Repeating Islands

Santiago de Cuba hosts the 29th edition of the Festival del Caribe “Fiesta del Fuego” [Festival of the Caribbean, Feast of Fire]. The event will be held July 3-9, 2009.

Celebrated every year in the first week of July, it is supported by the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), Cuba’s Ministry of Culture, and the Casa del Caribe, the main sponsor of the event. It proposes a meeting of scholars, artists, and the diverse communities of Cuba and the Caribbean, emphasizing solidarity with other countries of the Americas.

The idea for the festival arose in 1981 with the idea to create a theatre festival that would revitalize the inheritance brought to Cuba by Haitians, Jamaicans, the French, and the Spaniards. In 1983, the initial idea gathered momentum and the festival adopted its international character. Since then, it has promoted regional culture and strengthened the bonds of friendship with various Caribbean countries. With its origin in Santiago de Cuba, the July Festival is also a cult to African and indigenous roots that constitute a great part of the culture of American countries. From the orishas of the Yoruba pantheon of Cuba and other regions to subjects linked with historical and economic sphere, the Festival del Caribe covers much ground in exploring the complexity of Caribbean roots and identity. It is an artistic, academic, and community spaces event, “a celebration of colors and culture, whose relevance goes beyond its traditional and famous conclusion of burning the devil.”

The festival features an international colloquium, El Caribe que nos une [the Caribbean (Sea) That Unites Us], that delves into the questions related with all artistic manifestations of Caribbean spaces: religion, patrimony, identity, history, economy, and society. More than 50 locations will host festival activities, 32 of which are open natural stages, providing more ample interaction with the public in activities centered on music, theater, poetry, story-telling, visual arts, dance, culinary arts, and other types of cultural production, as well as the famed “Serpent Parade.”

This year, the festival will be dedicated to Honduras, as the guest (country) of honor. Therefore, the Honduran delegation will take part in the festivities with over one hundred people representing the guest country’s cultural heritage— artists, researchers, and other participants. A highlight at the festival will be the performance of the Ballet Folclórico Garífuna, one of Honduras’ most renowned artistic groups, whose members are considered cultural ambassadors.

For full article by Ivette Fernández (translated by Susana Hurlich), see http://www.cubanow.net/pages/loader.php?sec=1&t=2&item=7239

Photos from http://www.lajiribilla.co.cu/2004/n166_07/166_25.html and http://www.cubanow.net/pages/loader.php?sec=1&t=2&item=7239