Crafts are present at the 2024 Cucalambeana Fiesta. Beyond the colors, you can see techniques and textures that range from recycled bottles to elements of nature.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- One of the projects that adorn the emblematic El Cornito farm is "Origins, creation, and traditions" from the neighboring Holguín province, which attend this peasant festival for the first time with some of their crafts.
Liset Góngora Costa and Maikel Franco are two members of this small group. They enthusiastically tell us about the project's beginnings, in 2019.
"We have been around for five years; we are dedicated to rescuing traditions, and we want to share knowledge; we give free workshops to anyone interested in getting closer to our roots," says Liset.
"We are a group of 10 women and we have only one man, who accompanies us when we are invited to participate in an event such as the Cucalambeana Fiesta."
Maikel assures us that the people of Las Tunas are very cordial and that "coming to this place, with so much greenery, close to nature...; bamboo is truly a reflection of Cubanness and our fields, this space in itself is a natural paradise."
MORE THAN THREAD AND NEEDLE, IT IS ART
She does not remember well the date when she first came to “Cucalambeana,” only that it was in the 80s and she is surprised: "How it has rained!"
Margarita Ayala Conde tells of her experience in this traditional festival: "I always came with the crochet technique, I mostly present tablecloths, bedspreads, blouses, rugs, and baby clothes. We move many works from Colombia, the municipality where we live, to here."
"We also participate in community projects and everything done in the town, showing our art. We have a project called “EliArte” that consists of making, showing, and selling some of our works in the portals of La Casa Fuerte, an industrial store in the area."
Margot, as everyone in her town knows her, has had a knitting workshop for 40 years, where she teaches children and young people; her greatest apprentices have been her grandchildren, she tells us proudly as she intertwines the thread and lace to create a work with endless colors.
