Just a few days before the 56th edition of the Cucalambeana Fiesta begins, the Casa Iberoamericana de la Décima (Iberian-American Décima Center), in this city, finalizes the details for holding events that, as usual, mark the theoretical and competitive thread of the greatest party of the Cuban peasantry.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Mairelis Ugarte Cruz, a specialist from the cultural institution, told the Cuban News Agency -exclusively- that the 23rd Colloquium of the Décima and the Improvised Verse, scheduled to be held on June 29 and 30, will be dedicated to the Canarian influence and, therefore, will have presentations on the subject and artistic expressions typical of that region.
Research that comes from seven provinces will also address the life and work of Juan Cristóbal Nápoles Fajardo, El Cucalambé, and the ten-verse stanza in its two variants as a poetic composition that has transcended to the present thanks, to a large extent, to the promoting work of the Casa Iberoamericana in its three decades, she pointed out.
At the El Cornito farm, home and source of inspiration for the major bard, the Justo Vega National Improvisation Contest will be held, with the participation of ten already confirmed contestants who will discuss the title to become the best improviser in the country.
In 2022, when the “Cucalambeana” hosted the 27th edition of the "Justo Vega," the young Reiber Nodal, from Ciego de Avila, won the prize; an exponent of a family that has known how to maintain this tradition since his brother had already deserved the award before.
Ugarte Cruz meant that the contest is agreed for July 30 and 1, a true homage to El Cucalambé on the 194th anniversary of his birth anniversary, a reason to pay tribute to the most important popular poet of the 19th century in Cuba.
In the same way, during the most crucial day of the Cucalambeana Fiesta, the Cucalambé -of written décima- and Glosa contests will be awarded, from Las Ruinas of El Cornito, the usual setting for this event and where artists from different expressions and people in general come to know the results.
As the culmination, the activities move to the northern municipality of Puerto Padre to pay tribute to Renael González Batista, who died in March 2022 and was loved and admired for his work as a poet and plastic artist.
From June 28 to July 2, Las Tunas becomes, once again, a gigantic festival of music, dance, food, and traditional games, a revelry that on this occasion will also be dedicated to the intellectual Haydée Santamaría Cuadrado and the 45th anniversary of the System of Culture Houses.
