All the joy and Colombian culture was felt during the second edition of the Colombian Festival on Avenida 34 in Jackson Heights.
“The purpose of the Colombian Festival is to unite all cultures, to tell New York that Colombia is present, that we are good people, hard-working people, noble people, we want to show the best of Colombia,” said Evelyn Heilbron, co-founder, Colombian Festival.
source of healing
The event was held to celebrate Colombia, which on July 20 commemorated 213 years of independence.
The purpose of the festival is to share cultural and musical expressions of the South American country with the entire community.
The attendees enjoyed from start to finish with musical presentations by groups such as Lulada Club and Rebolú, bands created in New York with their own unique sounds and that have a Colombian label.
“It is a laboratory of cultural identity that we play inspired by the traditional music of the Colombian Caribbean. So people are going to listen to bullerengue, chandé, cumbia, mapalé, music that is of Afro roots, of indigenous roots, music that tells the story of our ancestors”, explained Daniela Serna Cuevas, percussionist, composer and arranger.
State Senator Jessica Ramos, who is of Colombian origin, highlighted the importance of this outdoor meeting:
“Here in Jackson Heights the first Colombians arrived in the 1950s and since that (time) we are making tremendous contributions to our business, to so many situations here in our neighborhood,” Ramos said. “That’s why we wanted to exalt our local talents, our folkloric talent, orchestras, dancers, who are from here, from the neighborhood here in New York, making their homeland every day.”
“We have the Pacific, the Atlantic, we have the entire Andean zone and each territory has its different expression and sometimes when we put a flag there, we fail to appreciate that. We fail to appreciate the different ways that people express themselves in a way that is very indigenous to the country,” added Melody Feo, a Colombian bagpiper.
“It is very nice to integrate the community so that people participate and know what their roots are,” said Marlen Castro, one of the organizers of the event.
And from now on, the community is preparing and waiting for this great cultural celebration for the coming year.
2023-07-22 17:11:00
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