Riga ready 2014 Capital of Culture application

  • 2009-03-09
  • TBT staff

RIGA- Riga's application to be the EuropeanCapital of Culture in 2014 is being prepared by Aiva Rozenberga, formerspokesman of ex-president Vaira Vike-Freiberga.

Rozenberga said that in September 2009 a decision will be made to decidewhich  two Latvian and Swedish citieswill be European Capitals of Culture in 2014. Currently, the competition is beingheld among three Latvian cities -- Riga, Cesis and Liepaja and two Swedishcities Lund and Umea.

"I am sure that no matter which city wins the status, for Latvia it isa large opportunity to use culture in the widest sense and recover from theeconomic crisis. In Latvia it is typical to consider culture in a narrow sense,but in contemporary world the culture has large chances to create added valueand help economic processes to create new ways of cooperation," saidRozenberga.

Rozenberga is preparing Riga's application for the competition, and in acouple of weeks Internet website www.kulturix.lv will be opened, invitingresidents to share their opinion and inform them about the progress inpreparing the application.

The application underscored that culture is creating added value and Riga isa mobile center. "Movement of people's ideas is happening very fast, andthere are communications among countries and cities. We are open to othercities in Latvia and beyond its borders to create new cooperationprojects," she said.

Rozenberga said that she wants to get a wide range of people, experts,municipal institutions, NGOs involved in the project.

She said that she has received support letters from 15 European cities andEurocities culture forum cities.

The Riga City Council culture department is the responsible institution forthe project.