The Guantanamo-Baracoa Theater Crusade, the largest community event in the field of performing arts in Cuba, will return to the mountains this January 28 and until March 2, with multiple activities for everyone audiences and spaces for improvement and exchange between local artists and from other regions of the world.
This 34th edition of the event is especially dedicated to the Republic of Colombia, from where most of the foreign guests will come and it pays tribute to the 171st anniversaries of the birth of José Martí, the 65th of the First Agrarian Reform Law and the 30 years of artistic life of the master puppeteer and director of the Crusade, Emilio Vizcaíno Ávila.
More than 200 performances are planned to take place in six mountain municipalities, where the crusaders pass through in a wave of love and culture, faithful to their revolutionary essence of bringing art to the most remote places in the province, Eldys Cuba, actor and programmer of the theatrical event, told to the local press.
This edition of the Crusade will include spaces for literature, as donations of books and magazines will be taken to the libraries, to continue adding allies in this spirit of transforming the spirituality of the people. A section for audiovisual creation is also planned, in which the public will watch documentaries and other works related to theater.
Artistic teaching will be added in a special way to this edition, as they will have spaces to act, learn from practice, and understand the social work of theater in communities. The presence of students from the University of the Arts, the Granma puppet school, journalism (from Universidad de Oriente) and the children of the company Colmenita de Guantanamo, stand out.
Likewise, along the way, several workshops will be given, both by experienced theater specialists and by young people who will help bring children and adults closer to the inside of the world of stage performances, and they will also be able to learn about recording, editing and posting videos through mobile.
It is important to note the presence of groups from five invited provinces, including Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Granma. In addition, the Babul Folkloric Ballet from the province will join the mountain tour, with its traditional and colorful music-dance shows, attracting the attention of viewers.
Constant coverage of the event will also be maintained from the networks, which will have a virtual section made up of the daily monitoring of each presentation, more videos and promotional posts from companies or groups that wish to virtually participate in the Crusade on the Guantánamo Performing Arts and the Venceremos Newspaper facebook profiles.
Work in vulnerable communities, the development of the Theater-Community colloquium, the meeting of creative women, the exchange with sociocultural projects and the José Martí brigade of Art instructors, the spaces dedicated to Clown, puppets, oral narration… among others proposals will make up the rich program organized by the Guantanamo Performing Arts as a sign of its commitment to popular culture.
Translated by Liubis Balart
