In a survey, the FIC public regretted that the 52nd edition did not meet their expectations

The 52nd International Cervantino Festival (FIC) concludes today in Guanajuato with a significant influx of public; However, despite its extensive programming, some people in the audience expressed that they expected more from a meeting that is a world reference. Other attendees also said they were disappointed by the absence of samba dance and music, a carnival tradition in Brazil, the guest country.

This year, the artists who had the best reception were the Brazilian singer Simone Mazzer and the Veracruz native Silvana Estrada, who filled the Juárez theater and received a standing ovation from the public. Likewise, with companies such as Les Ballets de Montecarlo, Hiroshima Kagura, the Fábrica de Eventos and the show La Guelaguetza, organized by the guest state, Oaxaca.

On digital platforms such as Instagram, user Javier (@_boxito) commented that Brazil was blurred in this Cervantino; while Berenice (@art.berenicegasca) public: The Cervantino International Festival has always surprised me with wonderful acts. The expectation was greaterreferring to the show that he offered in the streets of Batalá México.

There were also those who complained about not being able to enter the Alhóndiga de Granaditas on the opening day: Horrible organization, they left out many people with registration. What a shame that there are those of us who go to Cervantino from other states so that in the end they don’t let us enterwrote the young Analy (@analylopeez).

About the challenges facing the FIC, The Day He spoke with creators and the public in order to know their opinion about the artistic and cultural meeting.

The stage director and playwright Juan Manuel García Belmonte expressed: “if we talk about the past six or seven editions, the Cervantino has seen a decrease in the quality and quantity of its programming; This may be due to several factors that do not necessarily concern the organization of the festival, but rather the general lack of support for culture in this country and the drastic reduction of budgets in all areas.

“When it is little understood that a festival like this, which prided itself on being one of the best in the world, contributes to the comprehensive development of the regions and understanding between citizens, then the interests go to other projects that are considered of greater value.

To have a good festival, with high standards like those that Cervantino used to, you need to have a cultural policy whose axes are committed to that same thing, and provide sufficient economic, technical and human resources.pointed out the playwright, who assured that the organization and level of logistics of the FIC It is the best in Latin America; considered that there is also little international co-production, aspect that could be taken up as an important driving force of any festival.

The dancer and choreographer Lola Lince highlighted how important the FIC has been in the formation of new audiences. What the festival has achieved in these 52 years is something unprecedented; Furthermore, this has not only generated this in Guanajuato, but in a good part of the Mexican Republic.. He added that the cultural meeting It is a splendid experience for the viewer, a school of sensitivity, of perception; It is a platform for artists, because it gives us the possibility of reaching other audiences and allows us to grow as creators..

Safety: mixed opinions

Aurora Sánchez and Alejandro Orozco, a couple from Irapuato who has been attending the festival for 45 years, said that at the meeting They took away the budget and of course it shows. They stated: the great symphony orchestras are missed; they haven’t come anymore; Furthermore, they thought that the quality of the invited artists decreased and attendance decreased: Before it came with a variety of everything, they chose the perfect one and now it is more popular.

In an interview with this newspaper, at the end of a concert in the temple of the Lord Santiago Apóstol, they added that The other time we came this place was always full, now it’s only half full.

Antonio Ontiveros and Yazmín Hernández, a 16-year-old couple from Guanajuato, explained that, although the festival continues to be a cultural emblem for their state, they feel that it has lost strength compared to previous editions.

Despite the violence that has shaken the region, they considered it vital to continue promoting the arts as a means for the common good. Our teachers always motivate us to attend FIC to expand our knowledge, but they also advise us not to go alonecommented Antonio, a student at the University of Guanajuato.

Young people think that the Cervantino is one of the few cultural opportunities that place that entity at the forefrontalthough they regretted that the availability of tickets limited their access to important presentations. When we want to go to a function, we no longer find ticketsYazmín added with frustration.

Juan Rodríguez, a taxi driver in Cuévano, commented that his relatives who live in Tijuana come to the festival every year, but on this occasion they did not travel. “They told me: ‘we’re not going to go, we already saw the program and we didn’t like it.’”

On the topic of safety, the driver considered that there is a lot of talk about violence, but Guanajuato is safer than San Miguel de Allendeby tourists and university students. Although it is not Cervantino, there is always a lot of security in the streets, you can see the police vans traveling through the city.

Taxi driver Raúl González commented that during the festival dates it is common for countrymen from the United States to arrive, who also come with friends who “are the ones who spend the most and leave money. We have clients who are pochos, They have their whole lives there and don’t bargain for anything; On the other hand, people who come from Europe are more picky and sometimes tell us that the price of trips is too high.”

The FIC, with all the challenges it will have in this new federal administration, will continue to be a fundamental meeting for the promotion of arts and culture in the country.