September 19, 2014
No.67
In order to promote cultural and artistic exchanges between Taiwan and Latin American and Caribbean countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will hold the Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Festival September 20-28 at Huashan 1914 Creative Park and Spot Huashan Cinema in Taipei City, Zhongshan Hall in Taichung City, and the National Science and Technology Museum in Kaohsiung. Residents in northern, central, and southern Taiwan are invited to participate in this lively carnival and experience firsthand the rich, diversified, and passionate culture of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Festival events in Taipei City will be held at Huashan 1914 Creative Park and Spot Huashan Cinema on the weekend of September 20-21. This cultural festival jointly organized by embassies and representative offices of Latin American and Caribbean countries in Taiwan features art exhibits, performances, films, traditional handicrafts, cuisine, and cultural activities, so people will be able to see, taste, and experience various aspects of the region’s culture.
Five Latin American and Caribbean performance groups have been invited for this festival. The Elizabeth Vinader dance academy founded 35 years ago in Paraguay incorporates the Paraguayan harp to present primal but intricate dances of South America. The Pantempters Steel Orchestra from Belize uses 55-gallon oil drums as percussion instruments to play music from Belize and the Caribbean. The Argentine husband-and-wife team Carlos y Alison Tango recently took first place in the seniors category at the World Tango Dance Championship in Buenos Aires and won a special prize for Buenos Aires dances in Taiwan at an event sponsored by the ROC government. The Mariachi MexicoSon band from Jalisco State, Mexico, where mariachi music originates, performs romantic bolero dances wearing magnificent traditional charro costumes. In addition, PERUEXPRESIÓN combines dance, music, and theater in its performances. It was invited to perform on various occasions during the 2008 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, as Peru was the host economy and sought to show off its traditional dance culture. In addition, these five groups will offer one performance at Zhongshan Hall in Taichung City September 23.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also notes that the Latin American and Caribbean film series will be held September 20-21 at Spot Huashan Cinema, located in Huashan 1914 Creative Park, and September 27-28 at the National Science and Technology Museum in Kaohsiung. Twelve Latin American and Caribbean masterpieces will be screened. These include Honduras’s Fantasmas del Huracán, an official selection in 2002 at the Avellaneda Park Short Film Festival in Argentina; Haiti’s 6 Femmes d’Exception chosen for the 3rd Women’s Film Series at the 2012 Buenos Aires Film Festival; Panama’s El Viento y el Agua, named best film and best aboriginal language film at the 10th Toronto Film Festival; Argentina’s Juan y Eva, winner of best film and best director awards at the 29th Bogota Film Festival; and Colombia’s Quijote, awarded Best Colombian Film at the 2013 Bogota International Film Festival.
For more information about the 2014 Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Festival, please visit the website www.2014laccf.com.