Arecibo, Ponce & Cali, Colombia are rallying around salsa

From left, Arecibo Mayor Carlos Ramírez Irizarry, Ponce Mayor Marlese Sifre Rodríguez and Álvaro Alejandro Eder Garcés, the mayor of Cali, Colombia, will formally call for recognition by the United Nations and its cultural affiliate, UNESCO, of salsa music as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Mayors to make formal request for recognition of the music as ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’

By THE STAR STAFF

Arecibo Mayor Carlos Ramírez Irizarry and Ponce Mayor Marlese Sifre Rodríguez announced this week a joint initiative with the city of Cali, in Colombia, to promote cultural brotherhood and willingness to join efforts to promote recognition by the United Nations and its cultural affiliate, UNESCO, of salsa music as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

“Salsa is much more than a musical genre: it is an essential marker of identity, a shared legacy that has accompanied the daily life, celebrations and cultural expressions of our communities,” Ramírez Irizarry said. “In Arecibo, Ponce and Cali, salsa has been a way of naming us, of recognizing ourselves and of finding each other; a living heritage that is transmitted from generation to generation and that defines the cultural character of our cities.”

The Arecibo mayor, along with his Ponce counterpart, traveled to Cali for the signing of the agreement this Friday to promote the salsa rhythm.

The two Puerto Rican mayors agreed with Cali Mayor Álvaro Alejandro Eder Garcés that salsa, born from the Caribbean miscegenation and strengthened by the historical experience of Latin American peoples, was consolidated as an expression of creativity, memory and cultural affirmation.

“Certainly Puerto Rico is the cradle of great musicians, composers and performers, as well as in Cali, internationally recognized,” Sifre Rodríguez said. “This rhythm has woven deep ties that transcend borders, becoming a common language that unites us as peoples and as a continent.”

Through its music and dance, “salsa has opened paths of training, creation and recognition, strengthening cultural economies and community processes, and projecting our cities on the international stage as living references of this expression of heritage,” the mayors said in a statement.

“Given this reality, and in a firm commitment to the preservation, safeguarding and projection of this common legacy, the cities of Arecibo, Ponce and Santiago de Cali agree to promote joint initiatives for the teaching, transmission and dissemination of salsa in schools, cultural centers and community spaces,” the Arecibo mayor said.

Sifre Rodríguez added: “Also promoting festivals, meetings and events that make local and international talent visible, reaffirming the role of salsa as an axis of cultural identity, is part of the commitment we have, particularly given the departure of the beloved Don Rafael Ithier and Papo Rosario.”

On Friday in Cali the three mayors will formally request from international organizations, especially UNESCO, the recognition of salsa as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, inviting the countries of the continent that share the tradition to join forces.