Santiago de Cuba, January 12 (RHC-PL) -- The Eighth "Joel James in Memoriam" Colloquium began on Sunday in this city until January 13th to honor the relevant intellectual, who founded the Caribbean House and the International Fire Festival.

During the opening lecture, Doctor Carlos Lloga noted that James time is the same of the institution, founded by him, as well as the event that for more than 30 years has laid bridges among Caribbean cultures and peoples.

Lloga stated that the passing of the anthropologist and essayist in 2006 became a watershed in the functioning of the House and the Fire Festival, which has new challenges ahead in correspondence with its academic prestige and cultural relevance.

On this occasion, the meeting is also paying tribute to the theater group Korimakao, directed by actor Manuel Porto, who has developed fruitful community work for decades in Cienaga de Zapata, the largest and best preserved wetland in the Caribbean islands, in the central province of Matanzas.

In the presence of Porto, the members of group will perform in the town of El Cobre, about 20 kilometers from this city, where the sanctuary of the Virgin of La Caridad del Cobre, the patron saint of Cuba, is located.