The 22nd World Young Artists Festival, Romerías de Mayo, currently underway in the eastern city of Holguín, is dedicated to Cuban National Hero, José Martí.

Organized by the Hermanos Saíz organization, the AHS, the major Cuban young avant-garde writers and artist event provides more than 15 spaces for the promotion of all art forms, preserving tradition and historical investigation.

At the young artist gathering’s theoretical or discussion forum, Memoria Nuestra or Our Memory, considered its backbone, participants have emphasized the need for young people to study the work and life of the Cuban National Hero. At the theoretical event, Cuban composer, José María Vitier, gave a lecture, dealing with how José Marti’s life and work impacted the life and work of his parents, renowned Cuban intellectuals, poets and writers, Cintio Vitier and Fina García Marruz.

Vitier also delighted audiences attending two concerts with his Cuban Mass to the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, Cuba’s Patron Saint, in Holguíns Eddy Suñol Theater, along with Havana’s Chamber Orchestra, the Exaudi choir, Cuban mezzosoprano María Felicia Pérez, soprano Bárbara Llanes and troubadour Willian Vivanco. Romerías de Mayo will extend till Friday with the largest attendance of the past few years, including more than 350 delegates of 26 countries and 230 projects of the AHS.

The most popular spaces are Babel, focusing on fine arts and celebrating its 20th anniversary; the Blue Chamber dedicated to audiovisual creation; Rockmerías, attended by several foreign and local rock bands, and Palabras compartidas or Shared Words, dealing with literary work, this time attended by National Literature Award Winner, Eduardo Heras León.