The enchanting art of the living word

Mireya Castañeda

THE Primavera de Cuentos Festival, directed since 1990 by Mayra Navarro, a maestra par excellence in the art of oral narrative, is a sign of the end of the Cuban tropical winter.

The convening of this 6th Festival, from March 14 through 20, had a satisfactory response despite the world economic crisis, with the presence of eight narrators from five countries: Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Russia.

Naturally, there was a strong Cuban presence, with more than 54 oral narrators from various provinces (Havana, Matanzas, Sancti Spíritus, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Holguín and Guantánamo) on stage.

As is traditional, the principal venue was Havana’s Gran Teatro, plus other attractive venues in the historic quarter: the Teatro Center, the Rubén Martínez Villena Library in Plaza de Armas, Gaia Theater on Teniente Rey Street and La Modernia Poesía bookstore.