Activities involving physical presence will be combined with online events, in strict compliance with preventive measures given the current epidemiological situation
The 40th edition of the Festival of the Caribbean, scheduled July 3-9 in Santiago de Cuba, will feature the cultural resistance displayed by peoples of the region who are facing a neocolonizing onslaught in the midst of the economic crisis produced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In announcing the Fiesta del Fuego’s schedule, Orlando Vergés, director of the Casa del Caribe, thanked bearers and promoters of popular traditions for their commitment to the event, as well as Cuba’s artistic and intellectual movement and numerous friends in countries of the area and other parts of the world.
Nothing can extinguish the living flame of popular culture and, consequently, he explained, attentive to the evolution of the epidemiological situation in the province and in strict compliance with preventive measures, we are looking to combine activities involving physical presence and media events.
One of the Festival’s spaces, Vergés indicated, will be dedicated to bringing to our days, 60 years later, Fidel’s landmark “Words to Intellectuals” and their influence in the protection, promotion and development of popular cultures.
Given the complexity of the times we are living and the impact on the movement of persons within the Caribbean basin, several academic sessions and exchanges of experiences will be held in May and June, via digital platforms.
But we have not renounced events involving physical presence in July, he stated, with reduced public participation and the necessary physical distancing, including tributes to Belize, guest country of honor, and Egrem’s Siboney Studios, established on the initiative of the Comandante de la Revolución Juan Almeida Bosque, as well as concerts, dance performances, ritual presentations, exhibitions and tributes to personalities and institutions linked to the history of the Fiesta del Fuego.
Also included on the Festival’s agenda are recognitions of the role of Visual and Performing Arts institutions and presentation of the 2021 International Award to researcher and librarian Tomás Fernández Robaina.
(Take from Granma)