Kill the Indians, Santo Domingo Norte-. The Casa del Caribe of Santiago de Cuba extended an invitation to the Brotherhood of the Congos of the Holy Spirit of Mata los Indios Villa Mella, calling them to participate in the XLIII Caribbean Festival, Fiesta del Fuego, an international activity that will take place in Santiago de Cuba from July 3 to 9, 2024, with the attendance of representations from different countries.
In this important international festival, La Cofradía will carry out an exchange of knowledge about tradition and ancestral knowledge, with cultural manifestations from the island of Cuba and with other Caribbean manifestations, which will come from other nations to the homeland of José Martí. With more than five hundred years of culture, the members of the Brotherhood will go to Cuba to share experiences in one of the few festivals that recognizes the value of Afro-descendant traditions and their importance in the indigenous profile of the Caribbean identity.
The Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit is going to celebrate 23 years of being a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO, so its participation in this prestigious international meeting is of great importance, where it will be represented by a delegation of 11 brothers, headed by its King Armando Brazobán and its Captain Mr. Enríquez Minier.
It is a great distinction for the country that the Casa del Caribe, one of the institutions of America and the region, which is most interested in studying and preserving ancestral Caribbean traditions, invites the Congos of Villa Mella to the Fire Festival, so that it resonates in the land of Mambi; the canoita, the conguito, the congo and the maracas, that the maroon dance of Afro-descendants is expressed in the land that Máximo Gómez liberated and the Holy Spirit of Villa Mella fills the outstanding international event with religiosity.
Cuba has always been in solidarity with the people of the Caribbean, in the past it covered the tickets and stay of the cultural groups that came to the island to participate in those events; but the period of economic difficulty that the nation is going through makes it impossible at this time to offer these facilities, so the 11 members of the brotherhood who hope to attend the Festival on behalf of the country, have to cover the ticket, stay and feeding.
It is necessary for the Congos of Villa Mella to attend, because of what it means to them as a cultural institution, guardian of ancestral traditions and its status as Intangible Heritage of Humanity and what it represents for the country.
We hereby invite everyone who can contribute to this cultural cause, companies, public entities, and individuals to contribute, so that the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit, made up of people from very humble social backgrounds, but dedicated to preserving their traditions, identity and cultural values, can reach Cuba and raise the name of the Dominican Republic.
For any contribution or more information, call the phone number of the president of the Los Congos del Espíritu Santo Foundation, Boynayel Mota 809-602-1857 or the secretary 829-905-9789.
