Liberia Hosts First Popular Culture Festiva

A little rain can’t keep the peopleof Guanacaste from celebrating theircultural heritage.Despite the torrential rains thathave caused severe damage to thenorthwestern province this rainy season,Liberia, Guancaste’s capital, willhost the first Guanacaste PopularCulture Festival this weekend.The event will feature ribbondancers, local chefs, artists, musiciansand original crafts from Guanacaste,presenting visitors and residents withan event that is “as delicious as a cupof atol de maíz pujagua (a regionaldrink made with corn),” according to aCulture Ministry press release.Initially conceived two years agoby local artists and cultural figures, thefestival seeks to “promote theexchange of cultural products andexperiences… (and to) encourage thecreation of similar events… with thegoal of strengthening and preservingour regional identity.”The festival’s highlights includeforums and demonstrations put on bymakers of guanacasteco crafts, thespoken folklore of Nicoyan storytellerLuis Barrantes and the chance to conversewith award-winning musiciansfrom Guanacaste.The various events will take placeSaturday and Sunday at the Casa deANDE building, the MunicipalGymnasium and Héctor Zúñiga RoviraPark. All events are free and open tothe public. For more information, call665-2996.