5th Chapala Alive!!! Cultural and Environmental Festival

The fifth consecutive Chapala Alive!!! [Chapala Vivo] cultural and environmental festival, located in the town of Chapala, has now been completed, thanks to the Amigos del Lago de Chapala organization.

The two biggest emphases were a variety of academic and artistic-cultural presentations, which took place between May 28 and June 6. The opening ceremony took place at the Chapala City Hall, along with the grand opening of the traveling photographic show, called “Living Lakes,” that includes several members of the Living Lakes network and displays cultural practices, flora, and fauna of the lakes at other latitudes of our planet.

There was a large response to the invitation to participate in the sand sculpture contest. The first-place winners created an iguana, while the second-place winners sculpted a rabbit. The prizes will be presented in coming days at the Interactive Magic Museum which offered annual memberships and passes for the winners and their parents.

The festival also included an Adopt-a-Tree campaign, where approximately 100 cedars and pines were delivered to families that responded to the call, as well as to the Antonio Levi pre-school of Chapala and the Francisco Márques primary school of Ajijíc.

The academic program took place at the González Gallo Cultural Center in Chapala and included showings of various environmental films, such as at the Superior Technological Institute of Chapala, where films were shown to students and other interested people on themes such as “Climate Change and Lake Chapala” (presented by the Environmental Rights Institute).  A key  part of the academic program was the kick-off of the Ramsar Awareness and Education Campaign by the Secretary of the Environment for Sustainable Development and Corazón de la Tierra, who presented the Management Plan for the Lake Chapala Ramsar Site.

Responsible consumption was promoted during the Chapala Alive festival by means of an “eco-tianguis” held on the malecón in Chapala. Organic and environment-friendly products were displayed and available for purchase.

A number of cultural events were presented throughout the festival week, including: African music and dance, western “sones,” folkloric dancing from various regions of México, puppet shows, pre-hispanic music, and the “Ska by the Lake” concert held in Ajijíc. Together, these events demonstrated ways in which artistic and environmental efforts can complement each other.

Almost 10,000 people participated in the festival activities. These activities were made possible with the support of the Chapala Municipal Government, the Superior Technological Institute of Chapala, EXTRA A.C., the Interactive Magic Museum, the Secretary of Culture, Tourism, and SEMADES of the State of Jalisco, Notisistema, Waves of Happiness, the Atotonilco el Alto Municipal Government, Corazón de la Tierra, A.C., the Environmental Rights Institute, Gray Lake, and the Society of Amigos del Lago de Chapala, A.C.

Knowledge is the main requirement for making wise decisions and, with respect to the environment, initiatives like the Chapala Alive festival make important information available to the public, allowing them to adopt more ecological practices that lead to a higher quality of life for current and future generations.

Next year, the Chapala Alive festival will be international, with Bolivia as the guest of honor. Activities will be expanded to all lakeside communities and will involve tourism and service sectors as well as others.

The festival is one element of the Ramsar Awareness and Education Program for Lake Chapala, which will be implemented starting in September 2010 and which will feature activities throughout the whole year. The objective of the program is to inform the public about Ramsar sites, as well as the responsibilities that various actors have to take for the benefit of Lake Chapala. The work is meant for the public-at-large, with special emphasis on our youth.

Sociedad Amigos del Lago de Chapala, A.C. 

Paseo Ramón Corona #27, Chapala, Jal.       

Phone: (01-376) 765-4117   

Website: www.amigosdelago.org