Domingo, 8/1/2017: Ecuador assumes presidency of G-77 group, Ecuador’s top 10 popular festivals, Tuesday’s French movie

Hola, Todos –

Pagina cultural –

Correction – The drag show “Rosca de Reyes” is not about The King’s Threads.  A Rosca de Reyes is a kind of cake (Same idea as a Mardi Gras King Cake) served on Epiphany in honor of the 3 Kings.

Upcoming and ongoing agenda events –

Festival musical de Artes Sonoras Extrañas (Art of Strange Sounds Music Festival) – FIMAC will be from 9-13/1.  (Would this music be what a friend of mine used to call pots and pans music?  Or more electronic?)

Clown Registrations – The Sono Centro Cultural (Borrero 6-83) is opening registration for a course on clown given by Teatro de las Entrañas (bowels or viscera – your word for the day.  Remember it at the emergency room the next time you eat a whole family sized pepperoni pizza with extra jalapeños and onions and top it off with a liter of ice cream and wind up with “dolor de entrañas.”)

Cine francés – The movie for este martes will be “Castillos de arena” (Sand castles), at 19:00 in the Alianza Francesa de Cuenca (Tadeo Torres 1-92 y Solano). Eléonore, whose recently deceased father has left her a house in Brittany, decides to sell it as quickly as possible.  She asks her ex boyfriend to go with her, and the pair spends a weekend full of emotions and surprises. (Is that a chick flick plot?)

Articles about –

Dirección Municipal de Educación y Cultura de Cuenca (Municipal Department of Education and Culture of Cuenca) – The department wants to increase activities using the centros culturales, especially with training workshops, parts of which will be focused on entrepreneurship.  The department also wants to promote activities for children and seniors and to make libraries in the rural parishes more than just a place to go to check your email.

Bienal – Works by 3 artists are installed in the Galería Proceso (3d floor of the CCE building). (Doesn’t say if there are elevators or not.  I know that 3 floors, especially if it’s numbered Ecuadorian style, can be a challenge for many of you – if not going up, then coming back down.)

Ricardo Benaim – The Venezuelan artist who is in Cuenca to give talks at the Bienal also shared his thoughts about politics.  He questioned the supposedly “leftist” leaders in Latin America.

Fredy Ayala Plazarte – The poet’s 6 book of poetry, “Con un manuscrito en el horizonte” (With a manuscript on the horizon) was launched el jueves in the República Sur.

Otras cosas – 

Titular – U. de Cuenca ratifica título en Mascaradas (U. of Cuenca affirms its title in the Mascaradas) – The U. of Cuenca won 1st place in the institutional category and the Máscara Dorada (Gold Mask).

Arrest – An outside consultant to Quito Mayor Mauricio Rodas, was arrested at the airport in Tabalela where he was apparently taking a flight out of the country.  He is being investigated for not declaring income and not paying taxes.  (Just like Al Capone – start with the tax evasion and while the guy’s in jail, look for more serious stuff.)

Gas – El jueves anterior, Petroecuador started sending Ecopaís gas to the area served by the Terminal Barbasquillo Station in Manabí.  The mix is 5% ethanol and 95% gas and will be progressively applied across the whole country.

UN – Ecuador will assume the rotating presidency of the G-77 Group of developing nations, now numbering 134, on 13/1.
 
Election simulation – The first simulation was held in Azuay at the UPS.

Articles about –

Jaime Cárdenas – This artist whose studio is in El Centro works with geometric shapes – some create optical illusions.

Santiago Illescas – He is also known as “El hombre voz” (The voice man) for his vocal imitations.  He has been imitating people since he was 4.  (Can you imagine a little brother who could imitate your parents?  What a menace!)  His newest character is “Ruliman,” a parody of Solimán, a solidarity hero of the Prefecture of Azuay.  (I think there’s some local knowledge I’m missing here.)

10 popular traditional fiestas in Ecuador – (That heading sounds more like GringoTree than CHL.) The intercultural page lists 10 fiestas.  I will give you the names, and the where and when if they’re listed.  You’ll have to Google the description.

Fiesta del Inti Raymi – 21/6, celebrated by all the indigenous populations of the Sierra.

La Mama Negra – She is also known as the Santísima Tragedia and the fiestas are in Latacunga, Cotopaxi – the first at the beginning of septiembre and the 2nd in the 1st week of noviembre.

La Chonta de la Amazonía – The fiesta is in mayo when the chonta, an Amazonian fruit, is most productive.

El Rodeo Montubio costeño – Rodeos are held in El Oro in Pimocha, Vinces and around Balzar in Guayas.  Rodeos are held to honor the Día de la Interculturalidad y Plurinacionalidad on 12/10 (just like the mercado) and go on all of octubre.

E Carnaval de Guaranda – Guaranda in Bolívar Province has the best Carnaval celebrations.

Fiesta de las Flores y las Frutas (Flower and Fruits Fiesta) – This is celebrated in the streets of Ambato, Tungurahua Province 40 days before la Semana Santa (Holy Week).

La Diablada de Píllaro – The fiesta is held from 1-6/1 in Píllaro, Tungurahua Province where the dance groups represent the devil that arrived with the missionaries.

Cerveza de yuca en Sarayaku – The festival is in febrero in the pastaza Province in the Amazon.  (This sounds like the kind of chicha started with chewed up yuca.)

El Paseo Procesional del Chagra  – This takes place in Machachi, Pichincha in julio and is in honor of the cantonization of Mejía and the country culture of the area.

El Yamor – The fiesta in Otavalo, Imbabura Province, is dedicated to el Yamor, a sacred drink made with corn and served to thank la Pacha Mama (Madre Tierra (Mother Earth)) for her bounty.

Internacional –

Nicaragua – Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación National party, will be President and VP for the next 5 years.  They were elected on 6/11 with 71.5% of the votes.  (Now that is what I would call a mandate.)

Deportes –

Dakar 2017 – The 6th leg of the race between Oruru and la Paz was called off for “condiciones meteorológicas extremas” (extreme weather conditions)  (Bad weather and mountain roads aren’t a reassuring combination for safety.  The photo shows an enormous auto transport truck.  To take the competitors to the start of the next leg?)

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne