Merida, October 10 (PL-RHC)-- A total of 290 artists are included in the Cuban delegation that will participate in the 6th International Festival of Maya Culture (FICMaya 2015) from October 16th to the 25th in Merida, capital city of the southern Mexican state of Yucatan.

Organizers say the delegation is being led by Gloria Ochoa, vice president of the Cuban Institute of Music (ICM), and is made up of musicians, dance and theater groups, historians, philosophers, writers and researchers on Cuban culture."

Ochoa told the Prensa Latina news agency that since the previous festival, when it was announced that the Guest Country of the 2015 Festival would be Cuba, they began to choose participants in order to show the most representative culture of Cuba taking into account the basic concept of the event.

"For that reason, our organizing committee decided that Pablo Milanes and his group, along with Los Van Van, would open the festival, which is also dedicated to science and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo."

During the ten days of the festival, organized by the Institute of History and Museums of Yucatan, participants from more than 30 countries will be able to enjoy Cuban artists, which also include the group Sampling and the choir Entrevoces, directed by Digna Guerra.

Ochoa said that meeting the request made by the people of Merida, which asked for dance music, the Aragon orchestra, El Septeto santiaguero and Adalberto Alvarez y su Son, among others, will also participate.

Eliades Ochoa will also perform in the festival, despite being on a tour with Buena Vista Social Club, as well as Luna Manzanares, Beatriz Marquez and Anais Abreu.

The program of Cuban artists includes also theater and dance performances, films, literature and plastic arts.

According to Ochoa, during the theory discussions of the festival there will be workshops, seminars and lectures given by prestigious intellectuals like president of the Cuba Union of Artists and Writers Miguel Barnet and director of the National Museum of Music Jesus Gomez Cairo.

Cuba will participate for the second time in FICMaya, a festival that promotes discussions and exchanges on Mayan culture amid specialists from all over the world.