The Mexican Council for Culture and Arts has announced a new municipal funding program for the region of Oaxaca. The first of its kind in Mexico, the program aims to provide cultural assistance to remote rural areas, to strengthen the cultural identity of indigenous communities and to preserve the diverse cultural traditions of dance, music, literature, handicrafts and traditional medicine. To be put in place by the National Council for Culture and Arts and the Oaxaqueno Cultural Institute (IOC), the funding program will contribute 150 million pesos to 15 municipalities of Oaxaca, where cultural centres presently do not exist. In each city council, the municipal government and the IOC will provide 50 million pesos. For more information, visit the website of the Mexican Council for Culture and Arts (Spanish only).