Poor Dominican Republic can afford a US$1.1M whim

Santo Domingo.- The Education Ministry’s pavilion for the 17th annual international book fair which starts Friday will be the most expensive ever built for such an event, and which builders working in other similar works estimate its cost at more than RD$50 million, though the government refuses to specify it.

The majestic stand at the Plaza de la Cultura is a steel framed and sheetrock replica of the Education Ministry’s headquarters, which some 40 workers build on around 500 square meters.

Promoters of other stands and people who visit the site react with indignation and are astonished the ostentatious exhibit, calling it too expensive for an activity that will last on 10 days.

Glass windows and doors, luxurious interior and exterior lighting, high end furniture and exuberant gardens make the structure a sumptuous sight in a poor country.