First International Bolero Vivo Competition is on the horizon

Havana, Jul 22 (RHC) The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Relations and several institutions are inviting people to participate in the First International Contest of Bolero Vivo, literary and musical, in the Spanish language, through a call valid until August 2.

 On its Facebook profile, the Cuban Institute of Music, also the organizer of the contest, shared a link to the origin and rules of the contest, which is aimed at Spanish-speaking creators and composers.

The rules of the contest emphasize the purpose of strengthening and consolidating the artistic and cultural exchange among all Spanish-speaking people in two categories: literary composition and musical composition.

The call for entries states that on December 5, 2023, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved the inscription of the Bolero cultural practice on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity, based on the binational candidacy proposed by Mexico and Cuba.

For Mexico, Cuba and other countries, the bolero is a cultural heritage that has been handed down from generation to generation, bringing together knowledge and sensibilities that reflect a living practice.

The designation of the Bolero as Intangible Cultural Heritage implies the implementation of a plan of protection that seeks to guarantee its transmission and survival among communities, so that the bearers of this practice (performers, creators and audiences) become protagonists of its vitality.

Within this framework, the convening institutions are launching this First International Bolero Vivo Literary and Musical Contest in Spanish, in order to make visible and disseminate both the practices and the agents that carry them out.

It is also intended to encourage the creation and diffusion of new repertoires that contribute to the common tradition of the bolero, as well as to stimulate the study and reflection of its repercussions and importance in the socio-cultural contexts of the Spanish-speaking world.

According to the rules, the best works in each category will be selected: 10 in literary composition and the same number in musical composition; the evaluation will be carried out by a committee made up of experts with recognized professional experience in the aforementioned disciplines; the results of the contest will be announced by Mexico's Canal Once and Canal 22; the winners may be invited, depending on the immigration, tax, customs, health and national security conditions in force in the receiving country, to present their work in television programs on both channels, in accordance with the call for entries. (Source: Prensa Latina)