The Cucalambeana Fiesta will be held online for the second year in a row, from June 28 to July 1st, which on this occasion is dedicated to the 192nd birthday of Juan Cristóbal Nápoles Fajardo (El Cucalambé) and the 225 of the capital city, and the tradition of the Miranda family (from the municipality of Majibacoa); as well as the 60th anniversary of the speech Words to Intellectuals and the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP).
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Through Facebook (Cucalambeana 2021), Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube (Cucalambeana online, in these platforms), the works of the artists and cultists included in the event will be disseminated, the tradition will speak, and the greatest Cuban bucolic poet of the 19th century will be honored.
So far, about 20 countries have confirmed their participation, according to Yanetsy Ramírez León, a specialist in International Relations of the Provincial Directorate of Culture. “Among the foreign artists are schools that cultivate the décima from Venezuela, Mexico, and Colombia. Also joining, from Honduras, his Excellency Andrés Pavón Murillo, ambassador to Cuba, and a delegation from the state of La Ceiba,” she affirmed.
As usual, the National Halls of Landscape, Illustrated Décima, and Popular Crafts will be the first invitation of the program and unlike the other activities will be held in person, at the Provincial Council of Plastic Arts.
The birth of two contests stands out: the "Carlos Escalona in Memoriam,” of peasant tonadas, and the "Receta Octosilábica" (Octosyllabic Recipe), a symbiosis between culinary art and knowledge about the ten-verse stanza. While other traditional ones, such as the “Canto alrededor del Punto,” of gloss, and the “Justo Vega,” of repentismo are maintained; but the "Cucalambé," of written décima, is postponed due to the circumstances of the pandemic.
According to Anais Ray, general director of the Supreme Fiesta of the Cuban Peasantry, in spaces such as the guateque “Bohío Campesino” and the streaming transmissions, exponents of traditional Cuban culture such as Emiliano Sardiñas, Tomasita Quiala, Sindy Manuel Torres, Luis Paz, and José Antonio Iznaga (“The little goldfinch”), as well as local artists.
Two concerts stand out on the agenda, one starring María Victoria Rodríguez, and the other by Barbarito Torres, leading figures within the autochthonous cast. Both are expected to be published by YouTube and the Clave channel, of the Cuban Television. Likewise, the Palmas y Cañas program will dedicate its June 27 edition to this chapter 54 of the “Cucalambeana;” while the Comunicarte promotional magazine will broadcast live interviews and other materials on Radio Victoria provincial station.
For children, the space Cantos de Colibrí (Hummingbird Sings) remains, with the protagonism of infants from different provinces, and the From Son to Son Encounter of Musical Groups will promote the exchange of knowledge between cultivators of the genre in Las Tunas and Isla de la Juventud.
The Catauro de la Décima will emerge at different times, promoted by the Provincial Center for Books and Literature, the Hermanos Saíz Association, and the Provincial Committee of the National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists (UNEAC). For its part, the Ibero-American Colloquium of the Décimah will arrive with the participation of several provinces, and other nations, to delve into topics such as the national stanza, the repentismo, and life stories of some of its cultists.
Once again, it was decided not to choose the Flor de Birama; but, instead, the work of rural women would be glimpsed. Other seasonings for the event will be the Décima de Cordel contest, the Mujeres decimistas recital, exhibitions of traditional dishes and games, and the “Tribute to El Cucalambé” singing.
Before the great event, each municipality shared their creations mostly on social networks, while many of the calls for the different spaces remain open, which those interested can consult on the website: www.tunet.cult.cu.
