Domingo 8/5/2016: Unique mamás, Bus subsidies, Saraguro legends, Road closures

Hola, Todos – 

Pagina cultural – 

Upcoming events (from Saturday’s paper)

Sinfónica U. de Cuenca – The 5th Concert of the 2016 Season will be Wed. 11/5 at 20:00 in the Museo Catedral Viejo with Gilles Lefevre, guest violinist.

Ensamble – “Concerto,” a recital of popular music from France, Russia, Italy, Greece, Argentina and Ecuador interpreted by Cuencanan musicians will on 12/5 in the Teatro Sucre. It is organized by the Alianza Francesa so go ask them what time it is.

Finished or ongoing events –

Crafts sale  – “Soy artesano, soy patrimonio” (I am a craftsman, I am patrimony) was Sun. from 10-20:00 at Plaza de las Culturas (calle Larga y Huayna Cápac).

Articles about –

El Economuseo – The Casa del Sombrero has an agreement with the Weavers Association in the rural sectors of Cuenca to bring their goods into the museum to sell. The only condition is that they keep weaving straw hats.

This space also holds classes and workshops for several reasons.  1. So students can learn a craft and earn a living.  2. The patrimonial aspect.  3. Health issues – to avoid skin cancers. (I wonder if you can deduct that $800 Panama hat as a medical expense – doctor’s orders to keep your face shaded).  4. Aesthetic reasons.  (Just because they look good – I’ll buy that.) 5. Part of Cuenca’s identity.

The workshop students are all different nationalities with foreigners taking the classes with more discipline. (Like showing up on time?)

The next workshops start on 16/5 with space for 50. Register at calle Rafael María Arízaga 7-95 y Luis Cordero. The hours are M-F from 8-12:00 and 15-18:00. The straw crafts workshop are Tue and Thu and last 2 months.

Digital workshops – The ABCs of digital knowledge are being taught from 9-20/5 at 7 cultural centers including El Cebollar Eucaliptos, Chaguarchimbana, Tomebamba, El, Rosal sector y el Alfarero y Escuela Taller Cuenca.  Classes are geared to seniors, adults and youth.  (Although I can hardly imagine any young person who wouldn’t be able to teach the class.)

Otras cosas –

Titular – Las Mamás son únicas (Mothers are unique)  (Mamá – mama or mother – your word for the day.  And remember that mama – accent on the 1st ma – is the mammary gland.  Mamá – accent on the 2nd ma is a mother. You could embarrass yourself and maybe amuse whoever you’re talking to by accenting the wrong syllable.)

Payments to bus owners – EMOV will sign an agreement to subsidize the owners of the 475 urban buses $600 per month per bus retroactive to Oct., 2015 and ending in July.  A study, for which the contract has yet to be signed, to determine if bus fares should be raised or not should be complete by July.  (Doesn’t paying this subsidy pretty much indicate that someone at city hall thinks the fares are too low?)

Reconstruction – VP Jorge Glass said that reconstruction of quake damaged areas will be under technical and planning standards, soils tests will be done, and standards of seismic resistance will be revised and updated.  (Calling all architects and engineers.)

14% IVA – The government discarded the possibility of reducing the IVA from 14% to 13%.  The advantage of a higher IVA is that it is immediately collected and 90% of the “canasta basica” (basic basket of goods and services) are not taxed anyway.

Road closures – The following intersections will be closed starting 10/5 for Tranvía work:  Gran Colombia at Mariano Cueva & Tomás Ordóñes and Mariscal Lamar at Hermano Miguel y Antonio Borrero.  (Good luck driving through El Centro since these are just the new closures.)

Feria Pasaje Artesanal Azuayo (Azuayan Crafts Walk Fair) – This fair which started on 6/5 for Mother’s Day will be held regularly, once a month for the rest of the year at the Gobierno Provincial del Azuay.  The objective is to generate employment and sales for local producers of weavings, shoes, crafts, ragdolls, wood and leather work and foods such as ice cream de paila, breads, sweets, drinks, plants and medicinal products.

Intercultural – 

Saraguro – An article on the Saraguros talks about the origins of the community. Theories include a relocation by the Incas of rebellious inhabitants to Peru and an importation of “mitmacunas,” or that they came from Bolivia. Now Saraguro is the name of an indigenous Ecuadorian people of the Kichwa nationality who live in the Sierras in the south of Ecuador.  It is the only ethnic group in Loja that survived Spanish colonization.

A legend about why they wear black clothing is that it’s a symbol of mourning for Atahualpa.  Another reason for black is that it conserves body heat better and that the clothing is woven from sheep and llama wool, most of which is black.

The article also talks about the cosmology which is based in the Chacana the concept of duality (The Andean yin/yang?) and about the 4 foundations of the universe – time, space, movement and being.  Also covered were clothing, hair, music and dance, customs and traditions and looms.

Tourist sites include El León Dormido (Sleeping Lion which has a 1 km path with views of Saraguro & Urdaneta from the top), Baño del Inca (Inca Bath) , Cascada Virgen de la Kaka  (Virgin of Poop Falls?), Taita Puglla, Bosque Nativo (Native Forest) de Washapampa.  A typical drink is wajanku, a liquor extracted from penca.

Actualidades – 

The Research Institute of Western Mediterranean Agriculture – This institute in Antalya, Turkey, has greenhouses of plants that orginated in Turkey. Research is being done on commercializing aromatic and medicinal plants locally and increasing production. (So if anyone is planning a trip to Turkey, here’s another thing to check out.)

Internacional – 

Brazil – Dilma Rousseff suggests having elections to “judge” her government rather than the impeachment process.  Without naming names, she accused VP Temer of proposing to reduce subsidies to the poorest Brazilians by hiding the cuts under terms such as “to reduce”, “restudy” or “center” social programs. These subsidies reach 36 million people and represent less than 1% of the PIB (GDP).

Descuentos y compras – 

An ad for the Self Realization Fellowship – La Meditación Despierta Tu Poder Interior (Meditation Wakes Your Interior Power) – A conference on the science of Kriya Yoga – Thu, 12/5 at 19:00 – Teatro Pumapungo – srf-cuencaecuador@outlook.com or 099 852 1409.

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne