Venezuelans celebrated the International Music Festival (FIMVEN) in Caracas last week with more than 150 musical groups and dozens of presentations. FIMVEN showcased musical talent from Venezuela as well as Colombia, Chile, Perú, Mexico, Cuba and other countries. Seventeen countries in total participated in this year’s festival which will tour the country in 2017.
Culture Minister Freddy Ñáñez emphasized that the FIMVEN “is an alternative to the decadence of world monopolies in music” and stressed the importance of non-corporate cultural spaces.
Ñáñez continued, “With the participation of promotion and distribution circuits from Asia, Europe and Latin America, our country opens a space for national talent, challenging those who transform music into merchandise.”
Likewise, the director for the Center of Research and Development of Cuban Music, Laura Villar, expressed her personal joy experiencing and learning more about Venezuelan musical genres.
“Personally, I love Venezuelan music for its complexity and beauty, above all [Venezuelan] musical tradition fascinates me,” she said in an interview with Venezuelan state channel VTV.
Venezuelan music represents a variety of styles with different cultural roots. Venezuelans enjoyed musical presentations from contemporary urban artists, joropo performers, as well as presentations by African-inspired drumming groups among others.
FIMVEN closed Saturday November 19 with a special concert hosted by the Serenata Guayanesa, a traditional Venezuelan music group with 45 years of history. FIMVEN opened just one day after Caracas hosted its 12th annual international book fair.
