Simon Bolivar Cultural Centre officially opened

The Simón Bolivar Cultural Centre in downtown Kingston was officially opened on Sunday, culminating the 10th Commemorative PetroCaribe summit.
   
The centre, which pays tribute to the Venezuelan liberator and National Hero, who resided in Jamaica for several months in 1815, was officially opened by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller of Jamaica and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.   
   
Mr Maduro, in his address, said history was not only a collection of  past events but can also be an avenue for inspiration.

The facility, which is a multi-purpose centre for the performing and visual arts, was refurbished by the Urban Development Corporation. It is managed and operated by the Institute of Jamaica.

The two-storey building, which is the former office of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, now features an exhibit space, the Símon Bolívar Exhibit Hall to commemorate the Venezuelan liberator’s stay in Jamaica in 1815, and provides a link to the architectural period that existed at the time of his stay in Kingston.

It also includes a library, an interpretation room, three multi-purpose rooms, administrative offices, and a kitchenette.

It was during his stay of nine months, when he lived at 33 Princess Street in downtown Kingston, that Simon Bolivar penned what is reputed to be his greatest written work, the “Jamaica Letter”, which is believed to contain his views on the independence movement in Venezuela.

The cultural centre was conceived by  Hugo Chavez, the late former president of Venezuela, and P.J. Patterson, former prime minister of Jamaica.

Prime Minister Patterson was a key ally of President Chavez in the establishment of the PetroCaribe Programme in 2005.

Work on the Simon Bolivar Cultural Centre began in 2009, and was funded by the Petro Caribe Development Fund and the Government of Jamaica.

(Some background information provided by the Jamaica Information Service)