Venezuela's cultural patrimony, the Madamas, during the opening of the Viva Venezuela World Festival in Caracas on Friday, March 10, 2024. Photo: Alba Ciudad/file photo.
The Venezuelan minister for Culture, Ernesto Villegas, stated that the first Viva Venezuela World Festival has been a phenomenal success. The festival will now continue in the states of Aragua, Carabobo, and Cojedes from June 14 to 23, after having been showcased in Caracas and its surroundings.
Minister Villegas said that in addition to the number of people in attendance, “what happened was a true cultural explosion, which still continues, this continues, this does not end here. We are now going to the second chapter of the Viva Venezuela World Festival, to the states of Aragua, Carabobo and Cojedes, the next station of this train that has started moving.” The minister explained that the impact has been “highly satisfactory” for the dynamics and cultural diversity of Venezuela.
The minister mentioned that during May 10-19, 24 cultural groups from 20 countries of four continents participated in the festival, in addition to another 600 Venezuelan groups who came from the 23 states of the country. Moreover, 7,500 artists from 244 local groups and 356 groups from poorer areas of La Guaira and Miranda states and the city of Caracas were in attendance. These figures do not include the artists in the various activities of the community axis, which were organized by the Culture Mission, a social program aimed at keeping alive grassroots cultural values and expressions.
Likewise, during the inauguration of the festival at the Simón Bolívar Monumental Stadium in Caracas on May 10, 2,850 artists and 45,000 cultural icons were in attendance.
The cultural performances took place in 23 municipalities and 33 parishes, while 65 concerts and 353 presentations were held in the communities, as well as the participation of 105 artisans in the fair that was held in the Plaza Los Museos run by the Red de Arte Foundation. More than 115 teachers and assistants joined this great festival in 88 activities of the training axis, and 43 master classes and workshops were also held.
Regarding the next stage, Minister Villegas said that the cultural dynamics of Aragua, Carabobo and Cojedes, as well as of the entire national territory, will be made visible through the festival.
In this regard, he commented that all those artists, cultural icons and creators “who aspired to participate in the first chapter that has just ended, rest assured that your turn will come as now we are going through Aragua, Cojedes, and Carabobo.”
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/MCM
