Abraham Lincoln Center celebrates 65 years; Cuenca Art Bienal opens next week; Christmas concert schedule; 2nd deadly bus crash; Paragliding in Paute

Miércoles, 6/12/2023

Hola, Todos –

Sorry all, but this is a long issue following a long issue so I’m very tired. I’m not proofreading anything. You’ll have to take the typos with the news.

Actividades –

Concierto – The Casa de la Cultura Núcleo del Cañar will present a concert honoring Cuenca for being a World Heritage site mañana, 7/12 a las 20:00 in the Teatro Pumapungo. Free.

The Dominican community of the Convento Santísimo Rosario presents its annual Festival of Lights Thursday night beginning at 6 p.m. in the Plazoleta de Santo Domingo in Cuenca’s historical district. (El Mercurio)

Tradiciones – The Sidcay GAD is readying 2 Christmas events this fin de semana (weekend – your word for the day). The first event will be el 9/12 a las 20:00 in the parish center when the largest tree in the rural parishes. The second event will be in the Pueblo Viejo barrio with a Pase del Niño Dios (Baby Jesus parade). <I’d say, save your gas and go to the Circo Social for Cuenca’s tree lighting el 10/12 a las 19:00 and the Pase del Niño el 24/12. They’re still testing the tree. The whole tree has been cycling through white, red, green and blue lights, except it seems to be stopped at blue right now.>

Sinfónica – The Orquesta Sinfónica y el Coro Polifónico of the U. of Cuenca will perform 2 Christmas concerts. They will be el 20/12 and el 21/12 a las 20:00 in the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz. Free, but limited seating. <I think these concerts are one thing that works on North American time. The concert might start a little late, but the audience seems like it arrives on time.>

De El Mercurio del martes, 5/12 (4 articles):

8 espacios acogerán Bienal (8 venues will host the Biennial) – The 16th Bienal de Cuenca will open el viernes, 8/12 a las 19:00 in the plaza El Otorongo, the first time the inaugural has been in an open site. This year there will be 8 venues to show 39 projects from 34 artists. There will also be parallel exhibits for works from 16 Ecuadorian artists at 13 venues.

Official venues –
Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno
Casa de la Lira
Salón del Pueblo
Galería de la Alcaldía
Sala Proceso
Antigua Escuela Central
Capilla Museo de la Medicina
Museo Pumapungo

Parallel venues –
Casa de la Artista (av. Loja y Cantón Paute)
Casa del Alferero (Convencion del 45 y Mariscal La Mar)
Espacio Thaleya (Gran Colombia 12-25 between Juan Montalvo y Tarqui)
Casa de Los Arcos (Condamine y Tarqui, Epicentro Cultura)
Casa Bienal (Simón Bolívar y Estévez de Toral)
Casa Márquez (Juan Montalvo 6-18 y De la Cruz)
Casa Vélez (La Condamine, Epicentro Cultural Universidad de Cuenca)
Casa de la Provincia (Tomás Ordóñez, 9-27 y Simón Bolívar)
Museo de las Conceptas (Hermano Miguel 6-33)
Espacio Arte (Calle Larga y Alfonso Jerves)
Museo Universitario (Av. 12 de Abril 5.199)
Alianza Francesa Cuenca (Tadeo Torres y Carlos Aguilar)
Galería OFF (Av. 10 de Agosto 4.364 y Federico Proaño)

Faroles se prenderán en Festival de Luces (Lanterns will be lit in Festival de Luces) – This jueves, 7/12, the Dominican community of the Convento Santísimo Rosario de Cuenca will have its traditional Festival of Lights. It will start at 18:00 in the Plazoleta de Santo Domingo with the departure fo the Virgen Morenica. At 18:15, the fire will be blessed, and at 18:30 the lanterns will be lit. There will be a mass at 19:00 and at 20:00 there will be a serenade in honor of the Virgen Morenica del Rosario.

Festival de Villancicos con “voces inclusivas” (Festival of Carols with “inclusive voices”) – There will be a Christmas Carol festival el jueves, 7/12 a las 15:00 in the Salón de la Ciudad (calles Sucre y Benigno Malo>) with 10 choirs including 150 singers from priority attention groups. Free.

Partituras clásicas para conciertos de sinfónicas (Classical scores for symphonic concerts) – There will be 2 symphony concerts this week. The first is el jueves, 7/12 a las 20:00 in the iglesia de San Roque. The Orquesta Sinfónica de Cuenca will premier the Concierto para Flugelhorn y Vientos (winds) by US composer Daron Hagen. Free.
The 2nd will concert will be Beethoven’s 9th performed by the orquesta de la U. de Cuenca and the Coro Polifónico y Comunitario. There will be 2 performances at the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz on el 7 and 8/12 a las 20:00.
<So many choices, you’ll have to draw straws or make a dartboard. Or let your significant other decide.>

Titular – ‘Devolver la paz’ al país, la misión de gobiernos (Bringing peace back to the country, the mission of governments) – The swearing-in ceremony for 14 new governors appointed by Pres. Noboa was held ayer. Of the 14, 9 have been part of the police, Armed Forces, or firefighters. The principal function of Noboa’s appointees will be to guarantee safety and the return of peace to the country.

The new governor of Azuay, Milton Benítez is an army coronel in passive service. He has a masters in Peace, Security and Defense from the U. National de Educación a Distancia in Madrid; a degree in Military Sciences from th Universidad de la Fuerzas Armadas (ESPE); and graduated from the Colegio Interamericano de Defensa in Washington, DC. He was manager of Operations for the Empresa de Movilidad y Transporte de Quito; has been a consultant on Citizen Safety; chief of Operations of the 3d Zone of the Armed Forces; dean and professor of ESPE; and professor of strategy, national security and intelligence in the Aademia de Guerra Naval Almirante Morán Valverde.

The governor of Cañar, René Sarmiento, is an attorney; the gov’r of Guayas – Alberto Molina is in passive service in the military; Santa Elena – businessman Jorge Tamayo, Chiborazo – Rodrigo Cáceres, is a retired police coronel; Bolivar – Ramiro Jaramillo is a police coronel in passive service. <Sounds like Noboa’s serious about safety, crimes and drug gangs even if governors have been largely ceremonial positions. At least he’s appointing people with lots of experience.>

Cuenca –

Obras de Beneficio General sin descuento (no discount for General Benefit Works) – The Obras de Beneficio General (OBG) is an item on your property tax bill along with a security tax and a contribution to the Fire Department. You will no longer get a discount for paying the OBG tax early although the discount will still apply to the property tax. The city is now figuring out how to collect the amount of discounts retroactive to 2018. <Put some extra money in your budget for past tax discounts. The earlier you paid the more it’s going to be. This is your reward for being a good citizen and paying your taxes ahead of time.>

65 años del “Abraham Lincoln” (65 years of the “Abraham Lincoln”) – <A little bit of recent local history for you.> In the middle of the 20th Century, a group of Cuencanos wanted to study English, but at that time, the only English professors were members of the Lutheran Church. Without problems, the group started taking classes. However, the bishop at the time, upon hearing that Cuencanos were studying with Lutherans, threatened to excommunicate them. The Cuencanos heard that Quito and Guayaquil had created two bi-national centers where English was taught and decided to found their own center with the support of the US and Ecuadorian governments. They named the center Abraham Lincoln. This was how the first institution to formally teach English in Cuenca was started.

There was a celebration this pasado lunes to mark the center’s 65 years in Cuenca. Awards were given to Polivio Arce, the only living founding member; Maruja Semería, an ex-student and professor; Richard Baroto, the center’s director for 41 years; and the US Consulate General in Guayaquil.

Sucesos –

Siete fallecidos por choque de bus, tráiler y un volquete (Seven dead in collision of bus, trailer and dump truck) – There were 7 deaths and a dozen injuries after a choque (crash – a handy word for you car owners) involving a Cooperativa Macas bus, a trailer and a dump truck at km. 26 on the vía al cantón el Triunfo on martes, 5/12. The Fiscalía has opened an investigation into the accident to determine the circumstances and establish responsibilities. This follows an accident on viernes, el 1/12 in which 6 people were killed and 14 injured after a bus from Cuenca on the vía Cuenca-Molleturo- El Empalme rolled down an embankment. <Remember the spate of bus accidents a few years ago? I think it’s time for some more safety training.>.,

Deportes –

Amistad Club alista su Festival de Parapente (Amistad Club prepares for its Paragliding Festival) – The Amistad Club and the Escuela de Parapente are organizing the “Festival de Parapente” this sábado, 9/12 starting a las 7:00. It will be in Paute at the Cabeza de Perro hill. There will be more than 50 paragliders from different provinces who will sail the skies from the Guairaloma mountain to the Los Cañaverales sector next to the banks of the Río Paute. <I think it would be a bad thing if a paraglider landed in the river – like falling on the dance floor during a ball room dance championship or a self goal.>

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne