Photo: Jose Nieto via flickr
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(Mexico City, May 16, 2023, The Conference).- Bolero: identity, feeling and become sound Poems, is the name of the portfolio of the Cuban-Mexican project. The two countries have jointly drawn up an application aimed at declaring the romantic music style bolero a World Heritage Site. UNESCO’s decision to add the bolero to the list of intangible cultural heritage will be made in November.
The Bolero – a love story at 32 rpm
The Bolero is a love story at 32 rpm. It originated in Cuba, but it came to Mexico 100 years ago. Both soloists and trios, various orchestras and mariachi use the genre with piano, percussion and wind instruments. The guitar is particularly important, specifically the slightly smaller one required. The bolero is widespread, you can hear it at family celebrations, at serenades, club parties and concerts, in restaurants, bars, parks and in public places. Enthusiasm for this style of music unites generations: parents and grandparents appreciate it just as much as their children and grandchildren. The popularity of the bolero also has to do with the content of the songs. Bolero is about life, about loving, it is an acoustic image of passionate feelings. Imitation, oral tradition and last but not least the ubiquity of the genre have contributed to the great popularity of the bolero, which is still the focus of family and neighborhood encounters today. The texts of Bolero are strongly romantic and at the same time modern; the use of the Spanish language as a means of communication and identity is characteristic and at the same time unifying. The content of the songs addresses everyday life in the communities, their roots lie in the family, the neighborhood, the community and the social environment.
„The bolero addresses the innermost and most important human values.”
Silvia Olvera is convinced that the application for nomination of the Bolero as a World Heritage Site will be approved. The Mexican representative of the motion wants to preserve the music genre for future generations. Across from The Conference she tells how the Mexican-Cuban project is progressing. “The bolero is a cultural heritage that brings us together and has determined our musical work. He addresses the innermost and most important values of man. The bolero arouses feelings. He represents who and what we are. We will continue to keep the bolero alive, with UNESCO or without it. However, the declaration of intangible world cultural heritage would be an important step for the musicians who practice and pass on the bolero. We want the genre to be recognized as a worthy element of our culture that we can see when we look in the mirror.” From the beginning, Olvera has worked with philosophers and musicologists to prepare the application. Thus began the journey that will end in Paris in November, when UNESCO announces its verdict.
constant communication
In March 2022, a Cuban-Mexican committee began drafting a proposal to that effect. The binational team is presenting its application in France with a 10-minute video about Mexican and Cuban musicians. Attached is relevant information on the proposal to strengthen the portfolio. Since the beginning of the project, there has been constant communication and cooperation on joint projects with the Cuban side. The team of Cubans and Mexicans meets every Monday to discuss specific actions. Strictly complying with UNESCO guidelines is the top priority, explains Silvia Olvera. This requires a complete application folder with a completed form that deals with the cultural practices and their meaning that the applicants want to protect. In addition to the video, photos must also be submitted. This is followed by a selection process that starts with an initial revision of the documents and checks the applications for missing details.
Three-pronged cultural promotion
Another important factor in UNESCO’s decision, according to Olvera, is “how we create a community out of the totality of people who practice the bolero. It’s easier in Cuba because several music clubs have such meetings once a week. In Mexico, we have defined Mexico City and the Yucatán Peninsula as the main areas of influence of the bolero. In the Tlalpan district in the south of the capital is the Plaza Armand Manzanero practically advanced to the “Bolero Square”; there have already been three concerts here.” Another event took place on May 21 at 3 p.m. in the Los Pinos Cultural Center. There, musicians who have already been selected by the IBM committee introduced themselves and played representative songs. “The idea behind it is to see how much the youth appreciates the bolero.” In order to achieve her goal, Silvia Olvera is pursuing a three-pronged strategy in cooperation with Cuba. Education and training, says Olvera, are essential. Workshops were set up in the areas of composition, playing, instrument making or audio systems so that everyone knew the basics of the bolero. The second level is the spread of the bolero. This includes events such as competitions, bolero afternoons and meetings with musicians. The third axis deals with the networking of bolero bands and musicians. The goal is “to help them build networks so that they can encourage each other,” says Olvera.
The initiators of the project are optimistic
Those who sing, compose and arrange boleros are the real protagonists of the project. “Cuba and Mexico have compiled a list of bolero actors. It took us a lot of work to include at least the majority of the artists. The intention behind this is to build the support of Bolero on the work of these musicians.” Silvia Olvera meanwhile is “in good spirits that Mexico and Cuba are allowed to name another element of their cultures with the bolero on the UNESCO World Heritage List.” And why the bolero? Olvera doesn’t have to think about it for long: “The bolero is the origin of many musical genres that have inspired generations throughout Mexico”.
Translation: Patricia Haensel
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