Santo Domingo.– The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (Funglode) and its publishing house, Editorial Funglode, presented the Italian edition of the Dominican Cultural Dictionary, an initiative that helps keep the identity of the Dominican diaspora alive.
The dictionary, an initiative by Jimmy Sierra, was published in Spanish in 2017. It was created with the collaboration of Reynaldo Disla, Héctor Martínez Fernández, Carlos José Peña, and León Félix Batista, and a foreword by Dr. Leonel Fernández.
The event began with welcoming remarks by Idrialis Castillo, director of Editorial Funglode. This was followed by writer Reynaldo Disla, one of the co-authors of the Dictionary, who shared anecdotes about working with Jimmy Sierra on the creation of the work and the rigor of the work involved.
Julio Samuel Sierra, director of the publication, and Nuris Vilorio, Funglode’s liaison in Italy, spoke about the translation process and gave an account of the presentation in Italy, which was coordinated with the Società Umanitaria Milano.
Vilorio expressed her satisfaction with being able to contribute to this project that “helps to keep the culture of the Dominican Republic alive, and the identity of Dominicans living abroad.”
The former president of the Republic and president of Funglode, Dr. Leonel Fernández, addressed the attendees, highlighting the fundamental role of Jimmy Sierra as a cultural activist for him and the young people of his generation when he was growing up in Villa Juana.
In his speech, he referred to the national cultural identity and Funglode’s interest in turning the dictionary into a tool for dissemination, through workshops and diploma courses, to connect the Dominican Republic with the rest of the world.
The presentation of the Italian edition of the Dominican Cultural Dictionary took place at the Il Cappuccino restaurant, with the participation of a representation of the Italian community in the Dominican Republic.
The dictionary is a didactic and reference work that allows easy navigation through the breadth of Dominican cultural space. It offers a synthesis of biographies and key cultural events in Dominican history.