Colombian tall ship calls in Baltimore

A tall ship that is used to train Colombian sailors and serves as a floating embassy for the country called in the port of Baltimore last month, making a spectacular entrance to the Inner Harbor at sunrise on March 15 as dozens of naval cadets stood on the masts.

Baltimore was the first of 10 ports of call for the ARC Gloria, a ship that “holds special significance as a national symbol of Colombia and is recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a cultural interest property on the sea,” Ambassador Luis Gilberto Murillo Urrutia told guests at an evening cocktail reception on board the ship the day after it docked.

Colombian Chargé d’Affaires in Washington Daniel Avila said the ship symbolizes the “intense” and “very strong” relationship between the South American country and the United States. The two countries have had diplomatic ties for 202 years.

The Gloria’s visit to Baltimore and current high seas itinerary are part of the bicentennial celebrations of Colombia’s Navy.

More than 70 Colombian naval cadets are on board, including 13 women. Also on board were officials from the Colombian army, air force and police, two officials from the Ecuadoran and Peruvian navies – and the ship’s mascot, Max, a Belgian Malinois.

The ship will spend 100 days at sea, 44 days in European ports, and sail 16,000 nautical miles on this trip before returning to Colombia in August.

It welcomes visitors on board in all its ports of call, which on its current trip will include, in alphabetical order: Antwerp, Belgium; Barcelona; Civitavecchia in Italy, sometimes called “the port of Rome”; Kiel in northern Germany; Lisbon; London; Marseille, France; and The Hague in the Netherlands.

In the 55 years since it first set sail, the ARC Gloria has covered more than 900,000 nautical miles, the equivalent of circumnavigating the globe 43 times. During stops in around 180 ports in more than 70 countries, it has fostered cultural exchanges and diplomatic relations. – Karin Zeitvogel

Colombia to take center stage at New Orleans Jazz Festival

The bons temps vont rouler to the energetic rhythms and buoyant tunes of Colombian bands in New Orleans over two weekends this spring as Colombia is celebrated as the guest country at the world-renowned New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Over 175 Colombian artists will perform at the event, which starts on April 25th and runs over two consecutive weekends, ending May 5th.

“We are thrilled that Colombia will be the guest country at the Jazz and Heritage Festival 2024, and also to have such exceptionally talented artists and artisans showcasing the rich diversity of our culture,” Chargé d’Affaires at the Colombian embassy in D.C., Daniel Avila, said in a statement.

“At the festival, we’ll celebrate Colombia: The Country of Beauty, and share our passion for music and the vibrancy of our nation with the people of New Orleans and across the United States,” he said.

The more than 500,000 festivalgoers expected to attend the festival will experience the Latin American country’s culture through artists like Grupo Niche, Bomba Estéreo, Jacobo Vélez y La Mambanegra, Los Cumbia Stars, Kombilesa Mi, Matachindé, Rancho Aparte, Agrupación Changó, Gregorio Uribe, Cimarrón and Gaita Loop – that is not an exhaustive list.

Indigenous and Afro-Colombian artisans, traditional cuisine and a cultural exchange pavilion, where dialogue and artistic collaboration between Colombia and the United States will be encouraged and promoted, will help to round out festivalgoers’ experience of things Colombian.

The festival will also feature non-Colombian acts, including the Foo Fighters and The Rolling Stones.

For more information and to buy tickets, go to https://www.nojazzfest.com. – Stella Canino-Quinones