Venezuela Cultural Week in Berlin: Recovery of a Culture that had been the Victim of National Apathy
Embassy of Venezuela in Berlin hosts a Cultural Week from 23th to 27th of May
May 30th, 2016On May 23rd, 2016, H. E. Amb. Orlando Maniglia inaugurated Venezuela's Cultural Week in Berlin. The opening ceremony took place at the Embassy of Venezuela in Berlin. The week’s various cultural activities included: photographic exhibitions, tastings of typical Venezuelan food, films, lectures, conferences and performances by musical groups.
During the opening event, in the Simon Bolivar room of the Embassy of Venezuela in Berlin, the Ambassador highlighted the large effort that had been involved in arranging the many different speakers and participants of the various activities that took place during the Cultural Week of Venezuela. The idea behind this week of cultural exchange is to create a platform where all citizens, both Spanish-speaking and German, all nationalities are invited to get closer to the culture of a people that has fought hard to regain his true identity, amid great efforts to avoid the threats that have been exposed by globalization. The speaker Ismael Cejas Armas, spoke in one event, for example, on the topic of "Cultural policies of the Bolivarian Revolution.” The main focus of the cultural week of Venezuela was cultural policies and in particular, the Spirit of the Bolivarian Revolution.
Since in 1998 Hugo Chavez won the elections, there has been a strong effort to improve and motivate the Venezuelan people, to make them a more critical citizens, and as was intended, through cultural policies, to make Venezuelans recover that political feeling lost nation, and to be immersed in the economic, social and cultural life of citizens. One of the strengths of the Cultural Week of Venezuela in Berlin, is to present all the positive changes that have occurred since. Looking back we can see accounts, regardless of our political ideologies, as has since developed a clear conception of their cultural tradition.
Venezuela considers that one of the greatest threats to the preservation of the culture and tradition of Venezuelans own peoples, comes from the global perspective, trying to create a universal parameters.
Of course, within the cultural week we have been able to find great tasting dishes such as arepas, the cachapa or tequeño. We have also been able to observe an exhibition tour of all the institutions, ministries and cultural spaces, including museums, theaters, publishing houses, orchestras, operas, radios, magazines, etc. which they have been created to preserve the culture, and recovering the sense of nationhood.
A unique event to which the ICD team has had the pleasure to attend, thus bringing the Venezuelan people in Germany and in turn Europe. On May 27th, the closing ceremony was held in the embassy of Venezuela and it was carried out by the Amb. Orlando Maniglia. During this event drinks and meals were offered and it was possible to taste the typical Venezuelan food which was in charge of the Venezuelan group "ALCABA". A great performance that puts an end to a week of culture that makes us see that it is not a product, but that is the essence of the people.
References and Links
News from Berlin
Carlota A., Berlin Global