A new cultural center, the Centro Cultural Perello, a contribution by the owners of Cafe Santo Domingo to the culture of the region, is due to be inaugurated in Bani on Friday, 16 September. The center aims to create a multicultural dynamic experience to open horizons to lovers of art, painting, music and the environment. The new center emulates the Centro Leon, a major contribution to culture made by the Leon Jimenes family in Santiago.
The center was designed by architect Pedro Borrell, who was also responsible for the Centro Leon. It is located on a 10,000m2 lot on the Bani-San Cristobal highway, next to the La Estrella matches factory. The building itself measures 5,000m2. It has a 150-seater auditorium for concerts, conferences and teaching. It also has a multi-use hall for up to 200 people and a computer center with 36 computers with Internet connections. One of the artistic highlights is a mural by Said Musa that pays homage to a day on the farm. Historian Ismael Diaz Melo is the director of the cultural center. “We will work on three basic themes – young cinema, education and the environment”, he said. Diaz said that the center would support young talent in making films.
“In a first phase the center will reach out to the province, but later we plan to reach out to the south,” he announced.