In 17 days, the FIC “will generate dialogues and ideas that will enrich our lives”

Guanajuato, Gto. The federal Secretary of Culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, inaugurated the 52nd International Cervantino Festival (FIC); It was his first activity outside the country’s capital.

He said that in more than half a century this meeting has become “avant-garde space, which presents countless music, theater and performing arts activities, references from our country, Latin America and other stages in the world.

It is very significant to be at the most important meeting in Latin America, and more so because I come from the world of festivals. We know that this meeting began its history with the hors d’oeuvres of the playwright Enrique Ruelas in the streets of Guanajuato, and he turned them into stages where the characters of Miguel de Cervantes would come to life in charge of the university theater.said the official on Friday afternoon in the ceremony held in the courtyard of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas Regional Museum.

He highlighted that this edition commemorates 190 years of relations between Mexico and Brazil, and that the purpose of bring culture closer and celebrate the diversity, inclusion and richness of expressions of the people of Mexico and the world. The Cervantino, as we affectionately call it, has received very important international artists, such as the Bolshoi Ballet, Chavela Vargas and Celia Cruz, just to mention a few..

In her turn, Mariana Aymerich, director of the FIC, pointed out that art, culture, sensitivity, beauty and creativity bring us together to share a space and time that allow us to develop as human beings..

He indicated that for 17 days spectators will enjoy music, dance, circus, theater and exhibitions that will transport us to different times and places, generating dialogues and ideas that will enrich our lives.

At the end of his speech, Aymerich invited Curiel de Icaza to present Hilda Corona and her husband, Guillermo Gómez Leal, with the Cervantina Prize, which for the first time is awarded to two people from the public. They have attended 49 editions of the FIC and have seen a wide variety of shows. In our first Cervantinos we came to camp to enjoy the festival activitiesthe couple recalled.

Claudia Curiel de Icaza, head of the federal Ministry of Culture, during the opening of the Cervantino meeting in the city of Guanajuato. Photo Mayra Mope / Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture

The winners of the Cervantina Prize, a sculpture by the plastic artist Vicente Rojo, said that each year they reviewed the program in advance to buy tickets and not miss what they considered the most attractive events. The couple, from Huixquilucan, state of Mexico, has not stopped marveling in each edition with the shows and artists they have seen at the festival.

The Journalist Award was also given to Hilda Josefina Anchondo Villalobos and the Eugenio Trueba Olivares Prize was awarded to maestro Roberto Morales, musician, composer and researcher, who has put Guanajuato on the map of experimental musical creation.

In his speech, the Brazilian ambassador to Mexico, Nedilson Jorge, expressed that his country will be well represented at the FIC with a delegation made up of artists, indigenous people, women of African descent, people with disabilities and members of the LGBT+ community. who are the face of an inclusive Brazil. We have chosen the best for this Cervantino celebration, one of the most important festivals.

The government of Guanajuato reported that the FIC positively contributes to the Guanajuato economysince an economic impact of more than 250 million pesos is expected, more than 63 thousand tourists who will spend the night and a hotel occupancy of 47 percent. It is estimated that more than 500 thousand people will visit the city during the 17 days of the meeting.

The first day of Cervantino’s activities opened with the Guelaguetza show at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas. In its 52nd edition, it will feature the participation of more than 3,271 artists, of which 2,685 are national and 586 international, from 24 countries.

Likewise, the Secretariat of Citizen Security of the city of Guanajuato announced the deployment of 460 municipal police officers and more than 40 specialized vehicles to guarantee security during the FIC.

In coordination with state and federal authorities, operations will also be enabled in rural communities and the southern area of ​​the city. so as not to neglect any areathe agency reported.