Moscow in the Rhythm of Salsa and Tango: Results of the Fifth Festival of Latin American and Caribbean Culture

From July 18 to 25, Moscow hosted the Festival of Latin American and Caribbean Culture for the fifth time. The organizers were the Government of Moscow, the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow, the Departments of Culture and Cultural Heritage, the autonomous non-profit organization House of Latin America, Gosfilmofond, the Library for Foreign Literature, the Moscow Zoo, and the embassies of 19 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Guatemala, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, and El Salvador.

The main venue on July 18–19 was the Hermitage Garden. The opening ceremony featured Sergey Cheremin, head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow, Alexander Shchetinin, director of the Latin American Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Gustavo Adolfo López Calderón, Ambassador of Guatemala. Cheremin noted that the festival strengthens the capital’s international ties, while the ambassador emphasized its role in cultural diplomacy.

The concert program brought together 300 artists. Among the participants were singer Fantine (Dominican Republic), Tangovsky Project (Argentina), the group Marimbea (Colombia), El Ardo (Nicaragua), Hot Havana Orchestra (Cuba), and Brazilian Ricardo Rodríguez. Dance was represented by the Paraguay Folk ballet, the Tonantzin ensemble, Jatari, and Rhythms of the Planet.

Guests were offered open lessons in salsa, bachata, tango, and reggaeton, workshops on painting accessories and making souvenirs, and lectures on the region’s culture and tourism. The food court served ceviche, tacos, empanadas, Venezuelan chocolate, and Ecuadorian coffee. The Latina Market fair sold masks, textiles, and spices.

From July 20 to 25, the program continued at the Library for Foreign Literature. It hosted meetings with the ambassadors of Argentina and Mexico, the roundtable “Latin Americans in Russia,” a book exchange, exhibitions, and workshops.

The festival also included a film showcase: 15 films from 11 countries were screened at Illuzion and the Tretyakov Gallery. The opening film was the Colombian drama Lactar. The screenings drew 3,500 viewers.

For the first time, the Moscow Zoo joined the project with the photo exhibitions “Fauna of Paraguay” and “Colombia — Land of Birds,” with the participation of the ambassadors of those countries.

The festival brought together music, cinema, literature, gastronomy, and education, reaffirming Moscow’s status as a space for cultural dialogue with Latin America.