We live near the City of Málaga, 2016 elected European Capital of Culture, and it’s amazing to see what a conscious commitment to art can lead to. Taking care of local traditions and customs, and at the same time understanding the great importance of art, is a winning concept.
For the past 10-15 years, Málaga has focused on building museums and galleries. The city has changed dramatically from a vulgar tourist location to become one of the most important art scenes in Europe. With the new Picasso Museum and its latest foreign outposts or branches of famous museums (like France’s Centre Pompidou and the St. Petersburg State Russian Museum), it is just getting more exciting for the world to see and explore the variety of art collections and performances. In the footsteps of the visitors, the economy grows significantly. As stated by Málaga Mayor Francisco de la Torre, “other cities are looking at us with envy.”
With the high unemployment rate in Spain, these initiatives were riddled with a lot of issues. City officials defended that quality tourism brings jobs and other opportunities. I couldn’t help but agree to this. I have long been waiting for this to happen in my hometown, Davao City, in the Philippines. I wish it to be the cradle of local culture and the arts with large museums and presentations, and even take it to the national level while keeping in mind the social responsibility to create employment and develop more talents.
Pictures from the Centre for Contemporary Art:
Digesting what I have seen…
…that my husband has seen before.
Walking home through the late-night of Málaga…
Málaga is proof that progress can be attained by taking care of traditions, cultural treasures, and artistic resources. Showing them to the world adds more color to our existence and meaning to our identity. There’s just a need to initiate and be persistent in such a goal, just like any other endeavor in life.