Challenges for the new branch manager of Banco de la República in San Andrés: to strengthen the Center for Oral Memories and make it more visible to the public

The Board of Directors of Banco de la República appointed Ms. Irma Raquel Bermúdez Davis as the new branch manager of the Cultural Center in San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina. With this appointment, the Central Bank seeks to reinforce the links with the local population and to strengthen the Center for Oral Memories, one of the emblematic spaces of this Cultural Center, making it more inclusive and inserting it into the linguistic and ethno-educational processes at the archipelago.

Take Note:

• The purpose of the Center for Oral Memories is to contribute to the construction of inclusive citizenship and to support processes that enable the reconstruction of its social fabric. Find more information here»
• The commitment to a more inclusive cultural agenda towards the appropriation of Caribbean traditions will continue to be strengthened along the year. Learn more about our programming here»

Ms. Bermúdez Davis is bachelor in Finance and International Relations from Fundación Universitaria San Martín in Bogotá, holds a Master's degree in Natural Sciences from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and is specialist in Strategic Project Management from the same institution and in Ludics and Recreation for Social and Cultural Development from Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores. She has extensive experience in teaching and community work. Also, Ms. Bermúdez Davis has performed several functions at the Cultural Center, which endows her with a clear knowledge of the needs of the population.

In 2017, Ms. Bermúdez Davis served as acting manager, and during this time she contributed to strengthen the missionary processes of the Cultural Center by supporting projects such as Recetarios Orales (“Oral Recipes”), a workshop that sought to record and disseminate traditional knowledge of Caribbean cuisine. Also, Memoria oral en el aula de clase (“Oral Memory in the Classroom”), which aims to make the Center for Oral Memories and its services more visible to educational institutions in San Andrés; and La semana de la oralidad (“Orality Week”), which generated spaces for the inhabitants of the island to interact while recognizing the importance of oral transmission for the preservation of cultural traditions and practices.

What's new in 2020

Banco de la República's Cultural Center in San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina is an inclusive space with an emphasis on oral culture and on the rescue, preservation, and promotion of traditional knowledge in the archipelago. Since its opening, the Center has worked to strengthen local cultural identity and its connection to the population.  Along this year, the thematic axis of the cultural programming at the Center will be strengthened with a varied offer seeking to motivate the population to enjoy art and culture.

In the first semester, the exhibition A bordo de un navío esclavista, la Marie-Séraphique (“Aboard a Slave Ship, the Marie-Séraphique”), which presents one of the slave campaigns of a ship from Nantes, the Marie-Séraphique, will portray the reality of the French slave trade from the 17th to the 19th centuries.  Find more information here »

The National Concert Season will bring the Sayr Ensamble to the island, a traditional Persian music group that seeks to achieve a refined conjunction of popular sounds and the Persian spiritual musical tradition with some more current languages. Find more information here »

Also, the Jóvenes Intérpretes program (“Young Performers”) will feature the Lebensfreude Duo (violin and guitar), conformed by students from the Conservatorio del Tolima, who will present contrasting works including classical, Spanish nationalism, tango, and traditional Colombian music. Find more information here »