HISTORIC OVERVIEW OF THE “FESTIVAL CUNA DE ACORDEONES

Early in Autumn of 1971, more specifically around the first days of the month of September we already envisioned the hometown holiday festivities that are celebrated each year in Villanueva. These festive days are like "City Fairs" where people had the chance to see cock fights, sporting events and, most commonly, the processions, solemn mass and all kinds of religious acts associated with the Saint Thomas holiday.

But in spite of the bright lights reflected by the fire works, the "crazy cow," "the skinned pig," the prize pole and all kinds of displays, as it is customary in the towns locate on the Northern coast, the festivities lacked something to sweeten the people’s sensibility and poetic sense, that are usually expressed through their music, accordion, "caja" and "guacharaca." These have been symbols of peaceful communication among people who inhabit the towns that encompass this wonderful Colombian region.

These are the same cultural experiences common to all the towns of the vallenato province; particularly, the people from Villanueva possess a special charm that beautifies their lands. For these reasons, we evoke here the unforgettable presence of the late Francisco "Franco" González who graciously accepted an invitation from the songwriter, Publio Daza Daza to participate in the event. Publio had the collaboration of Poncho Torcoroma, who was general coordinator; José Celedón Baquero and Eduardo Fernández, finance managers; Hernán Daza Orozco, master of ceremony; Hernán Bula Bula, sound engineer; Juan Mancilla, coordinator in the barrio of “Las Delicias;" Josefina Dangond, coordinator in the barrio of San Luis; and others who joined the group to make the celebration even greater. It was then when the first festival was named “FESTIVAL FOLCLORICO PATRONAL DE VILLANUEVA. The following list shows the festival winners.

Accordion Amateur Category:

First Place: José Maria "Chema" Ramos; Second Place: Egidio Cuadrado; Third Place: Rafael Salas. Children’s Category: First Place: Luciano Poveda Olivella; Second Place: Israel Romero; Third Place: Orangel "Pangue" Maestre Socarrás.

Original Song:

First Place: "El Comunista" by Elio Maldonado; Second Place: "Mi Madre" by Antonio Serrano Zúñiga; Third Place was shared between: "Que me Toquen un Paseo" by Daniel Celedón Orsini and "La Tumba" by José Lucas Daza Peña.

Accordingly, the prominent newspaper columnist, Mary Daza Orozco, made the following statement about the folkloric event: “like all the towns from our Northern coast, Villanueva possesses his own legends and those that are transmitted from region to region although with some variations but which in any case enrich the folklore and history of our town with delightful themes that reminds us of the hometown of yesterday; they give us an idea of how Villanueva was then with its winding streets and its aristocratic and intellectual people who spent their days narrating what happened, making verses, or just contemplating the beautiful landscape.” There is no surprise that the progress and development of this city, that at one time was part of the state of Magdalena, has been slow and marked by a romanticism adorned by the stars and the sunsets that make the sun’s warm rays reflect off the famous "Cerro Pintao."

Thus nine years later (1979), a group students from Roque de Alba High School in Villanueva met in the home of Gloria Socarrás Maestre to organize the festival. Amongst this fine group were Limedes Romero, Rosendo Romero, Mercy Fernández V., Dario Sierra, Javier Romero, Alberto Borrego, Arnoldo López, Iván Rosado, Enalba Rosado, and others that joined the group with the purpose of accomplishing the folkloric mission.

The name given to the festival, as it is known today, has been a reason for many debates. Some people give credit to Dr. Román Gómez Ovalle while others claim the contributions of Juan Félix Daza. However, according to recent investigations gathered through popular consensus, the current name of the festival is attributed to José Alberto Pareja Ariza who is dearly known as "The Bird (pájaro) Pareja."

Translation by: Vallesounds

Original text by: Azael de Jesús Ramírez

Villanueva, September 1995

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