Habitat for Humanity Costa Rica brought a lot of activities to Parque Morazán yesterday, the 4th of October — and the celebration continues!
At CENAC, el Centro Nacional de Cultura, you could attend classes on yoga balancing essentials, Costa Rican swing dancing and Costa Rican bolero.
In Jardín de la Paz next to Parque Morazán and Parque España, poets waited all morning for an open mic. Meanwhile other attendees learned how to create your own urban orchard and went for a bike ride. President Solis even made a special appearance!
The activities started at about seven in the morning in front of Escuela Buenaventura Corrales Bermúdez, best known as Escuela Metálica or the “metal school.” There was also vocal and instrumental music by two students of the National University and University of Costa Rica, Marlon and Alonso.
Poets Set the Stage for a Great Day
The open microphone was the opening act of the International Poetry Festival of Costa Rica that begins October 9th.
Some artists came to read their own poetry: the first one, a young man, read five of his poems: “El Ilusionado,” “Siempre presente,” “Encuentro,” “La pareja divina,” and “Amar.”
There were not many in the audience at the beginning, but that didn’t take away from the event’s energy. The poets raised their voices for all the people there, inspiring others to embrace their own passions.
The second poet said before he start reading:
[quote_center]“I’ve liked poetry since I was very young, [but] now that I have more time, I’ve had the opportunity to really internalize [the art]”[/quote_center]
He read various times, always side-by-side of his pet Luna.
The next poet was a very proud husband who dedicated a poem about his wedding to his love. She was present in the audience, and was not about to let him steal the show. She read her own wedding poem, and dedicated to him too. The beautiful couple got married about 9 years ago just a meters from where they read their poems for the World Habitat Day.
Others continued, reading more and more artistic poems. Although the weather was hot, their art was more important. The earth even gave to those who attended this celebration a strange sky view; the clouds seemed whimsical like magic.
All ages were allowed to attend the event; a lot of kids enjoyed learning a few basic facts about urban orchards. While listening to local poetry, they could make their very own micro-urban orchid.
Cartago enjoyed a similar celebration with music, graffiti and tree-planting in Valle Verde public park.
World Habitat Day
In 1985, The General Assembly of the United Nations declared the first Monday of October as the World Habitat Day. According to Habitat for Humanity’s webpage:
[quote_center]”This celebration provides an opportunity to spread the message of Habitat for Humanity, that everyone deserves a suitable place to live, and it motivates us to do something about it.”[/quote_center]
Activities continue beginning today at 7am in front of the Escuela Metálica and will continue until 2pm.
Additionally, CENAC will host a few special guests beginning at 9am. These include Rosendo Pujol Mesalles (Ministro de Vivienda y Asentamientos Humanos) and Maris Stella Fernández (president of El Sistema Integral de Formación Artística). The founder of the Platform for Citizen Integration, Margherita Valle and architect Teo Mezger will also be presenting.
