Venezuela achieves its ninth Intangible Heritage of Humanity
MINCULTURA Photos
Published at: 07/12/2023 09:38 AM
The town of Caucagua, in the state of Miranda, joyfully welcomed in its streets the announcement of the inscription as an intangible heritage of humanity in the register of Good Practices maintained by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, of the demonstration Bandos y Parrandas de los Santos Innocentes de Caucagua.
This was announced by the Ministry of Popular Power for Culture on its website, in which it emphasized that this is the ninth cultural event in Venezuela registered with UNESCO as Cultural Heritage.
The Minister of Popular Power for Culture, Ernesto Villegas Poljak, said that the celebration is not only for the population of Caucagua, but it belongs to all Venezuelans. “You have been bastions of a cultural resistance that is to be congratulated and recognized,” he said and recognized the cultivators who have supported, over time, the Bandos and Parrandas of the Holy Innocents of Caucagua.
Likewise, he rejected the stigmatization that was intended to be imposed against the inhabitants of Caucagua, because it was intended to lower the self-esteem of the people. “You have been gladiators and victors of the affirmative of what is Venezuelan (...) thank you practitioners of the Bandos y Parrandas de los Santos Innocentes de Caucagua for giving us that piece of ourselves,” he said.
He also applauded the way in which the communities of Caucagua are organized “house by house and street by street” for the correct execution of the demonstration.
For his part, the governor of the state of Miranda, Héctor Rodríguez, recalled that the entity has registered five demonstrations with Unesco: The Dancing Devils of Corpus Christi, La Parranda de San Pedro, Los Palmeras de Chacao, The Drums of the San Juan Festivities and now the Bandos y Parrandas de los Santos Innocentes de Caucagua has joined.
Rodríguez, in addition to describing the historical, cultural and identity value of the Mirandinos and showing his pride in having been raised and raised in Barloventeña lands, and invited all attendees to enjoy the upcoming festivities in honor of the Holy Innocents, the last week of December.
It is important to note that this expression dates back to the colonial era when in that central entity the enslaved Afro-descendants brought there were destined to sow, cultivate and harvest cacao. The big landowners, as gifts, granted them the day of the innocent saints' day in the Catholic calendar. Since then, the people of Caucagua have dedicated every December 28 to a street celebration, with music and led by women with the objective of “reversing the established order”.
MINCULTURA//MAZO WRITING