Launch of the second version of the Culture Fund in the Elqui Valley

Together with the residents of the Covico and Fedeco sectors of Coquimbo, Compañía Minería del Pacífico launched the second version of its Culture Fund for the year 2022, in an emotional and unprecedented event that made those present sing, dance and cry.

The activity had a colorful staging, which served as a perfect complement to the presentations of the Covico and Fedeco Neighborhood Councils, the Social and Cultural Group "Hijos de la Covico", the Senior Citizen Club "Raíces del Pueblo de Guayacán" and the Community Orchestra of the "Guayacán Te Mueve" Group.

This CMP initiative seeks to enhance the artistic and heritage expression of community and social organizations in the territories near the production sites. In the first version, this fund financed guitar workshops, dance classes, cooking workshops, the renovation of musical instruments, a community voice festival and even a mural painting in the fishermen's cove of Guayacán.

"We are happy and very proud to have gathered more than 150 people at this 2022 launch, particularly in these historic sectors of Coquimbo (Covico and Fedeco). Our purpose is to make mining different, connecting people and our company. This fund is an opportunity for people to express themselves, organize themselves and, finally, carry out a variety of cultural and artistic expressions", said the head of Territorial Management, Andrés Pizarro.

The artistic interventions of the launching event were carried out by the neighbors themselves. From children to the elderly were able to take part in the activities to learn and develop an artistic talent. One of them was María Isabel Saavedra, who recounted her experience, saying that "I learned a lot. I am left-handed and was never able to learn to play guitar when I was young, now I will be 70 years old and for the first time I was able to. I am very happy with the initiative because it helps people who, because of their age, think they don't have a chance".

This was also indicated by the guitar workshop teacher, Alfredo Gallardo, who referred to the initiative of the neighboring artists, stating that "there was a lot of enthusiasm to learn. Many neighbors had never played a guitar before and the transposed guitar was taught, a tuning that can be played more easily... Several of them were even excited because they did not think they were going to learn, however, they learned and were motivated to continue", he emphasized.

On the other hand, Jocelyn Rangel, shared her experience in the cueca workshop, "we learned our main dance because it is very important and not everyone knows it. It was a very pleasant experience... I came in knowing some of the basics of old cueca and I wanted to improve them", which was appreciated by the president of the Junta de Vecinos Ferroviaria Covico, Nury González, who described the workshop as a success. "I would like to thank CMP for this project. I feel proud of those who danced cueca and knew nothing. I was thrilled the first time I saw them," she said happily.