''Chronicles of Carnival''

The book is a collection of photographs and writings from participants in the cultural journalism workshops organized by CAF.
The new title in the Journalists XXI Century Collection published by CAF is launched as part of Barranquilla Carnival 2007.

February 16, 2007

(Caracas, February 16, 2007).- The book brings together the best chronicles from the cultural journalism workshops organized in 2004 and 2006 by the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) and the Ibero-American New Journalism Foundation (FNPI), as part of the CAF+FNPI Journalism Encounters Program. Both events took place during the Barranquilla Carnival.

Under the direction of Héctor Feliciano, FNPI teacher specializing in research and reports on cultural issues, journalists from Latin American countries wrote about stories and personages who can only be found each year in this popular fiesta, declared Oral and Intangible Human Heritage by UNESCO. The journalists described the carnival from their own point of view as foreigners.

In the prologue to the book, Feliciano writes: "... the chronicle is the only way that readers can penetrate this tidal wave of people, music and color which, with such intensity, goes on for four days ..." After several days of reporting, interviews, visits to celebrities and initial descriptions and approaches, the journalists converted the strength and enormity of the carnival into chronicles in which all the Carnival characters - marimondas, garabatos, King Momo, farotas, the gay queen, the headless man, and other personages – appear with their conflicts, costumes, tradition and the sadness or happiness of carnival.

"Chronicles of Carnival" is the most recent title in the series Periodistas Siglo XXI: espacios para el debate creador (Journalists XXI Century: spaces for creative debate), a CAF initiative. For CAF strengthening democratic governance through support for media and journalists is very important, which means debating issues on the regional agenda, and opening new spaces for exchange of experiences and opinions. With this in mind, the Corporation is interested in using this series to share experiences.

The PDF version of the book is available for downloading at no cost from the following websites CAF FNPI and in the media which have joined the launch: the magazine Semana and the newspapers El Heraldo and El Tiempo.

The book and the workshops from which it emerged were possible thanks to the participation of institutions such as BAT Foundation, Barranquilla Carnival Foundation, Comfamiliar Cultural Center, Barranquilla Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations.

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