Cultural diversity in Veracruz Afro-Caribbean Festival (+Photos)

Strengthening the memory and identity of the people of Veracruz by recognizing contributions of the cultural matrix of African origin is one of the objectives of the 26th International Afro-Caribbean Festival, which concludes today.

Silvia Alejandre Prado, director of the Veracruz Institute of Culture, pointed out that the configuration of a country cannot be understood without recognizing its social processes, which is why this meeting seeks to make the African heritage tangible and value its contribution to the formation of Mexican identity.

An identity that is vigorously tangible in our daily environment and lives in our features and skin, in musicals and gastronomic richness, in artistic expressions and dialogue where Veracruzanos recognize ourselves as morenos, afromestizos, costeños, jarochos, blacks, Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Mexicans, afrojarochos, a cultural melting pot of which we are part.

Iván Martínez, secretary of Tourism and Culture of the entity, added there is a deep Mexico and it has its epicenter in the state of Veracruz: that of the Caribbean coast, of sugar cane, coffee, of oil and danzón.

With gastronomy as the axis of this edition, visitors enjoy a program that includes the conferences ‘Afro-descendant food culture in Veracruz’ by Alfredo Delgado Calderón; ‘Afro-descendant heritage in Mexican cuisine’ with Sagrarío Cruz Carretero; and the discussion ‘Sal y Sazón: Afro-descendant kitchens in Mexico’.

The book Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Kitchens and Cooks from Oaxaca was also presented, with the participation of Roger Merlín Arango, from Oaxaca, and Víctor Cérbulo, collaborator of the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples.

The artistic program closes this Sunday with performances by a vast group of tropical artists and orchestras, such as Surada Rubí Oseguera and TNK12, Son Raza de Bronce, Pregoneros del Recuerdo, La Formula del Son and many more.