Caracas, June 24, 2024.- The Caracas parish of Antímano became the stage for two major international groups: “Disidentes” and “Wasafoli Drumming Group,” from Bolivia and Trinidad and Tobago respectively, who with the beat of the drum accompanied the celebrations of San Juan festivities on June 24.

These groups, who have been in Venezuela since last week and participated in the event “Drums of ALBA: Beats of our identity,” extended their stay to delight Venezuelans with good music in honor of this saint revered in different regions.

On Monday, the Bolivian and Trinidadian delegations arrived in Antímano, where they were warmly welcomed by the Sanjuaneros at Guzmán Blanco’s house. They then moved to the ‘María Madre del Pueblo’ Chapel in Mamera to participate in a mass in honor of San Juan Bautista, where prayers were offered and tributes paid.

After the mass, the celebration spilled into the streets of the neighborhood with a lively procession that ended in the Las Clavellinas sector. Along the way, musicians and cultural practitioners, along with local sanjuaneros, sang traditional songs, played instruments, and danced to the rhythm of Latin American and Caribbean drums.

The event “Drums of ALBA: Beats of our identity” brought together more than 400 participants, musical groups, and speakers from Venezuela, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Benin, Grenada, Bolivia, Colombia, Haiti, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, among other countries and special guests.