Brayan Alejandro Iglesias Fernández won all the awards in the Justo Vega Improvisers Contest, taking home the First and the Popularity prizes, in a lid that is one of the most anticipated moments of the Cucalambeana Festival.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- “For having shown us/ that you are an improviser/ and for being worthy/ of the jury's criteria/ For having improvised/ diamonds in each delivery…” said the poets responsible for dispensing justice when announcing the verdict.
The young poet from Mayabeque had successfully defeated several improvisers from different Cuban provinces. First, he happily went through the elimination and semifinal rounds, when he improvised about four décimas on themes chosen randomly, and another one based on a forced foot, at the end.
In the final stage, he demonstrated his skill once again, in which, in addition to the challenge of the four décimas, two forced feet were added, one initial and one final.
During the “Justo Vega,” the Plaque 195th Anniversary of the Birth of Juan Cristóbal Nápoles was also awarded to various personalities from the décima and improvised verse universe. “Never stop your step, / pitiful Rocinante / for the Knight Errant / of the poor there is no decline / nor defeat, nor failure, / in such beautiful madness. / Follow your mount / in search of a new trot. / Do not let Don Quixote / get off the saddle/” improvised Emiliano Sardiñas, known as the Poet of the Backpack, upon receiving it.
