COP16: 'We found a space where salsa and biodiversity come together': Cali's Secretary of Culture

During the biodiversity summits, several transcendental issues have been put on the table, such as climate change, illegal economies, protection of natural resources, the environment, among others, which are part of the central axis of the COP.

For the first time in Colombia, when an international event of this magnitude is being held, the artistic and cultural aspects have been the hallmark that the capital of the Valley has imposed on locals and tourists.

This was stated by the Secretary of Culture of Cali, Leydi Higidio, in an interview with EL TIEMPO, on how the city is opening up spaces never seen before in a biodiverse summit.

"Well, they say that the people of Cali do not walk, we dance, and it is very curious because right after it was announced that Cali would host the COP16, we found a bird in the Farallones, called the tororó, and it dances; in this sense, what we have tried is to show that art and culture connect us from these movements with biodiversity," says Higidio.

The official also emphasizes that in all the dialogues that have been held at COP16, "culture has had a very strong commitment and articulation with the responsibility of having a sustainable development.

For this reason, the cultural and artistic agenda has not been left out in a multicultural city like Cali, on this point the secretary mentioned that many of the artists who will perform as part of COP16 will bring a message of awareness and care for the environment to children, youth and adults.

"We started with the inauguration of the World Salsa Festival last October 24th, something that has never happened before and is the union of three salsa shows, the biggest in the city: Ensálsate, Mulato Cabaret and Delirio, on the same stage," he said.

Higidio also highlighted that several of these activities will also be concerts with samples of sustainability and contexts that will highlight the biodiversity of Colombia, where the songs of the artists will represent through their lyrics, culture, landscapes and communities to vulnerable regions of the country, such as the Colombian Pacific.

"At the Alberto Galindo Sports Unit, there will be examples of sustainable projects and also presentations by artists such as Monsieur Periné and Grupo Niche, who have dedicated their songs to Cali and the region. There will also be Jimmy Saa, Dj Marlong Son, who will bring the city's own, the salsa that characterizes the city and its people," said the official.

The activities will continue until next October 27, in the Sports Center Los Almendros in the east of Cali, we also have the network of public libraries for children and families, the Bulevar del Oriente with more cultural activities such as puppet and theater performances, the Bulevar del Rio and Plaza de Cayzedo, where there will be ventures and stages that the public can access free of charge from the Green Zone of Cali.

In addition, on October 26th there will be a big COP16 concert at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium, led by the Ministry of the Environment, with artists such as Rubén Blades, Aterciopelados, Herencia de Timbiquí, the teacher Nidia Góngora, among others.

Editor's note: This text is an artificially intelligent English translation of the original Spanish version, which can be found here. Any comment, please write to berdav@eltiempo.com