Martes, 24/11/2015: Concerts, orchid festival, Germany Week

Hola, Todos – 

Pagina cultural – 

Well, the Agenda is back and page 5A of El Mercurio is the cultural page once again.  At least on Tuesdays.

Música – there will be a concert, “Arreglos Inéditos de Sanjuanitos Ecuatorianos” (Unpublished arrangements of Ecuadorian Sanjuanitos – a kind of music) Thu at 19:00 in the Catedral Vieja.  The concert will fuse academic elements with jazz. (What’s academic music?)

Danza – traditional dance and music from Ecuadorian and Peruvian pueblos on Wed. at 20:00 in the teatro Pumapungo.

Poesía (poetry – the word for today for you literary types) – a meeting to develop “PoesiNcensura,” a writing and reading project will be this Thu at 19:00 in the sala “Vinicio Jáurregui” at the Colectivo Avispero (Calle Larga 10-41).  (The catch for attending is that you need to be a Spanish speaking literary type.  The breakdown of the event name is interesting  Poesi*******a, with ***siN******* and ******censura.  (Poetry without censorship.)

Articles about – 

The opening for the V edición del Certamen de Poesía Hispanoamericana (5th (just in case you don’t do Roman numerals either) edition of the Hispanoamerican Poetry (I hope your memory isn’t so bad you had to go back to the previous listing for the translation of poesía) Contest is Tues. at 19:30 in the Teatro Sucre.  There are 12 books by the finalists who were selected from 89 entries.  The prize will be $30,000, a diploma (which I’m imagining as an engraved certificate), (and a bonus for major bragging rights).

Conference today at the Mall del Rio for producers of radio, TV and communications media with business meetings among the radio and TV producers Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca and Riobamba as well as discussions about the Communications Law and Intercultural Contents.  (More stuff in Quichua coming over your airwaves?)

A catalog with pictures of the recent Festival de Arte de Acción Cuenca will be presented on Thu at 17:00 in the ex Escuela Central – now the Museo de la Ciudad.  (I´m guessing that any Cuencano would know where the Escuela Central is even though it’s been closed a while.  Interesting that the writer used the school as the location rather than the intersection – different way of thinking about places.  The Escuela Central is more personal than 1st and A Streets.)

The remodeling of the Museo Pumapungo with a night of culture and espectáculo audiovisual (another word – espectáculo means show.  Espectáculo would lead you to think spectacular spectacles – Cirque du Soleil, Stones concerts – more than just a show.) on Wed at 20:00.  The remodeling itself includes changing the former Sala de Arqueología Tomebamba, now housing a temporary ceramics exhibit, to a permanent art gallery.  The largest space will hold the archeological exhibits.  There will also be a cafeteria (and I think a gift shop, too, which will bring it up to international expectations.)

A contest  for 30 schools to celebrate the 16th anniversary of Cuenca becoming a World Heritage Site. It’s a model making contest and first prize is a guided tour of the Machángara hydroelectric plant. (Too bad there aren’t many? any? patrimonial buildings with round towers – they could have used up the toilet paper cores.)

Otras cosas –

Titular – Recomiendan aprobar enmiendas (Approval recommended for amendments) – the Comisión Ocasional de Enmiendas Constitucionales (The Occasional (Ad Hoc?) Committee of Constitutional Amendments) made its recommendation to the Asamblea Nacional for passage of 15 constitutional amendments.  The assembly can now hold its 2nd and final debate.  The transitional phase was added to the indefinite re-election amendment.

US – has issued a global travel alert for its citizens about the increase in terrorist threats.  (But I’m not traveling – I’m at home.  And if the warning is truly global, wouldn’t it include sitting in front of your TV in Winnemucca, Nevada as well as in Rome or Sydney or Paris?)

Marimba music, songs, and traditional music of Esmeraldas – and the Southern Pacific area of Colombia are in the running to be on the UNESCO list of Immaterial Cultural Patrimony.

Today´s political cartoon – is something we can all relate to.  A cartoon of a person driving a car which is crossing a zebra strip and rolling over assorted pedestrians and a bicycle.  The driver’s thought bubble says, “Me sube a mi carro y automáticamente dejo de ser peaton.” (I get into my car and automatically quit being a pedestrian.)

Your sliver of life article – is about the elections at the Fe y Alegría (Faith and Happiness) School for the student government.  Two groups are led by student candidates and the two candidates run on issues.  Group 1’s campaign will focus on physical improvements to the school such as painting the bathrooms, developing the gardens and play equipment, and organizing talks by institutions such as the Fire Dep’t and Transit Agency on accident prevention.  Group 2 would organize weekly bailoterapia sessions, improve the play equipment and celebrations of the Día del Niño.  (Getting a good head start on how to participate in a democratic society.) Voting was today.  (And I bet it wasn’t a pitiful 35% turnout, either.)

Orchid festival – starts tomorrow at the recently renovated Seminario San Luis (next to the New Cathedral) at 19:30.  The exhibit will be open to the public from Thu to Sun with a cultivation workshop on Sat.

La Semana Internacional de Alemania (International Week – Germany) – will open tomorrow at 19:00 in the Catedral Vieja.  Thu has a classic VW show on the Puente Roto (I wonder if a certain little silver and maroon bug will be there?), Fri. will have sculpture and music at the parque De La Madre, Mall del Rio and teatro Sucre.   On Sat, the German center at Bolívar y Benigno Malo will be inaugurated and there will be cultural festival in San Sebastián from 10-14:00.  (Beer, bratwurst, wiener schnitzel and spaeztle served by people in lederhosen?)

The Wiñay Pacha festival – will be in Saraguro this Thu, Fri and Sat.  On Thu, there will be  workshops and forums on piano, violin and percussion and Andean music. Fri. will have an Andean music festival with the first Chalspishca (the home grown rhythm of Saraguro) contest at 19:00.  You can go to Wiñay Pacha on Facebook, but it might be for contestants.

Descuentos –

RM (clothing?) – Black Friday from 24/11-1/12 (That´s a long day) – 20% off everything in the store, not including already discounted items.

And that´s all for today so Hasta Mañana –

Jeanne