Ecological Festival "Alarido por BOSAWAS"
Arquimedes Hernández | Jun 5, 2013
On a day of singing and culture for the largest biosphere reserve in Central America.
"Alarido por BOSAWAS" is the of the ecological festival 2013 which will be taking place on Sunday, June 9th (10:00 am), at the Cultural Center Quinto Sol (at CIPRES). This altruistic initiative, with a focus on the environment, is directed by group Rock Nica Ecológico (RNE) and the Center for Understanding Nature (CEN), in conjunction with Misión Bosawás and the Committee Ballena Azul.
The Festival will feature bands and artists and the money raised will go to the project CREATE (Cultural Revolution, Education and Arts) as a cultural center and recording studio, both located in the Peñas Blancas Massif. The bands and artists preforming that day are:
- Prícipes de Paz -Mayangna group.
- Carlos Mejía Godoy y los de Palacaguina
- Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy
- Katia Cardenal
- Momotombo
- La Cuneta Son Machin, among others.
Is expected to have the participation of indigenous leaders, as part of a representation from BOSAWAS.
To raise awareness and catalyze energy, people will dressed in white, because there will be a water ceremony led by the Eco-Anthropologist Alan Bolt. The entry fee is C$40 and CIPRES address is: 200 meters west of the Rotunda Ruben Dario (Metrocenter).
Forest declines each year
Ernesto Lopez, musician and environmentalist, best known as Matute, organizer of the festival and knowledgeable about the problems of BOSAWAS, shares that in the festival they will have the participation of 18 organizations working environmental issues. There will also be presentations on the initiatives and projects that are being made, and the presentation of products in the area, and exposure of friendly and responsible practices to the environment, as is the project executed by the project apilcultura CREA.
In the festival's press release BOSAWAS was recognized as one of the last blocks of forest in Central America and in the last three years has lost more than 150,000 hectares of primary forest, because of the mass migration of people from different regions to this area. This information, according to Lopez, was obtained from the research of the German Agency for Sustainable Development (GIZ).
The areas most affected by the advance of farming, according to Ernesto Lopez are Ayapal, in San José de Bocay, which has the largest farming production. But also in Cola Blanca (Siuna), mestizos have come a long penetrating the forest. But thera are some initiatives to save the forest, like the mountain communities Kilambe, who have cut coffee plants and are letting the forest recovered to obtain water, as it lacks this vital fluid in this area, Lopez said.
Bosawás Biosphere Reserve is located in the Northwest quadrant of Nicaragua, and it was recognized in 1997 as a reserve by UNESCO, and by the government of Nicaragua since 2001. It covers an area of over 19,000 square kilometers, is the habitat of an enormous biodiversity of tropical flora and fauna, and its core areas has virgin forests.
Translated by Cynthia Cordero