​ This educational material is aimed at children of all ages, and is specially designed to encourage a new way of learning and getting to know more about the roots of Colombian culture. This material comes in both digital and printed versions.  This year Grupo Sura is sponsoring the HAY FESTIVAL, with its SURA Talk: L ooking at the past to understand the present.  Here we shall be discussing the importance of indigenous cultures and their creative languages with regard to Colombia´s modern-day history.   Medellin, January 30, 2015  - As part of the Tenth Annual Hay Festival, one of the world's most renowned cultural events, SURA is launching digital applications and printed textbooks which were designed as educational materials for children between the ages of 0 and 15. This material is the product of the Memory and Creativity project that the Company is sponsoring in order to create a new way of learning and getting to know more about the roots of Colombia's indigenous culture.   This educational material, consisting of 24 digital applications and 24 printed modules, is aimed at helping Colombian children to recognize and appreciate their roots, ethnical backgrounds, languages as well as the creative dynamics that went into forming Colombia´s ancestral culture, highlighting both our essence and origins, which in turn shall help us build a more inclusive country that respects diversity and recognizes its historic cultural importance.   SURA is distributing this educational material throughout Colombia for subsequent use in schools, educational institutions and different recreational education initiatives.   "We are very pleased to be able to provide Colombia and its children with this recreational and educational material as a way in which SURA is helping to extend the acknowledgement and appreciation of our own Colombian culture.  This material is the product of a research project with broad sociological, anthropological and cultural implications, that has enabled us to rediscover the different expressions of our deeply-rooted culture that never fails to impress "said David Bojanini, CEO of Grupo SURA..   The purpose behind this initiative is to acknowledge the multi-ethnic and multicultural country that is Colombia, while going beyond being merely tolerant and really respecting the existence of others and while appreciating the value and the historical contribution of these communities.   Therefore, in getting to know more about our traditional knowledge and cultural wealth we are enriching our own Colombian education.   "This project is designed to introduce children to the vast cultural wealth of approximately 86 ethnic groups and 94 indigenous languages and dialects, present throughout the country, that are represented by more than one and a half million people.  These ethnic groups, which very few of us know about, existed hundreds of years before the Spanish Conquest; and since what is not truly known is not truly loved, we want our children to learn to love their older brothers as they are used to calling themselves" stated Cecilia Duque, the editor and researcher, who led this project.     Also during the Hay Festival, and as part of the  Hay Festivalito  activities for children, an educational workshop was held in the Membrillal district of the Boquilla de Cartagena, where the content of the teaching guides was presented to children, youngsters and adults alike, while stressing the importance of Colombia´s ancestral history to encourage greater love, respect and a sense of belonging to Colombia. This workshop was conducted by the writer, workshop facilitator and expert in children's literature, Irene Vasco.  It was here that the children from the local community were presented with the different applications.   The tools developed by means of this project are aimed at children of all ages; of all cultures, social classes and geographic locations (both urban and rural). Their chief purpose is to create a greater awareness of Colombia´s enormous diversity and encourage children to talk with each other and in so doing promote genuine intercultural exchange.   The digital applications have been made available on the Appstore and Google Play virtual stores and can be downloaded free of charge.​