Mindanao Advice

Málaga: Tradition + Art = Progress

We live near the City of Málaga, the 2016 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 while 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 one of Europe’s most essential art scenes. 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 Málaga Mayor Francisco de la Torre stated, “Other cities are looking at us with envy.”

With Spain’s high unemployment rate, these initiatives were riddled with many issues. City officials defended the idea that quality tourism brings jobs and other opportunities. I couldn’t help but agree with 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 considering the social responsibility to create employment and develop more talents.

The old city of Málaga.
Vinos de Málaga at Antigua Casa de Guardia. Founded in 1840.

Pictures from the Centre for Contemporary Art:

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Digesting what I have seen…

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…that my husband has seen before.

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Walking home through the late night of Málaga…

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Málaga is proof that progress can be attained by caring for traditions, cultural treasures, and artistic resources. Showing them to the world adds more color to our existence and meaning to our identity. Like any other endeavor in life, you need to initiate and be persistent in such a goal.

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