An exhibition about the life of Brazilian soccer star Pelé and the impact of sport as a vehicle for development in Latin America
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) opens “GOLS for Development,” a digital and photographic exhibition that narrates the impact of sport as a vehicle for social transparency, taking as an example the life of Pelé, King of Soccer, in parallel with several projects on sports for development implemented in marginal areas in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Brazilian photographer José Dias Herrera is featured in this exhibition, which consists of 19 photographs, two videos, from the personal archives of Pelé and from IDB mission archives.
According to Iván Duque, Chief of the IDB's Cultural, Solidarity and Creativity Affairs Division “today, thanks to stories such as that of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, sports are used to instill values, generate consensus, disband gangs, prepare for the job market, and complement formal education.”
To include sports in the development agenda is essential because it promotes a healthier society, stimulates social cohesion, facilitates teamwork, instills discipline, and most importantly, creates community, particularly for its ability to reach regions that are isolated or stripped of opportunities to generate sustainable changes. This is reflected in more than $15 million in grants financed by IDB projects in sports for development, mainly through the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), working hand in hand with public and private organizations such as Partners of the Americas, the Nike Foundation, the Clinton Foundation, the Carlos Slim Health Institute, USAID, Microsoft, PepsiCo and FIFA.
More than an exhibit, “GOLS for Development” is a realistic account of development and social mobility through sports and culture, to inspire us to create an increasingly equitable socioeconomic playing field.
The exhibition will be open through January 24, 2014 at the IDB Cultural Center Art Gallery in Washington, DC, and has been curated and presented by the IDB Cultural Center in the Office of External Relations, in partnership with Legends 10, Pele´s representatives in the United States.
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