La Florida, district 17, will be represented at the Municipal Folklore Meeting by Xayrha Valentina Martínez Guzmán, a 19-year-old girl.
She is a fifth semester student of Psychology at the University of Ibagué and believes that she represents the spirit and heart of the inhabitants of her town: this is how she hopes to make locals and visitors feel in the Contest, to which she said yes motivated by her innate passion for art, music and dance, as well as “for his deep love for the Department and the city.”
And, according to what he says, although it is his first time in a reign, he has been preparing since school days, participating in singing groups and performing percussion and string instruments to improve his skills and knowledge.
For this, one of his biggest challenges, he has been working with discipline for a year. Today he has the support of the Cacique and Yumapathy groups, the direction of teachers Rodrigo Leal and John Gilberto Urueña and his official partner, Esteban Gómez.
His greatest virtue, he says, is his ability to empathize with others, a trait that he promises to use in his mission to represent and promote Ibagueño folklore, following the teachings of his team.
Enhance the rural area
Xayrha Valentina has a clear vision: Encourage folklore in the rural schools of Ibagué, especially in La Florida, where children and young people often prefer to work than study. For her, folklore, traditions and dance are powerful vehicles to motivate and enrich the lives of young people.
Highlighting the beauty of his district, he praises the hard-working people, the exuberant nature and the agricultural wealth, with coffee, banana and mandarin crops that adorn this sector.
“I want to highlight the talent of the rural area, often forgotten, and I am committed to representing and preserving traditions in the best way,” he maintains.
