Independence festivities in Cartagena generate employment and reactivate the local economy

The Cartagena Independence Festival is generating a significant economic and social impact in the city. To date, more than 250 Cartagena families have directly benefited from the process of making the floats and macro figures that adorn the festivities.

This initiative It has represented an accumulated income of $850 million pesos, distributed among the homes of artists and artisans. In fact, for this reason, Mayor Dumek Turbay highlighted that art and culture have become engines for the revitalization of the local economy.

“These are not only the best Festivals in history for their artistic and cultural level, but also for their social and economic impact. There are more than 3.5 million pesos that each family generated in the days they worked doing what they know best: art,” said Mayor Turbay. The president also added that this income allows households to “say goodbye to daily payments (drop by drop) to close the year.”

Additionally, the project for the construction of floats and monumental sculpturess has generated direct employment for various sectors, including mothers who are heads of households, young people looking for their first job opportunity, older adults and people with disabilities.

These indicators are those presented to date, with the events prior to the Independence Festival, so the local authorities, They project multimillion-dollar figures of income for the local economy during the central events, such as the Independence Parade, the Bololó del Arsenal and the Nautical Festival.

On the other hand, among the impact stories is that of Miguel Ángel, a 21-year-old young man who joined the float construction team and became the breadwinner of his household after his father’s illness. Another notable figure is Belinda Díaz, a sculptor with a motor disability who is the author of the macrofigure ‘Son de Negros’, one of the most photographed in the Historic Center.