100 years Okinawa-Japan in Argentina Festival in Avenida de Mayo

11:10 AM Sandra Gutrejde 0 Comments

Celebrating 100 years of Okinawan Immigration in Argentina, the Okinawan Center in Argentina and the City of Buenos Aires will offer a series of cultural activities on Saturday, August 30th, 2008.
The show will take place in Avenida de Mayo, between Bolívar and Bernardo de Irigoyen, from 2 PM to 4 PM, with a parade of dance, music, and Okinawan martial arts groups, a tango show, and over 1300 participants. A delegation of nearly 1000 people will arrive from Okinawa and different parts of the world to take part in the celebration.
According to the organizers, the idea is to share this celebration between sister cities, show the legacy of Okinawan ancestors, enjoy tango as an element of the identity of the culture in Buenos Aires, and the diversity of its communities.
For the opening of the ceremony, the groups of traditional dances and drums will play “Kagiyadefu”, a typical song that opens every celebration in Okinawa; afterwards, the "Shishi" will be presented (the Sacred Lion protector of the Island).
The parade will start at the intersection of Avenida de Mayo and Bolivar, with the participation of Taiko Eisa performers (dance with drums typical of the island of Okinawa), who will offer their demonstration at different stops; traditional Japanese drums; karate schools and the group Ryukyu Buyo (traditional dances); the group Miruku Yagafu (in honor to the propsperity god Miruku); and students from Argentine-Japanese Private Institute (Nichia Gakuin) will hold the altar, following the tradition of Japanese festivities. There will also be delegations from Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, United States, Hawaii, and Japan. At the end of the parede, facing the City's Government Building, all the groups will perform together the traditional dance “Kachashi”.
The event will be closed with a tango show offered by Carla Algieri's Quintet, along with dancers Malvina and Sebastián, that will pay homage to two great Argentine tango artists: Darienso and Pugliese.