51st Culture Days Begins in Matanzas
Photos: Carrete Producciones
The Provincial Concert Band, sociocultural projects, and artists of different manifestations took part this October 10 in the parade with which the 51st Culture Days began in Matanzas. From Plaza de la Vigía, the colorful parade set off and reached Libertad Park at the Rueda Dentada, where the traditional ringing of the bell gave way to the remembrance of the start of Cuba’s struggles for independence 158 years ago.
The president of the municipal government, Dailyn Alfonso Mora, delivered the opening remarks of the event, which is especially dedicated to the 333rd anniversary of the city’s founding. «Our Matanzas culture week, in its 50th edition, is also a tribute to those who, from past generations to the present, have defended and enriched Cuban identity,» she expressed.
She also announced that in «the coming ten days, the streets, parks, plazas, communities, and institutions will become living stages of music, dance, literature, and visual arts, as testimonies of the cultural strength that beats in the heart of our city.»
Next, the artists dedicated a gala, under the direction of María Eugenia Romero, to the date that recalls the moment when Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, the Father of the Homeland, gave freedom to the slaves. Participating in the cultural moment were the project Maravillas de la Infancia, Cultivador de Sueños, the improvisers Kiko and Yunieski, and Los Reyes del Tambor.
Also participating in the gathering were Osbel Marrero Acosta, provincial director of Culture; Eddy Tabares Daniel, president of the José Martí Art Instructors Brigade in the province; Leymen Pérez García, vice president of UNEAC; and Luis Octavio Hernández, distinguished Matanzas creator.
Part of Saturday’s program were the performances of Teatro Icarón with «Las penas que no me mataron,» under the direction of Maestra Miriam Muñoz, and Teatro de las Estaciones with «Pedro y el lobo,» directed by Rubén Darío Salazar; the inauguration of the photographic exhibition «Matanzas» by Jesús Martínez; the gatherings «En un 2×3» by the circus variety company La Rueda at the El Mirón Cubano hall, and «Un sábado diferente,» hosted by writer and promoter Cecilia Soto, at the Lorenzo Padilla Art Museum during the morning.
In the afternoon, there were spaces dedicated to danzón, oral storytelling, cinema, Mexican music, and rumba in different Matanzas neighborhoods.
This Sunday, the program activities will continue with a bandstand concert by the Provincial Concert Band, dedicated to the 333rd anniversary of the founding of the City of San Carlos and San Severino, from 10 in the morning at the Sauto Theater portal; the Children’s Festival «Alegrías y colores,» with the presentation of sociocultural projects and artistic units of the Bonifacio Byrne Municipal House of Culture at Libertad Park; and the pilgrimage of the Circle of Friends of Spanish Culture at the Ermita de Montserrat.
In the Yumurino neighborhoods, there will be a tribute to Matanzas cultural personalities at El Naranjal; the community project «De balcón a balcón» by Teatro Icarón in Peñas Altas; clown performances at La Playa and Canímar; the gathering «México lindo y querido» at the Abraham Lincoln Cultural Center; and a Community Cultural Fair dedicated to the 9th anniversary of the Sociocultural Project «Mi corazón toca tu puerta» at the Maravillas de la Infancia Cultural Center in Versalles.
In the afternoon, there will be the Municipal Meeting of Cucalambeanos Homes, with the presentation of Conchita Torres and her Group and professional and amateur poets, in Pueblo Nuevo; a concert by the Jazz Band Casino Bellamar at the White Hall; and a danzón dance with the Failde Orchestra at the Casa del Danzón.
For the evening schedule, the «El Bolerazo» space with soloist Alfonso Llorens and his guests is also reserved, as well as a parade from Libertad Park to Plaza de la Vigía along Milanés Street, on the eve of the 333rd anniversary of the founding of the City of San Carlos and San Severino de Matanzas, with the participation of Compañía Noria and the Agrupación Folclórica Los Matanceros.
The 51st Culture Days in Matanzas also has as motivations the 65th anniversary of UNEAC and the Amateur Artists Movement, the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Ministry of Culture, the 40th of the Hermanos Saíz Association, the 35th of the Bonifacio Byrne Municipal House of Culture, and the centenary of the Leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.
