New blackout hours in effect; International stage festival is underway; Investigation of Turi prison murder; All about hummingbirds; Cultural agenda

Jueves, 3/10/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Obra revive encanto de las sílfides o “espíritus del aire” (Work revives enchantment of the sylphs or “spirits of the air”) – The Compañía de Danza and the Orquesta Sinfónica of the U. of Cuenca will present the ballet, “Les Sylphides” on el viernes, 4/10 a las 18:30 and el sábado el 5 a las 12:00 in the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz. The performance will fuse the music of Frédéric Chopin with the contemporary choreography of David Arias. The 10 dancers range in age from 16 to 40 years. <And they all look like sylphs. Not an extra ounce of weight on any of them.> Cost: $6.00.

The Compañía de Danza and the Orquesta Sinfónica of the University of Cuenca will present the ballet, “Les Sylphides” Friday, 4/10, a las 18:30 and el sábado el 5, a las 12:00 in the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz. The performance fuses the music of Frédéric Chopin with the contemporary choreography of David Arias. (El Mercurio)

Apertura de exposición (Exhibition opening) – The opening of the show, “Colibrí: Símbolo y Mito” (“Hummingbird: Symbol and Myth”) by artist Julio Machado was announced by the Antigua Escuela Central. <Does that mean it’s opened? Or will open?> The show invites the public to explore the universe, symbolism, and beauty of this mythic creature. <Those are the same little birds that get into serious fights over the feeder?> The exposition gathers a series of works that highlight the fascinating world of the hummingbird, reflecting their cultural and natural importance.

Sinincay festeja a su patrono (Sinincay celebrates its patron saint) – Sinincay will celebrate its patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi throughout this month. There will be a mass el viernes a las 19:00 in the main church; and el sábado a las 10:00 there will be children’s games and sports contexts in the plaza central. The schedule for el domingo starts a las 9:00 with a procession through the main streets; a mass a las 10:00 in the church; and a pampamesa, a big auction, and musical shows a las 11:30 in the plaza central. On el sábado, 26 and domingo 27, the events continue with an indoor (indoor soccer?) championship, rituals, and presentations by dance and music groups.

De El Mercurio del miércoles, 2/10 (5 articles):

Escenarios del Mundo sube telón (Scenarios of the World raises the curtain) – The XVIII edition of this international stage festival started today (miércoles) and will continue until el 13/10 with companies from Chile, Spain, Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru and Ecuador performing theater, dance, circus and gestual arts. Venues for 61 events will include the Teatro Pumapungo and Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz and outdoor spaces such as the plazoleta de la Merced, Puente Centenario, San Blas, parque De la Madre, El Vado, and parque Calderón. There will also be presentations in rural areas and in primary and high schools. The Teatro Pumapungo has its own electric plant. Tickets are available at Librimundi, Galería Miguel Illescas (Calle Larga, next to the Pumapungo) and online at Meet2Go. You can find a complete program which also includes workshops and parallel activities on the social network pages of the festival or at www.escenariosdelmundo.com.

Programación –
Teatro Pumapungo:
2/10 – 20:00 – Pink Unicorns -Spain
3/10 – 20:00 – “Tres Tristes Trampas” – Ecuador
4/10 – 20:00 – “Búho” – Spain
5/10 – 20:00 – “La doble y única mujer” – Ecuador
6/10 – 17:00 – “Sacha Wasi” – Costa Rica & Ecuador
9/10 – 11:00 – (Students), 20:00 (General Public) – “Paraidolia” – Chile
10/10 -11:00 – (Students), 20:00 (General Public) – “Los Regalos” – Peru
11/10 -20:00 – “Tempo” – Ecuador
Teatro Carlos Cueva:
7/10 – 11:00 – “Antonia y Berenice han muerto” – Ecuador
8/10 – 11:00 – (Students), 20:00 (General Public) – “Kinematos” – Argentina
<I hope there are enough of you fans of theatrical arts with sufficient Spanish to appreciate this festival.>

La “Colección de Colibríes” de Juan Francisco Cordero (The “Hummingbird Collection” by Juan Francisco Cordero) – Author Juan Francisco Cordero presented his 200-page hard bound book, “Colección de Colibríes” which gathers 83 endemic species of hummingbirds of Ecuador. It is the result of 3 years of work in which Cordero travelled the country. The book highlights the variety of these birds, differences in their colors, sizes and feathers. The book is on sale at the Instituto Wissen (av. 10 de Agosto y José María Sánchez). <Sounds like something that would really jazz up your coffee table.>

“Identidades Orgánicas” (Organic Identities) – The opening of the exhibit, “Identidades Orgánicas” was today at the Casa de Chaguarchimbana. The show explores how identities are constructed and deconstructed at an individual and collective level. Through different artistic expressions, the exhibition invites reflection on the complex process of forming identity. <Think of it as a work of a lifetime with your efforts contributing to the lifetimes of those who follow you.>

Danzas populares (Folk dances) – Until el 10/10 a las 13:30, the Casa Patrimonial del Artista will have daily workshops for anyone interested folk dancing. The workshop is for both beginners and those with dance experience who want to learn and perfect a variety of styles. For more information, you can go to the social networks of the Dirección de Cultura. <If you get into it, this might be your excuse to buy yourself a pollera, lacy blouse, and woven shoes. But would that be cultural appropriation?>

Titular –

Reducen horarios de apagones (Blackout hours reduced) – The new electric blackout schedule began Friday morning, reducing power outages from nine to 10 hours to four or five a day. The new schedule provides power for most of the daylight hours, with most blackouts happening at night. To see the schedule for Cuenca and Azuay Province, go to the Centrosur website.

De El Mercurio del miércoles, 2/10 (1 article):
Carlos Pólit es condenado a 10 años de prisión (Carlos Polit sentenced to 10 years in prison) – Corlos Pólit, who was the Ecuadorian Comptroller from 2007 to 2017 during Pres. Rafael Correa’s term, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The sentence was handed down in the Southern District Court of Florida by Judge Kathleen William. Pólit was found guilty of 6 charges: one for conspiracy to launder money, 3 for money laundering, and 2 for participating in transactions derived from illegal activities.

In Ecuador, Pólit had been sentenced to prison for concusión (soliciting a bribe – not a concussion) which was related to the corruption case involving the Brazilian contractor Odebrecht. The original penalty sought by the A. G. was 19 years, but the sentence was reduced to 6 years. Pólit fled the country and hid the money he received in bribes by purchasing U.S. real estate. <I wonder if he wishes he’d stayed and served his sentence in Ecuador now.>

Sucesos –

Clausuran camal clandestino (Clandestine slaughterhouse shut down) – Agrocalidad, in coordination with the police, closed a clandestine slaughterhouse on calle del Salado y Loja. Authorities said that there were 40 pigs in the corrals. The site did not comply with the appropriate sanitary conditions.

Cuatro investigados por muerte en cárcel de Turi (Four investigated for death in Turi prison) – There has been another violent death in the prison at Turi. Police announced that a prisoner was stabbed and killed and two more were injured during a fight el pasado lunes in cell 23. Originally two prisoners were investigated and after further inquiries, two more were suspected of being involved. José Vargas, Zone 6 National Police commander, said this is being treated as an isolated incident since the attack was focused on one recluso (inmate – your word for the day) during a fight. The dead prisoner was known as “Porro” and he was transferred to Turi el 15/6/2024 from the prison in El Oro. He was a member of the ‘Lobos Box’ gang. The weapon used was a home made knife.

Nacional –

Entra en vigencia acuerdo comercial con Costa Rica (Trade agreement with Costa Rica goes into effect) – As of el 1/10, a trade agreement between Ecuador and Costa Rica goes into effect in which 80% of Ecuadorian products will enter Costa Rica with 0 tariffs. Currently Ecuador exports $36 million to Costa Rica and imports $76 million. 40% of the exports are manufactured goods, mainly coming from the Austro.

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne