Ministry of Culture Donates 10 Thousand Books to Second Youth Reading Marathon 2012 Participants

Ministry of Culture Donates 10 Thousand Books to Second Youth Reading Marathon 2012 Participants
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, March 29, 2012

The Ministry of Culture (MINC for its acronym in Spanish), through the General Directorate for Books and Reading, donated 10 thousand books to young people participating in the Second Youth Reading Marathon 2012, that was organized by the Ministry of Youth.

Meanwhile, Franklin Rodríguez thanked the MINC, once again, for its instrumental role in strengthening the habit of reading in the Dominican Republic through these books.

The donation was delivered by the Minister of Culture, José Rafael Lantigua, and the Minister of Youth, Franklin Rodríguez, at the Ministry of Youth headquarters, located at Avenida Jiménez Moya No. 71.

The Minister of Culture stated that “we should praise the Ministry of Youth’s initiative in promoting books and reading, through which hundreds of young people from all the municipalities around the country, without exception, from February 20 until next Monday, will be reading without interruption.  Today the MINC is donating ten thousand books to those young people who are participating in the project, with a view to instilling in them a love for books and reading.”

Meanwhile, Franklin Rodríguez thanked the MINC, once again, for its instrumental role in strengthening the habit of reading in the Dominican Republic through these books.

Mr. Rodríguez also highlighted that “we have been holding reading marathons since last year, with the goal of supporting this important project, and to continue strengthening and developing the love of reading among these young people from all backgrounds.”

Through this event, the MINC continues to contribute to the promotion of literature and reading in the Dominican Republic, rewarding young people who have participated in the marathon.  The event serves as an inspiration and an example for Dominican youth.

The books that were donated included a collection of books on history, poetry, short stories, narratives, essays, novels, and science, among others, by both Dominican and foreign authors.  The books have been edited by a diversity of publishing brands within the MINC, which has been working arduously for the past seven years through the Editora Nacional.

This donation was part of a project to donate books, which is part of the Ministry’s strategy to promote national literature and to stimulate readers.  The program includes the “Start Your Own Library,” “Outdoor Reading Festivals,” and “Reading Plans” projects.All these projects have been developed by the General Directorate for Books and Reading, under the leadership of writer Eleanor Grimaldi Silié.

Ms. Grimaldi Silié attended the event, along with Cristrian Beltré and Clarisa de la Cruz, Deputy Ministers of Youth, among other personalities.

A total of 930 young people from 155 municipalities around the country are participating in the second marathon.  They will read aloud,uninterrupted,for a total of one-thousand hours, over a period of 42 days, with the slogan, “For the love of God and Country”.

The book donation was delivered by the Minister of Culture, José Rafael Lantigua, and it was received by Franklin Rodríguez, Minister of Youth.