our economic growth,» CFK said during a speech delivered from the building, located between Sarmiento and Bouchard streets, and Alem and Corrientes avenues, in downtown Buenos Aires.
The cultural center is the biggest one in Latin America. It has 44 exposition rooms and six auditoriums. The place was originally used as the Buenos Aires city mail center, and was declared historic historic heritage in 1997.
Works began in 2008. The inauguration was first meant for 2010 to celebrate the Argentine bicentennial, but it was delayed.
«This could not have been done by private investors. The state was needed to finish these kind of work. It is the state that decides to redestribute wealth, also for cultural aims, when the economy develops,» Ms Kirchner said.
The President also praised the record time in which the building was reconstructed: «It took six years. That’s a record time, because it is more difficult to rebuild and repair than to build from scratch.»
“If we could do this with injunctions falling against us from the sky, imagine what we can do with the law working with us instead of against us,” she added, questioning legal proceedings boosted by private businesses that blocked Victory Front projects such as the Media Law.
CFK acknowledged the works are not yet completely finished, but revealed the Argentine philharmonic will play the National Anthem on May 24 at midnight from one of the auditoriums of the newly opened center.
The President then recalled how she saw the works develop form the very start, when her late husband President Néstor Kirchner started them, and, in a politically charged comment against BA city Mayor and presidential hopeful Mauricio Macri, hoped the country’s capital city can fulfill similar projects in the future.
“Every time I see the natural reserve in Puerto Madero, I hope we someday can develop it even further, like the Bois de Boulogne in Paris or the Central Park in New York. Someday we, the ones that are behind this political project, are going to be able to make those decisions for the city. Someday we will make our dreams come true in the city as well,” the President said, weeks after a disappointing primary election for the ruling Victory Front (FpV) in BA city.
The opening of the «Kirchner Cultural Center» was one of the main activities of the «Semana de Mayo» celebrations, which finish on Monday with the head of state’s speech at Plaza de Mayo.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald