Outcomes

The festival took place in the city of Macas (Ecuadorian Amazon region) in May 2022. It was opened by a live video conference between the cities of Quito and Macas which was attended by media in both cities and ended with a Shuar greeting, a traditional ceremony of the Amazon region. The festival activities included interactive presentations, film screenings, workshops, musical performances, roundtable discussions, photography and documentary exhibitions, lectures, dance performances, and a craft fair. A few of the festival's activtities are elaborated below:

Exhibition of Conservationist Photography
The exhibition consisted of 20 winning photographs from the First Conservation Photography Contest organized by the Embassy of Spain.
The objective of the exhibition was to encourage the promotion of images that highlight the beauty of nature, inspire the need to protect the biodiversity that surrounds us and contribute to environmental awareness. It took place at the Mezzanine of the Municipal Theater and began with welcoming words from Mrs. Elena Madrazo Hegewisch, Ambassador of Spain.

Presentation Aves Migratorias by Clowns Without Borders
This project was conducted through a French-German cooperation, where the groups Clowns Without Borders France and Germany, in cooperation with the Ecuadorian clown theater collective "Humor y Vida" gave workshops and performances for children in different rural communities near Macas. This presentation took place in the school of the community of Rio Blanco.

Grupo P.E.M. and Djokano shows
The P.E.M. Group of SHUAR nationality (Ecuadorian Amazon) performed live music with the aim of promoting and disseminating the ancestral value of the Shuar nationality, rescuing and maintaining its tradition. The Djokano (French Guyana) show consisted of a musical, sonorous and corporal journey to the heart of the Amazon. Between musical gestures, Afro-Amazonian rhythms and sacred chants, the rich heritage (fauna, flora, population) of Guyana was represented in this artistic work with the participation of three artists: Régine Lapassion, singer; Yannick Théolade, percussionist, fighter, warrior dance and singer; and Endie Théolade, percussionist, choir, fighter, warrior dance. This was the closing show of the Festival. It was welcomed by Mr. Frédéric Desagneaux, Ambassador of France and Mr. Franklin Galarza, Mayor of Macas.
It took place at the Civic Plaza.

Challenges and learnings

CulturAmazonía was considered successful from several points of view. On the one hand, the mix of academic and artistic activities made the overall CulturAmazonía program rich in content and attractive to all audiences. The work between the different members of EUNIC Cluster Ecuador was done in a coordinated manner and in pursuit of a common goal. This coordination allowed the programming to be solid, with a defined focus and facilitated the successful participation of international artists and experts. The involvement of a strong local partner such as the Municipality of Macas was key to the successful development of the Festival. Thanks to this partnership, the Festival was able to count on a local team, which helped to quickly resolve unforeseen events and inconveniences. The economic contribution of the Municipality of Macas was also key to the Festival.

In future editions, the project team will be working with the same local partner or look for the public authority of the city to be a major stakeholder of the event. This also allows the institutions to feel part of the event and take ownership of it. As a learning for the future, the project team is considering an open call for local artists and academics to submit their works and ideas to be considered, as part of the Festival's programming. This will allow CulturAmazonia to have rich and updated local content, promoting a valuable cultural exchange between Europe and Amazonia.