For the Municipal Secretary of Culture of the City of lbagué, it is an honor to present the nomination of lbagué to the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of Music, a nomination that is seen as crucial to continue contributing to the strengthening of the national and international projection of the cultural expressions of Colombia’s Capital of Music.

This document is the result of an arduous effort that has counted with the participation of a technical team from the Municipal Secretary of Culture, and that has received the invaluable support of a High-Level Advisory Committee composed by renowned personalities of the cultural field in the country. Alongside a strategy to ensure comprehensive participation to include the academic, artistic, cultural and economic sector of the city through their public and private entities, lbagué has managed to build a dossier that displays the diversity, the richness and the excellency of the most valued and practiced artistic expression of the city: Music.

Additionally, this bid responds to a constant and uninterrupted effort from our Mayor, Engineer Andrés Hurtado towards strengthening the role of culture, arts and creative industries in the construction of a city with more social and economic opportunities for all its citizens, having culture as a core. For these reasons, the nomination of lbagué as a member of the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network is carried out in complete articulation with the Municipal Development Plan “lbagué Vibra 2020-2023” and serves as a cornerstone for the Municipal Plan of Music “lbagué Creativa 2021-2025”.

In synthesis, this nomination is a bid to open the doors of lbagué to the citizens of the world, giving them the opportunity to get to know our diverse musical and artistic expressions, characterized for their excellency and universality. lbagué has chosen music as its main identity feature in the context of cultural life in the city. Our cultural offer includes musical festivals in all genres through every month of the year, two music conservatories that guarantee musical training from the basic to the professional level, a group of artists where more tan 50% identify as musicians, and a city culture that vibrates with music.

Therefore, it is an honor for lbagué to submit this bid to be a part of the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of Music. We are confident that the inclusion of our city to this network will significantly contribute to the enrichment and the diversification of the 1nternational cultural cooperation, and that it will be a decisive tool for the social, cultural and economic development of lbagué.