Representatives of the most genuine Caribbean traditions are meeting in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba to celebrate the 36th Caribbean Festival or Fire Fiesta.

Scheduled until July 9th, this year’s event is dedicated to Joel James Figarola, founder of the Fire Fiesta, to the centennial of Santiago de Cuba’s writer, José Soler Puig, the 90th birthday of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, and the 130th anniversary of the abolition of slavery on the island.

Revering African Ecuadorian culture, the fire fiesta includes the Serpent’s Parade, consisting of a parade of all delegations departing from different Santiago de Cuba squares and streets, such as Paseo Martí, Trocha, San Agustín and Plaza de Marte. The Municipal Government’s Palace is the venue of the colloquium “the Caribbean that Unites Us” with the launching of the book Expressions of popular culture and traditions in Santiago.

Compiled by renowned researcher and the director of the Caribbean House, Orlando Vergés, the volume includes 44 authors showing the spirituality and tradition of common men and women in the city. Articles, essays, interviews and chronicles make up the book featuring the power of popular cultures and the region’s legends and myths.

High on the event’s agenda: a tribute to slave rebelliousness in the region set for July 7th in the nearby town of El Cobre, and also the first international colloquium Hugo Chávez Frías: the Passion that Unites Us, scheduled for July 7/9 at the Antonio Maceo Revolution Square.