Enedina Castañeda and Iván Orellana. Courtesy photos.
SANTA MARIA — Santa Maria High School Spanish Teacher Enedina Castan?eda recently joined more than 60 artists from the United States and Mexico to perform two poems at the Cultural Center of Tijuana (CECUT), Mexico.
Castan?eda, who is a member of the 3rd Binational Congress for Mexican Artists Residing in the United States, was accompanied by the music of guitarist and tenor Iva?n Orellana.
Castan?eda presented two poems on stage, Paz and La Tierra Distante. Along with her poem, Peace (Paz), she exhibited the banner of peace during the performance. The Distant Land (La Tierra Distante) is a nostalgic poem conveying the feeling of missing your country when you’re standing on a foreign land. Castan?eda recited that piece holding dirt from Mother Earth.
Enedina Castañeda.
“I thank the Mexican Consulate of Oxnard for sponsoring my work as a poet and spoken word artist,’’ Castan?eda said. “This International Congress was an engaging cultural experience that connected me with other creative minds of various disciplines. It inspired me to continue my creative journey. The ultimate takeaway from this experience is that I can be a bridge, opening opportunities to local artists to connect with other artists throughout the USA and beyond the border.”
During the conference, all artistic disciplines were represented by talented artists from both sides of the border. Ideas, conversations, and future collaborations were also exchanged in four forums: visual arts, literary arts, performing arts and filmmaking arts.
Artists were invited by Mexican government institutions: the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of Mexico (SRE), the Institute of Mexicans Abroad and the Secretariat of Culture, all in collaboration with CECUT and 25 Mexican Consulates in the USA.
The goal of the International and Binational Congress is to continue the alliance established in 2019 that connects Mexican artists in the United States with cultural institutions and artists in Mexico. It also strengthens a network system among all the participating artists, which allows them to collaborate on cultural projects in both countries in the future.
3rd Binational Congress for Mexican Artists by Alfonso Lorenzana.