February 20, 2001

IDB TO HOST CULTURAL PROGRAM IN HONOR OF CHILE FROM FEBRUARY 28 TO MAY 3

Renowned novelist Jorge Edwards and Parra family to be featured

The Inter-American Development Bank will present a cultural program dedicated to Chile at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., from Feb. 28 to May 3.

Chile’s capital, Santiago, in March will host the 42^nd Annual Meeting of the Bank’s Board of Governors.

The series of events in Washington will include a lecture by Chilean novelist Jorge Edwards; an exhibit of works by the late artist Violeta Parra; and presentations by her daughter, folk singer Isabel Parra; and her brother, poet Nicanor Parra. The program is organized by the Bank’s Cultural Center and cosponsored by the Chilean Finance Ministry.

All the events, to take place at the Inter-American Development Bank’s Washington, D.C. headquarters, are free and open to the public. The Bank is located at 1300 New York Ave. N.W.

An exhibition of Violeta Parra’s tapestries and oil paintings will be held from Feb. 28 to April 27 at the IDB’s Cultural Center Art Gallery, located on the ground floor of the main headquarters building. The show will be open Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On March 1 at 6:30 p.m. Isabel Parra will offer a recital titled "Violeta Sinfónica", to be held in the Andrés Bello Auditorium on the ninth floor of the Bank. Isabel will be accompanied by her daughter, Cristina Parra, and her grandchild, Antar Pregnan.

Nicanor Parra will deliver a lecture titled "An Evening with Nicanor Parra" on April 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Andrés Bello Auditorium.

On May 3 Jorge Edwards will speak on "The Novel and Society in Latin America" at 6:30 p.m., also in the Andrés Bello Auditorium.

The 42^nd Annual Meeting of the IDB and related activities will take place in Santiago, Chile, March 15-21. Concurrently, the Inter-American Investment Corporation, a member of the IDB Group that supports small and medium-sized businesses with loans and investments, will hold its 16^th Annual Meeting. The meetings attract thousands of public and private sector representatives, journalists, and observers, in addition to the official delegations.