The Central Avenue and the Plaza de Deportes of Orotina witnessed this past Thursday a meeting between hundreds of citizens and more than 240 Costa Rican artists of 1st level during the inauguration of the 12th Edition of the National Festival of the Arts (FNA19).
With a lively parade, at 5 pm, the event that was in charge of the Orotina Communal Band and the Folkloric Company “Pasión
The President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado and the Minister of Culture, Sylvie Duran, together with the community of the canton of Orotina participated in the inauguration of the National Festival of the Arts, on the night of this Thursday, March 28th.
“We started this great journey, full of art, music, dance and culture; that will house more than 1,300 artists and will give stage to more than 250 activities that will fill the Costa Rican families with joy. This as an effort together with various social and cultural sectors to celebrate with the public the best of our cultural identity”, said the president.
The arrival of the train, which for so many years was an engine of the life of this community, was part of the experiences recreated in the parade. “Our Festival is a window and a mirror to see us through the art and expressions of our communities in their diversity. It is an exceptional space to promote coexistence and the appropriation of public spaces. It also demonstrates the power of culture and events as promoters of development of both national artistic and cultural production, as well as the economic project and social welfare of our cantons and territories”, said Sylvie Duran, Minister of Culture and Youth.
The Plaza de Deportes de Orotina vibrated with a 2nd presentation, already during the night, when the group Son de Tikizia put the audience to dance with their show “La Historia de la Salsa”.
With more than 20 national and international artists on stage, this concert told the musical journey, the origin and the history of salsa; its main protagonists and how this so hot rhythm has lasted to the present.
“For us it is a great honor to have been selected by the National Festival of the Arts that gave us the possibility to expand our music to more places in Costa Rica. We take this opportunity to have great artists on stage; with them we were able to represent every era that this musical genre lived, as real as possible, which is something that in regular presentations makes us impossible”, explained Walter Flores, musical director and pianist of Son de Tikizia.
Interinstitutional effort
The Center of Artistic and Cultural Production unified efforts so that the citizens of the communities of Esparza, Orotina and nearby sites, had access to art and cultural events thanks to an inter-institutional effort with the Government of the Republic and the local governments of these 2 cantons.
María Amalia Revelo, Minister of Tourism, stressed that “cultural activities such as those contemplated in the FNA 2019 enrich tourism products and the experiences of those who visit us. The tourist today seeks authentic experiences and is precisely what we are building through this partnership between culture and tourism.
“The National Festival of the Arts is an event of great importance for Orotina, as it draws citizens from their daily lives and allows them to rediscover their emotions and humanities through the sensitivity of art, which is why we invite the whole country to enjoy of the activities of this great national festival through the colors and the flavor of the “City of fruits”, said Margot Montero, mayor of Orotina.
Asdrúbal Calvo, mayor of Esparza, said: “Our canton welcomes the 12th edition of the National Arts Festival, from March 28th to April 7th. We invite you to participate in all the artistic and cultural activities, as well as the beauties of this land and its people”.
11 days of artistic festival
Since last March 28th, the José Martí Central Park, the Municipal Gymnasium, the Sports Plaza and other spaces of Orotina will be stages of different cultural expressions for 10 consecutive days.
The FNA2019, through its “Route of the Arts”, will visit Villa Nueva (Esparza), San Juan Chiquito (Esparza), Limonal (Orotina) and the canton of San Mateo, where 9 groups of different artistic branches will offer their shows.
,Also, the headquarters of Esparza will offer shows in places such as Plaza de Deportes and Parque Ignacio Pérez. The Riojalandia sub-office in Barranca, Puntarenas, will offer theater, dance,
In this place three works will be presented: “El pájaro de fuego” of the Compañía Nacional de Danza (CND) and the National Theater of Costa Rica (TNCR), “Silencio de trenes” of the National Theater Company (CNT) and ” Anansi an afro odyssey “from Ex-anima and the TNCR.
“The bird of fire” and “Anansi an afro odyssey” are part of the program “Once upon a time territories” of the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) and the TNCR; through which hundreds of children and adolescents will enjoy these top-level plays.
The experience in Riojalandia will be a pilot plan to take this program to other communities at social risk in Guanacaste and Limón.
Fair of crafts, gastronomy, and agro-industry
As a complement to the activities and functions offered by this 12th Edition, each of the venues Esparza and Orotina, offers its public a handicraft and gastronomy fair made up of small companies in the area.
The gastronomic offer in both venues is made up of traditional and contemporary products from the regions. There are sales of complete meals, snacks, juices and fruits by entrepreneurs from the cities and surrounding areas.
At the level of craftsmanship and design, there are works in wood, products based on fish scales and flora and fauna of the region. In this section, Monteverde artisans also participate, offering jewelery, handbags and items with a lot of identity.
In order to cover both “houses” of FNA2019, 14 handicraft and 4 gastronomy stalls were distributed in Esparza, while in Orotina there are 12 craft kiosks, 5 of gastronomy and 3 of agro-industry. In this last area, producers of the canton and Puriscal are present.
Ada Acuña, executive producer of the National Festival of Arts and general director of the Artistic and Cultural Production Center, indicated that, during the 11 days of activities that make up this Costa Rican festival, the fair will be a showcase and showcase of the local identity of the two communities that on this occasion host the Festival. We will highlight the work and dedication that each participant entrepreneur does for his business “.
In terms of safety and the environment
In order to provide security to all citizens who will enjoy the 280 activities, 180 functions and more than 80 shows offered by the FNA19, 4 advanced support units were prepared in case of any medical emergency.
2 located in Orotina and in the communities of this canton that crosses the “Route of the Arts”; the other 2 are located in Esparza and nearby places where this route will pass. Riojalandia also has a unit that, like the others, has a schedule of 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.
The Festival will also have the collaboration of the Public Force, Red Cross and Traffic Police. Private security officers will also be located in each of the locations, including Riojalandia and the communities that make up the “Route of the Arts”, in order to ensure the safety and tranquility of citizens 24 hours a day.
In all the communities where the Festival will arrive, emergency exits and spaces that comply with Law 7600 on equal opportunities for people with disabilities and Law 9028 on tobacco control are labeled.
The Center for Artistic and Cultural Production (CPAC) of the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ), organizer of the Festival, complies with the guideline DM 01-2018 on single-use plastic, so that biodegradable containers were incorporated into the food services
Special promotion was also given to the recovery of the bottle caps that will be donated to the Proparques Foundation, in order to be used in plastic wood ramps. The National Arts Festival 2019 has 100 volunteers among municipal staff, students of the University of Costa Rica (UCR), Scouts of Costa Rica and neighbors of the communities.
