Las Tunas, June 29 (RHC)-- The 54th edition of Jornada Cucalambeana Festival of Cuban countryside culture and traditions began Monday June 28th and runs through July 1st in eastern Las Tunas province.

The annual event honors the legacy of Las Tunas-born poet Juan Cristóbal Nápoles Fajardo (aka El Cucalambé), considered the most important Cuban “decimista”–country ballad poet–in 19th-century Cuba.

This year's 54th edition, held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic, also celebrates Ibero-American culture.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Casa Iberoamericana de la Décima, Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima y el Verso Improvisado, the National Association of Artists and Writers (UNEAC) and the Hermanos saíz Association of Young Artists, the event’s program includes debates, conferences and contests –all streamed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and broadcast on national radio and television.

Highlights include the Justo Vega Competition of repentistas, or improvisers, the Carlos Escalona in memoriam country music competition, an exhibition of traditional country dances, and the music event Del son al son, which will pay homage to El Cucalambé on the 192nd anniversary of his birth.

Experts agree that repentismo, or the improvisation of décimas, requires great talent and quick thinking nurtured from the cradle.

For 54 years, the Cucalambeana has celebrated peasant traditions and honored the rich culture of the Cuban countryside.