X Festival Zacatecas Folclor Internacional Mexico
Sunday, July 31, 2005 to Monday, August 8, 2005
Clog America
CLOG AMERICA has been invited to represent the United States in “X Festival Zacatecas” in Zacatecas, Mexico. This festival is the largest festival in the Western Hemisphere.
Remarks by Gustavo Vaquera, CIOFF Representative from Mexico, August 2004 in Budapest, Hungary
In reality, the events that CIOFF carries out in the world are very important. I assure you that they are important for two reasons. First, they allow the men of the world to foster peace through the universal languages of dance and music. Second, we must not lose the traditions which are a legacy from our ancestors. Only people who understand, who think, who love others can understand that the culture, a product of human creation, must not be lost, and only people with great sensitivity to that fact can continue the fight to not only insure that the folk culture endures and transcends generations, but also to motivate the new generations, the children and the youth to love their culture.
To the extent that they love their culture, they will, as a consequence, love their land and country. To the extent that they understand the culture, they will be able to resolve their problems more easily. To the extent that men understand human culture they will be able to understand others. And there is nothing more important than that a man be helpful, useful to others. When a man is useful to others he has achieved the highest purpose of every human being: to serve himself, to serve others and to serve his country.
Certainly art, and particularly the popular traditions like dance and music, not only allow men to become more unified, to speak of peace, tolerance, love and affection, but they move men’s hearts so that by these means, the unity and affective bonds of men are strengthened so we can truly become brothers.
You, my friends of the cloggers group, which I had the opportunity of meeting in the festival in Monterrey, Mexico; I have had the great good fortune of seeing you with your art, your discipline, your colorful outfits, your love of country, and the love, unity, brotherhood, charity and affection with which you treat others.
So you see, understanding this, (I believe) that if we would all do as “the cloggers group” does, then the world would speak differently and act differently; it would be very obviously different. I hope that your work can go far abroad, and that your government and the parents of these young people, and their schools support the great work that you do. Because you do what the government does not do. You speak with words, but also with action, you transform thoughts into actions. And culture is not to be spoken of, culture is to be lived and you live it. You have come here along with others from dozens of different countries, and you are an example to follow and you are wonderful people. I have a great love for you and in the name of the people of the world and as representative of CIOFF Mexico I congratulate you highly and I hope that we can meet again in other parts of the world.
“When culture gets involved in politics we have failure but when the politicians get involved in the culture then we have success.”
I finished (our festival) twelve days ago and one day later I came to “Folkloriada”. I don’t come here to get tired. I come to enjoy, and to grow by watching you and the different countries who came, because at the end, in Hungary we gathered one hundred five delegations from the same number of countries and you were among the best both in discipline and in human quality. You were loved, you are loved, you (USA) are the people that we love as a people.
I admire you as a group; I have said it in many different institutions, on television and on the radio. I wish that all the youth that come to the “Folkloriadas” and the CIOFF events could have the spirit that motivates your group. You are extraordinary. I congratulate you and ask you to continue with that marvelous spirit. Motivate, support, talk about it. The only way to make a big, harmonious circle of peace, love and above all, of cultural diffusion is inviting others to join this great brigade of love, this great struggle for peace, brotherhood and love.
