• Submitted by: admin
• Arts and Culture
• Havana
• 11 / 20 / 2006

By: Lilibeth Bermúdez and Katia Cárdenas

The 3rd Festival of Havana's Traditions and Customs, sponsored by the House of Africa and the Cultural Project Jose Luciano Franco held from November 15th to December 13th in our capital. This Festival has the purpose of strengthening our identity and paying tribute to José Luciano Franco, an outstanding personality of our culture. The inauguration took place at the House of Africa, last November 15th, at ten in the morning. Then, the event will be continuing at the Historian's House, Acapulco cinema, the Cuban Artists and Writers Association (UNEAC), Havana's China Town, San Miguel del Padron museum, among other places.

Intellectuals, artists, academics, historians, ethnologists, anthropologists, communications specialists and sociologists will be participating in the Festival that will deal with five main topics: traditions and oral expressions, the artistic show, social uses, rituals and artistic festivities, knowledge and uses related with the nature and universe, and artistic traditional techniques. The discussions will also include other topics like the patriotic traditions, the family and the influence of other cultures, etc.

The Festival seeks to involve different sectors of the population in a debate aimed at preserving Havana's traditions and customs and its links with Cuban, Latin American and universal culture. The event will include Master lectures, workshops and the film section "Cine con filo" -Critical Cinema-, besides folk group's performances, among other artistic and literary expressions.

There will also be workshops related with Family and Tradition, artistic and environmental Traditions, Patriotic Traditions and Influence of other cultures on Havanas customs. The last days of the event will be devoted to the launching of the book "Cimarronaje y antirracismo" -Rebellious Slavery and Anti-Racialism, written by PhD... Leyda Oquendo. During the closing ceremony, the National Archives will welcome the special speech of PhD.Rogelio Martínez Furé.

Source: Cubarte