Last summer at the Kennedy Center we heard the very interesting story of
Fanny Mikey, an Argentinian-born Colombian actress who was one of those people
who could move mountains in order to get what she wanted. And one of the things
she wanted was to promote the arts in Colombia. One of her greatest
achievements was the creation and organization of the Bogotá Iberoamerican
Theatre Festival. Fanny Mikey died in 2008, but those who worked with her are
determined to keep the biggest theatre festival in the world going. Our
colleague Gustavo Gordillo is the creative director and he agreed to share with
us his insight on a festival that has changed both the cultural and social
scene of Colombia. mv
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| Sara Says, Teatro Petra, Colombia. (Photo: Juan Antonio Monsalve) |
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear about
Colombia? If you still consider the disgraceful violence or the drug
trafficking cartels that made so much damage to the country, you might as well
reconsider. Truth is that in the last ten years the country has made a shift and
is now considered as one of the four countries in the world with the highest
economical growth, being also a country with a very stable economy. Those difficult times, where everyone
thought that Colombians were a menace to society and that nothing would change
in the country, are left behind. Yet, there’s still a lot of work to do.
Colombia, a country with a strategic location in the south american
continent, has reduced the major social problems and has begun to reveal
breakthroughs in artistic fields such as film, music, literature, design,
technology and theater.
Bogota, the capital, a city of 9,000,000 inhabitants, is where most of
this change has been implemented. It has developed a social culture
(practically nonexistent before) and citizens´s attitudes are in a constant
process of transformation. A reflection of this process is perhaps the most
important cultural institution in recent times: the Iberoamerican Theater
Festival of Bogota.
And no wonder, because since its conception 28 years ago, there have
been 13 festivals. More than 2,000 theater companies from 60 countries have
been invited; around 3,000,000 people have attended each year theaters and
street events in the capital, and there have been about 7,000 theater venues. Around
20,000 students have attended educational events and nearly 30,000 artists have
trod the boards of the theaters of the city. These numbers were achieved after
much effort and hard work. The founder of the festival invented this cultural event in a city
located at an altitude of 2600 meters, a city remembered for being cold and
boring, that had nothing to celebrate.
Fanny Mikey, the festival´s founder and director, managed to change the
minds of the people, taking them out of their homes at a difficult time for the
city and the country, where violence, fear and impunity were taking to the
streets. Since the first festival, the black hand of violence threatened its
existence by exploding a bomb in the middle of a venue in the most
representative theater. The incident occurred in 1988, during the most tragic
and difficult times of the recent history of Colombia. With no deaths, but with
much fear, the festival was intended to close its doors, but the public
responded by facing fear, opposing illegality and massively attending all
venues and events. Culture overcame as the right weapon to oppose the scourge
of violence... and the festival moved forward.
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| Inaugural parade. (Photo: Juan Antonio Monsalve) |
The audience of Bogota took over the festival assuming it as a property
and from that time until today, people wait with anxiety for the next edition
of the festival, held every two years, and attend massively the different
performances, celebrating with different artists from around the world the
biggest festival of the performing arts.
The Iberoamerican Theater Festival of Bogota became the biggest festival
in the world. Artists and directors come from all places, feeling as if they
got to an oasis of culture where there is an audience thirsty to meet other
cultures. The festival became a prestigious stage for actors and directors, and they usually continue visiting the festival without
interruption. This is why today, after 13 editions, the sense of pride of the
inhabitants of the city in this event remains intact.
The festival develops programming for the whole family and also has in
mind all sectors of the population. It starts with a massive parade, where the
audience of the city welcomes the participating countries, which takes place
along the main street of the city, ending up at the central square. There, a
big concert welcomes more than 40,000 attendees to the first free event. After
that and for 17 days, the 40 most representative theaters in the capital
welcome stage settings from every continent. At the same time, the best of street
theater is presented for free in popular parks, busy streets and shopping
centers.
Educational events are of great importance, as most of the invited
artists become mentors and teachers, carrying out workshops and seminars for
more than 1,500 students interested in learning about the arts from within.
There is also a market which brings together producers from all over the world,
making room for any kind of scenic and creative projects.
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| Players of Light, Groupe, France. (Photo: Juan Antonio Monsalve) |
At the end of each day, all festival participants share their experiences
in a place where everybody speaks the same language: music. Different bands
play live music and party every night. Trying to decentralize the festival,
around 4,500,000 people in the country´s different regions become part of the
event, watching live on an exclusive public television channel what they cannot
attend in person.
At the end of 17 days full of unforgettable experiences, the event
culminates with an unprecedented mass meeting, where about 300,000 people enjoy
a riot of fireworks, music, joy and already feel some nostalgia, since they´ll
have to wait two more years for the next edition.
In comparative terms, similar festivals in other developed countries
raise only 10% of the total cost of the event at the box office, leaving the
remaining 90% to sponsorships, donors and government grants. In the
Iberoamerican Theater Festival of Bogota, the figure from the box office is
almost 70%, while the sponsors are at 20% and government subsidies and foreign
embassies only 10%. This makes it a highly risky festival, but, at the same
time, immensely grateful to an audience interested in culture, performing arts
and commited to show the world the best face of Colombia: culture, art, and
celebration.
Twenty six years later, the Iberoamerican Theater Festival of Bogota is
more alive than ever, sheltered under the vision that the Colombian audience
took as a motto: 'An Act of Faith in Colombia'. From April 4 to April 20, 2014,
you may be part of the live audience that will assist the fourteenth edition of
the festival, with the theme that was created for the first festival: 'The Best
Theater of the World in Colombia, the Best of Colombia for the World '.
Gustavo Gordillo is the creative director of the Iberoamerican Theater Festival of
Bogota. He co-founded the first production company in Colombia that specializes
in culture. This company has associated with the National Theater Foundation
and with the Iberoamerican Theater Festival of Bogota, which has 13
continuous versions and has become the largest theater festival in the
world. He has studied marketing and film production and previously had a career
as a director and screenwriter for commercials, videos, soap operas, live
events and documentaries. Gustavo also founded a renowned music band in Colombia
which has recorded five albums.
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