CAMAGÜEY — With a program spanning research, music, dance, visual arts, literature, heritage, and community outreach, Camagüey will celebrate Cuban Culture Week from October 10th to 20th, bringing more than a hundred activities to the city and surrounding municipalities.
The event is dedicated to the centenary of Fidel Castro’s birth, the 65th anniversary of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), the 50th anniversary of the Ministry of Culture, and the 40th anniversary of the Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS). The program was unveiled at a press conference where representatives of cultural institutions previewed some of its main highlights.
The celebrations will begin on Saturday, October 10, with the 39th Camagüey Researchers' Meeting. The morning session will be held online and hosted by the Provincial Heritage Center. Caridad González, a Municipal Directorate of Culture specialist and organizing committee member, confirmed that papers had been submitted from ten provinces and nine municipalities in Camagüey Province.
That afternoon, at 5 p.m., Workers’ Square will welcome the La Bella Época Orchestra for a gala celebrating danzón, Cuba’s national ballroom dance. The following day, beginning at 6 p.m., the same venue will host the closing event of Del Son al Son, featuring Soneros de Camacho and Club DecaSon.
One of the central features of Cuban Culture Week will be Ode to the National Anthem, a project led by Caridad González and writer Evelin Queipo that will visit several institutions. The initiative reflects the spirit of a celebration that culminates on October 20, a date closely associated with the Cuban National Anthem.
“It is the song that best represents who we are,” González said, emphasizing the significance of the anthem.
On October 20th, at 8:30 a.m., Agramonte Park will host One Hundred Voices, Notes of the National Anthem, a collective singing event organized by the Office of the Historian of the City of Camagüey.
The Tus Payasos project will expand its Matutinos Locos activities, bringing these lively school morning gatherings to more schools throughout the celebration. The regular weekend meetups for children will also continue, confirmed Osvaldo Betancourt, president of the Provincial Council of the Performing Arts.
The council’s program also includes a large-scale dance event featuring popular Cuban rhythms, scheduled for 5 p.m. on October 20 at Workers’ Square.
The celebrations will feature music from the very beginning, starting with a concert by the Provincial Concert Band at 10 a.m. on October 11th in Agramonte Park.
The Avellaneda Theater will also join the festivities. From October 9th to 11th, at 3:30 p.m., it will present performances by the Camagüey Ballet. From Tuesday, October 13th, through October 20th, except for October 17th and 19th, the theater will host a series of galas beginning at 3 p.m.
“The municipalities will also organize activities related to the dedications. I hope these celebrations, running from October 10 to 20, will be another gift to the people of Camagüey. This is our time to shine,” said Kenny Ortigas, provincial director of culture.
The José Martí Brigade of Art Instructors is marking its 22nd anniversary by deploying its Cultural Guerrilla program on October 17th and 18th in Santa Cruz del Sur and Nuevitas, respectively. The brigade's president, Maicel Núñez, also announced a performance at the Children's Hospital on October 15th.
As it celebrates four decades of activity, the Hermanos Saíz Association will extend its anniversary program throughout October, from the 3rd to the 30th. Highlights include Canto Adentro, an event dedicated to trova, Cuba’s singer-songwriter tradition. Xavier Carmenates, president of the association in Camagüey, also highlighted the recent presentation of the Maestra de Juventudes award to Regina Balaguer, director of the Camagüey Ballet. The distinction is the organization’s highest honor. In Camagüey, previous recipients have included writer Luis Álvarez and visual artist Joel Jover.
Literature will reach public spaces through activities organized by the Provincial Book Center. On October 14th, beginning at 9 a.m., Maceo Square will host a mini book fair and other literary outreach activities. On October 17th, these initiatives will move to Cristo Park.
Heritage-related events will include Donations Day, scheduled for October 13th at 10 a.m. at the Ignacio Agramonte Provincial Museum.
The visual arts program will feature Mambiserías, a two-artist exhibition by Eddislén Escobar and Dairel Arcos, showcasing drawings created to illustrate a book on Cuba’s patriotic history. The exhibition opens Tuesday, October 13th, at 10 a.m. at the Larios Gallery.
The program will also feature activities organized by the Golpe a Golpe project, which will host several events and carry out more than 40 activities directly in local communities. At its headquarters in La Comarca café, a roundtable discussion marking the Hermanos Saíz Association’s 40th anniversary will take place on October 16th.
Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez