XVI World Africa Week in Venezuela and the VII Cultural Festival with the Peoples of Africa successfully culminates - MPPRE

XVI World Africa Week in Venezuela and the VII Cultural Festival with the Peoples of Africa successfully culminates

The XVI World Africa Week in Venezuela and the VII Cultural Festival with the Peoples of Africa, events organized between the People’s Power Ministry for Foreign Relations and the People’s Power Ministry for Culture, ended this May 31 successfully, Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the illegal blockade imposed on the country by the United States Government.

The closing of these important acts of celebration to Mother Africa, developed in the spaces of the Bolivian Museum, in Caracas, was led by the People’s Power Minister for Culture, Ernesto Villegas, accompanied by the Executive Secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), Sacha Llorenti, the Vice-minister for Africa, Yuri Pimentel, and the rector of the National Experimental University of the Arts (Unearte), Tibisay Lucena.

Despite the difficulties, the activities registered an increase in participation compared to previous editions, as reported by Minister Villegas in the closing ceremony:

“Our identity gives us strengths, inspires us for the struggles of the present and the future, that is why we feel like Africa. And this year, Bicentennial of the Battle of Carabobo, we also discover ourselves in the impulse of that people of African origin, embodied in Lieutenant Pedro Camejo, the First Black”, he highlighted.

Continúa celebración de la Semana Mundial de África con webinar “Relación del tambor con el corazón y el amor”

He pointed out that Venezuela has a notorious African root “which is fundamental to our own identity”.

“We celebrate ourselves by celebrating Africa”, said the Minister, highlighting that during the XVI World Africa Week in Venezuela and the VII Cultural Festival with the Peoples of Africa, more than a hundred videos were projected “with cultural expressions from Venezuela and various African countries”, in addition to a large schedule of seminars, “with an uplifting participation”.

In this sense, he exalted the interest that African culture arouses in youth, students and researchers.

“Africa lives in the libertarian struggles of the Venezuelan people of today (…) That power that Pedro Camejo and thousands of soldiers who gave their lives for our independence gave, remains intact to emerge victorious from the challenges of the present and that strength that the contemporary Venezuelan people have shown, to a large extent, comes from our African roots”, he emphasized.

For his part, Vice-minister Yuri Pimentel highlighted the teachings left by the development of the African celebrations in Venezuela in the midst of the pandemic, ensuring that once the health emergency is over, some of the telematic activities could be maintained. “They came to stay”, he said.

He cited as an example the initiative developed by Unearte such as the webinar Creative bodies, resistances and territories from the Afro-Venezuelan, which allowed the exchange of Afro-Venezuelan knowledge in the international arena, through 10 presentations. “More than 200 participants from 19 countries registered”, explained the Vice-minister.

“With the creativity and goodwill of each of those present here and many others who have not been able to come today (…) I can only thank the initiative and the effort to continue to bring our continents closer together, as it should be”, Vice-minister Pimentel specified.

The XVI World Africa Week in Venezuela began on May 25 with a photographic exhibition, which showed the rich history of relations and cultural ties between the Bolivarian country and the African continent.


Culmina con éxito XVI Semana Mundial de África en Venezuela Y el VII festival cultural con los pueblos de África