US Culture Commissioner is removed by Luis Abinader

With surprise, Dominican residents in Upper Manhattan received decree 532-22 signed by President Luis Abinader, with which he eliminated the Dominican Commissioner of Culture (CODOCUL) in this city. It specifies that CODOCUL lacks an organic structure that corresponds to its role as a promoter of Dominicans residing abroad’ cultural expressions, reiterating for years the practice of simply designating different holders by decree, for which its transformation into a decentralized organ is conducive.

The decree indicates that the Directorate of Dominican Culture Abroad is created as a decentralized body of the Ministry of Culture, which will appoint a director whose objective is to promote the cultural expressions of Dominicans abroad. Also, it will be opened in NY in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which, together with the Ministry of Culture, will be able to open cultural offices in other locations as required for the fulfillment of its objective.

The Commissioner of Culture was created in September 2004, during the government of President Leonel Fernández, through decree No.1152-04, to disseminate the cultural values of the DR, promote the artistic and literary creation of Dominican residents in the USA, and offer the diaspora an action program that contributes to the maintenance of national cultural values.