On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Caribbean Festival to the Dominican Republic for the first time, artists of that nation will be honored in a special way during the 36th edition of that meeting, which has the city of Santiago de Cuba as its venue.

Madelis Sorio, specialist of International Relations of the Casa del Caribe, the institution sponsoring the festival, told ACN that the tribute will take place at the Center of Traditions, in the populous neighborhood of El Tivoli, in this city.

The Dominican Republic has historically been among the countries with the largest delegations to the Fire Fiesta, she specified.

More than 600 artists from 25 countries such as the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, represented by music and dance groups, as well as Brazil, Mexico and the Virgin Islands, which will bring a steel band with its typical rhythm of steel tanks, have already confirmed their attendance to the Festival, to be held on July 3-9.

From Martinique, she added, we will have the performance of the group Aydy, which participated in March in the Pepe Sanchez Festival of Troubadours in Santiago de Cuba.

This time, she pointed out, the most representative delegations will be those of Venezuela, with 83 people, as well as those of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Jamaica and Ecuador, guest of honor for this year's festival, from where about 45 participants from the land, with a rich history, are expected to attend.

Because of its importance, the meeting has had the participation of distant Caribbean nations, which will reaffirmed this year with the attendance of delegates from France, Germany and Australia, from where 10 fine art creators of aboriginal ancestry will come, she said.

Inaugurated in April 1981 by late writer and researcher Joel James Figarola and other figures of the fields of art and intelligentsia in Santiago, the Fire Fiesta, in addition to being a cultural event, is a space for reflection on the features uniting the peoples of the area and its anti-hegemonic scope.