Indigenous Venezuelans celebrate roots: 17-09-2008
A town in Venezuela has been celebrating its cultural heritage with a festival it has held for 27 years running.
The rural village of Arangues celebrated its history with dance and stories of ethnic communities across the nation.
This year, over 4,000 attended the festival, despite the village only housing 2,500 people.
The event began as, and continues to be, a retreat for the indigenous people of Venezuela, who seek a place to celebrate their roots without the imposition of foreign cultures, explained Mayor Julio Chavez.
"In this town, cultures from outside were always imposed on the native traditions," he told Venezuelanalisis.
"This festival is a resistance to this, to make it so these traditions never die and are vindicated by the community, despite the policies of cultural alienation and transculturalisation that the Empire has imposed for many years."
Venezuelan culture has been heavily influenced by the nearby Caribbean cultures, which is evident in architecture, art and landscaping.
Spanish and African cultures also play a part in the melting pot and it is therefore no surprise that indigenous Venezuelans seek such solitude to celebrate their roots.