José Antonio Rodríguez, a singer-songwriter and former Dominican minister of culture, has launched an initiative called RECUA to create a cultural investment platform.
The initiative aims to unite artists, cultural managers, economists, communicators, and other professionals to prepare proposals before the next government takes office.
Rodríguez announced the project, whose name stands for Cultural and Artistic Revolution, in a video posted to his Instagram account. He called on the cultural sector to organize well ahead of the upcoming electoral process to establish a common agenda based on evidence, studies, and concrete proposals.
The former ambassador to UNESCO said the Dominican Republic possesses the talent and knowledge needed to transform its cultural sector. However, he noted that these human resources rarely join together to design concrete public policies.
Proposal for cultural investment
Rodríguez explained that RECUA seeks to develop a technical platform supported by numbers, arguments, and evidence. The plan will be delivered to the newly elected administration before it assumes power.
He contrasted the initiative with what he described as a recurring practice of waiting until a new government takes office. He said people in the sector often wait until culture ends up last on the priority list, only to gather later to complain about a lack of budget and policy.
He questioned why it is so difficult to organize beforehand and so easy to complain afterward. Rodríguez added that culture is unique because it is perhaps the only industry that belongs to the state, meaning no one else will construct the technical case showing that cultural investment yields a return.
Organization before elections
With approximately two years remaining before the next elections, Rodríguez urged actors across the cultural sphere to work together consistently. He described RECUA as a concrete invitation and a club rather than another grievance.
He stated that complaining later is easy because it requires no discipline or consensus, while proposing solutions in advance demands effort. Rodríguez concluded by encouraging members of the sector to join the initiative now so future discussions focus on executing agreed proposals rather than demanding attention.
