Biennial for the birthday of the poet Fernando García González.

The poet Fernando García González, whose birthday we celebrate today, took place in the old town of Sabanilla del Encomendador, nine decades ago,

The García González family, considered the guardian of the Décima Matancera, had in their son Fernando an exponent of the purest of the repentismo.

The Municipal Biennial of the Tenth Fernando Garcia Gonzalez, held at the Casa de Cultura Juan Gualberto Gomez, in his hometown, paid tribute to the birth of the poet repentista, which took place on May 30th, 1934.

The event began with a theoretical event conducted by researcher Olguita Morales, with the presentation of five papers and the presence of his widow, Juana Luisa Mandiarote Suarez, guests of the town, along with the Peña Campesina that bears the name of the bard from Sabanilla.

In the afternoon, the guateque campesino, which could not be missed, had a warm audience in the presence of poets Noelito Jiménez García, Raúl Hernández Sánchez and Héctor Luis Alonso Carreño, together with Marisel García, Lázaro Santos García and Miguel Ángel Gil.

The event was attended by promoter José Leonard Viciedo, a personality from Unión de Reyes, who holds the Distinction for National Culture.

A knowledgeable public acclaimed in the Prodigal Land of the Tenth the poetic and cultural legacy of the so-called «Poet of Tenderness» in this third Biennial, a day to remember traditions.

Recalling the García González family of repentista poets, it is worth knowing that its history began with the father, Pio García, improviser in guateques and celebrations; it was continued by his son «Nono», to later, from the 70s, reach its splendor, first with the second son, Fernando, decimist who exalted his peasant roots and transmitted to his brothers and sons the art of improvising and the love for the metric.

He was followed by the brothers «Tuto», Manolito, Justo and Amado, who shone in the repentismo to be catalogued as leaders in the cultivation of this genre.

For his part, Fernando’s son, writer Fernandito García García, inherited his literary gifts and documented this lineage in his research, by pointing out how Matanzas orality has been nourished for more than two centuries by the rural and the cultured.

The poet Fernando García González, whose birth was celebrated today in the old town of Sabanilla del Encomendador, nine decades ago, received multiple national decorations such as the Literacy Medal and the ANAP Honor Diploma, which was presented to him by the Commander in Chief Fidel Castro.

He published two works in Matanzas editions and stood out for the elaboration of political and social tenths dedicated to figures such as Che Guevara, José Martí and the Cuban Revolution.

Of singular lyricism, his poetry was key in events and festivals organized by the UNEAC, of whose organization he was a member, as well as in the Casa Nabori and the peasant programs of Radio 26 and TV Yumuri, with highlights in the national days and the Cucalambeanas organized in Las Tunas.

His house, in the town of Juan Gualberto Gomez, became a museum that preserves manuscripts, medals and documents, thanks to the will of his widow, Luisa Mandiarote Suarez.

The museum of the poet Fernando Garcia Gonzalez was inaugurated on January 20, 2005, two years after his death and was named the «eccinto de la décima cubana», pride of the people of Union de Reyes.

Written by María Elena Bayón.