The XIII National Arts Festival (FNA) started this past week with activities by 500 artists in areas such as music, visual arts, performing arts, masquerades, maroons, audiovisuals, among others.
The events are broadcasted through Facebook from the canton of Barva as part of the programming and adaptation that the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ) incorporated during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“At the production level, we must do things differently, with great quality and in a safe environment for everyone: producers, artists, technicians, and organizers, for the public who can enjoy the event with just one click,” said Ada Acuña, director of the Center for Artistic and Cultural Production (CPAC), organizer of the FNA.
Activities for artists and cultural groups
Through the FNA, artists and cultural groups dedicated to creating and curating content, research, training, costumes, lighting, audiovisual production, photography, sound, among others, were employed.
“For the Espressivo Theater it is a great joy to be able to participate in this activity with two of our works in digital format. In difficult times like the ones we are living in, art and culture are very necessary for people’s mental and emotional health”, commented Natalia Rodríguez, executive director of the theater.
Mario Salazar, administrative director of the Barva Symphonic Band, commented that participating in the Festival offers its musicians the opportunity to show their talent to the community and the entire country.
For his part, Luis Fernando Vargas, a Barva mask maker, stated that being able to transmit his knowledge is a way of contributing to the country’s culture. “My motivation is to be able to teach my trade, since I have been in this masquerade business for 51 years. I began to work with papier-mâché, gluing them with starch glue; now technology has influenced and I do it with fiberglass. I lived the history of tradition and now I want to show it; this festival is the opportunity”, assured Vargas.
Programming
Programming will be divided into three segments. In this edition, the FNA has 85 presentations, between artistic expressions of literary and visual works; dance, theater, music and workshops. It will offer musical presentations that will allow a journey through the national history of various rhythms, artists and groups.
The presentations are divided into three segments: “Children’s cinema window” from 9:00 a.m. at 11:00 a.m., “Child Window” from 9:00 a.m. at 2:00 p.m., and general programming from 6:00 p.m. at 9:00 p.m.
Sylvie Durán, Minister of Culture and Youth, explained: “The National Festival of Arts, and the other cultural activities that we promote from the Ministry, are fundamental to reactivate us as a sector together with our communities. They are platforms that, hand in hand with the work and talent of culture creators, allow us to exercise our cultural rights”.
