Thursday, Prime Minister Paul Evans spoke before an audience of heads of public cultural institutions, artists and intellectuals on the occasion of 75 years of creation of the National Library of Haiti (BNH), which was held under the theme "The Library is a factory of the future". From the outset, the head of government said he was impressed by the longevity of this prestigious center of heritage documentation, of preservation and conservation of the intellectual and cultural memory of the country. He considers the National Library as a center of culture and especially history.

"Let me first tell you all the emotion and all the pleasure I have to speak today in this mecca of culture and history. It is really a sanctuary dedicated to the great cause of knowledge [...] It is a secular institution that provides the safeguarding for 75 years of the country's documentary memory. I bow to the audacity of such an initiative," exclaimed the head of government, adding "The national library should help redefine the country's reconstruction. As long as I will be leading citizen or politician, I will fight to keep it from being diverted from its social and democratic role by becoming elitist or restrictive. Because the place of the National Library in the transmission of culture is great. We can not afford to isolate the National Library and keep away from society. I invite you to attend this mecca of culture for the happiness to consult a rich and well-managed document collection."

The head of government also called for more adequate resources at the disposal of the National Library so it can continue to convey and preserve the intellectual, cultural values, to guarantee the right to information, access to knowledge and deliver efficiently high-quality services to the population.

He also welcomed the prominent place that the National Library occupies among cultural institutions. He also called for greater openness towards technological modernization and development of the human factor.

HL/ HaitiLibre