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| Published Friday, May 7, 2021
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Today Costa Rica celebrates National Calypso Day, despite the pandemic, in Cahuita District, Limón Province. A virtual festival of Caribbean music will be held, with shows and history reviews of the influence of the Calypso in the country.
“It is the opportunity to celebrate the culture and the people of Cahuita, a tribal town cradle of the Calypso, it is very important that all Costa Ricans know that wonderful music, which tells stories of everyday life, and simply speaks of reality," Vice President Epsy Campbell Barr said. "In the nation, we celebrate and we are very proud of this Afro-Costa Rican cultural root that we are all part of this wonderful legacy, the Costa Rican Calypso."
The concert will broadcast live by the association Soy Limón, which means I'm Limón in English, today beginning at 5 p.m. on their Facebook page. The bands in the show are Sinem Cun Limón, Caribbean Sound, Shanty Calypso, Profetas among many others.
The show also honors Walter Ferguson, the King of Costa Rican Calypso, who turns 102 today.
Ferguson, known as Gavitt, was born in the town of Guabito in Panama, on May 7, 1919. He became a Costa Rican citizen and ever since his childhood lived in Cahuita District.
In 2018, Ferguson was awarded the Emilia Prieto National Cultural Heritage Award for his lifetime career. That year Congress passed a law to declare him a distinguished citizen and to celebrate the National Day of the Costa Rican Calypso every May 7.
In 2017, the National University made a documentary about the life and music of Ferguson. The video can be seen on the University's YouTube channel.
The calypso festival is organized by the Cahuita Development Association, the Municipality of Talamanca, among other institutions.
According to the organizers, the recordings and broadcasts of the festival follow strict sanitary guidelines to avoid further spreading of covid-19.
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Have you heard the music of Walter Ferguson? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
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