SANTIAGO DE CUBA.— Santiago de Cuba, 500 years of history and culture, is the title of the artistic and cultural gala that will take place in Santiago’s Céspedes Park tonight, to mark the half millennium of this villa. The gala will be broadcast live on television channels Cubavisión and Cubavisión Internacional and on Radio Progreso.
Tomorrow, at nine in the morning, there will be a formal session of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power to mark the 500th anniversary of the city, in the Heredia Theater, which will also be broadcast live on the same channels, as well as Radio Rebelde.
The political rally for the 62nd anniversary of the attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks will be held at the July 26 School (at the former barracks) at 5:12 am on Sunday, July 26, and be broadcast live on Cubavisión, Cubavisión Internacional, Canal Educativo and national radio stations. Cubavisión will also repeat the broadcast in the afternoon.
Reinaldo López Vázquez, artistic director of tonight’s gala, told Granma that it will feature depictions of key historical moments, which made possible the proclamation of the revolutionary triumph on January 1 1959 in this city.
Apart from the prestigious pianist Frank Fernández, who will pay tribute to Vilma, and renowned poet Waldo Leyva, who will recite his poem Para una definición de la ciudad in tribute to Santiago, the rest of the 265 participating artists are from the city itself, such as Fátima Patterson and the Orfeón Santiago and Madrigalista choirs.
In addition, the Ballet Folklórico de Oriente y Kokoyé, the Santiago Ballet Company, Los Tambores de Enrique Bonne, the Tumba Francesa La Caridad de Oriente, Típica Tradicional, actors Agustín Salas, Ana Gloria Bouduén, María Antonio Fong, Sulema Iglesias and the young Claudia Rodríguez, will all feature as part of the gala, among other local talents.
Four thousand guests from Santiago will attend the event, who, guided by the municipal concert band, will subsequently parade to the newly created Paseo Marítimo promenade to witness the biggest fireworks display ever seen in Cuba.
