THE 13th Latin American Festival took place at Commons KL, Bukit Bintang yesterday, with representatives from seven embassies, hosting the whole day event which boasted authentic food, drinks, dance, music and cultural exchanges.
Hundreds of people gathered to experience exclusive Latin American fare that were made available to the public. Bazaar tents filled with goods and merchandise were also set up to cater to interested shoppers in the area.
Argentinian ambassador H.E. Manuel Balaguer Salas leads the body responsible for organising the day’s festival.
The Dean of the GRULAC (Group of Latin America and the Caribbean) embassies shared: “The turnout this year is refreshing and a much needed one considering the event having to be more subdued when the pandemic hit.
“Over the last two years we had to do it virtually and within closed doors with tight SOPs.
“I am happy that for the 13th edition, the festival is able to return to its original venue, in which you can see it has gone through an update when it comes to the look and feel."
The festival started early at 11am with a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a children's parade, cultural performances, including from Malaysia as part of the merrymaking.
Among the cultural performances were the Mexican Dance by Flores de Mexico Folkloric, Argentinian Tango by Iskandar and Alysza, Peruvian Zampona and Quena music by Manuel Granados, Chilean Cueca Dance by Chile ambassador H.E. Diego Velasco and many more.
Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah was also present to officiate the event.
Apart from cuisines native to the respective embassies’ country of origin, each booth also featured authentic handicrafts and helpful tourism information for those keen on making travel plans.
“Those who are not able to join us today can be sure that there will be more activities related to Latin American culture. The next is our upcoming film fest in which we will also be doing it in satellite cities outside of KL, such as Ipoh,” noted Manuel. – The Vibes, September 26, 2022
-1.jpg)
