- FEMSA Collection will stream the talk via YouTube on March 14, starting at 8:00 AM
- Four experts and four immigrants will elaborate on how migratory flows enrich the city’s cultural heritage FEMSA will also participate with a series of short videos on the heritage it has built in Nuevo León since its beginnings.
Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. March 11, 2021.– FEMSA will participate this Sunday, March 14, in the 8th edition of the Nuevo León Heritage Day with a series of activities focused on the importance of heritage seen from different perspectives to strengthen the sense of belonging Nuevo León community. Because of the COVID-19 situation, it has been proposed that this the event should be carried out this year in a hybrid fashion, both in-person and online.
“Escribir las fronteras” will be held through Puerto Abierto (Open Port), a FEMSA Foundation Cultural Program initiative, which will be broadcast on the FEMSA Collection YouTube channel, starting at 8:00 am on March 14, with the participation of four migratory flow experts: Sofía Garfias, coordinator of Puerto Abierto; Gabriela Zamora Carmona, Deputy Director of Research & Education at Casa Monarca; writer Sylvia Aguilar-Zelény; and Vanessa Paola Livas, a visual artist focused on migratory flow issues and the intangible heritage shared by the immigrant community.
Also, during the talk, there will be testimonies from four immigrants. They will make visible the contributions of the transiting communities of Nuevo León to the creation and transformation of tangible and intangible heritage in the State.
The talk will discuss how an illustrator from Monterrey’s artistic community created books to illustrate immigrants’ stories. Similarly, they will discuss the Puerto Abierto initiative, which has promoted projects such as “La Casa Que Viaja” (The Traveling House) and the short stories Lluvia de peces (Rain of Fish) and Cómo la ciudad se convirtió en jardín (How the City Became a Garden), which seek through literature to accompany immigrant children.
“In this talk, we will discuss how people in mobility situations contribute to enriching and transforming the cultural heritage of a city, the exchanges that give rise to new recipes, ways of seeing the world and of existing in it: a place between two places,” said Luis Quirós, FEMSA Cultural Program Manager.
Through these activities, FEMSA Foundation seeks to disseminate immigrant communities’ relevance to encourage each person’s support. In this way, the Foundation fulfills its commitment towards strengthening cultural heritage.
“At FEMSA Foundation, we are proud to contribute to the development of our societies. On this Nuevo León Heritage Day, let us remember that we are all culture builders and heritage forgers. Let us work together, in confidence and through collaboration, to make the changes we imagine: the future begins today and is built daily through everyone’s actions,” said Lorena Guillé-Laris, Director at FEMSA Foundation Director.
In addition to the talk, FEMSA will promote other activities within the framework of the Nuevo León Heritage Day, such as a series of short videos, including “El Capitán de la Industria Regiomontana” (The Captain of Monterrey’s Industry), “Siempre listos” (“Always Ready”), “Cerveza en todo el Mundo” (“Worldwide Beer”), and “FEMSA Hoy” (“FEMSA Today”); as well as media content to be published on FEMSA’s YouTube channel.
“Aware of the importance that heritage has in the community of Nuevo León, this year, Acervo Histórico will participate with a series of short videos addressing the heritage that the company has built-in Nuevo León ever since its foundation,” said Víctor Treviño, Sustainability & Energy Director at FEMSA.
The knowledge and understanding of intangible heritage emerged at the end of the 20th century. However, until 2003, UNESCO established the parameters and the need to safeguard it given its relevance. Both tangible and intangible heritage are in constant formation and transformation. That is why, through these activities, we seek to ensure the permanence of the cultural and natural wealth of Nuevo León as well as to generate tranquility and security to live within the community.
Further information on the “Writing the borders” participants:
- Sofía Garfias, Coordinator of Puerto Abierto (moderator)
She holds a B.A. in Communications from Universidad Iberoamericana, obtained a specialization at the International Center of Photography in New York, and attended the SOMA Study Program in Mexico City. - Gabriela Zamora Carmona, Research & Education Director at Casa Monarca
She is the Deputy Director of Casa Monarca; she holds a master’s and a Ph.D. in migration-related issues and collaborates with the Colegio de la Frontera Norte. She has also worked at the National Migration Institute (INM). - Sylvia Aguilar Zelény
Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sonora. She holds a master’s degree in Humanities from ITESM and a master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Texas. She is the current director of their Online MFA in Creative Writing. She is the author of the short story collections Gente Menuda (Voces del Desierto, 1999), No son gente como uno (ISC, 2004), and Nenitas (Nitro-Press, 2013). Her most recent novel is Basura (Nitro-Press, 2018). - Vanessa Paola Livas
She is a curator, teacher, researcher, and artist. She holds a B.A. and is currently a candidate for a master’s in visual arts from the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL). She has been the recipient of various local distinctions, including an honorable mention in the Reseña de la Plástica Nuevoleonesa 2017 (Visual Arts Review of Nuevo León). Her work was published by the Dutch magazine See All This in its “99 Great Women” feature. Her creative process involves visual and verbal expressions from a feminist perspective in a variety of media.
About FEMSA
FEMSA is a leading company participating in the beverage industry with Coca-Cola FEMSA, the largest franchise bottler of Coca-Cola products in the world; and in the beer industry, through its ownership of the second largest equity stake of Heineken, one of the worlds leading brewers with operations in over 70 countries. FEMSA participates in the retail sector with FEMSA Comercio, which operates various small-format chain stores including OXXO; a Fuels Division operating the OXXO GAS service stations chain; and a Health Division that includes pharmacies and related operations. In addition, through FEMSA Strategic Businesses, the company offers logistic services, point-of-sales cooling solutions and plastic solutions for FEMSA’s companies and external customers.
About FEMSA Foundation
At Fundación FEMSA, our mission is to positively impact people and communities through social investment in sustainability. We make a better future for all by working on three strategic areas: we promote efficient resource management for sustainable development, comprehensive early childhood development, and disseminate Latin American art and culture. Visit us at www.fundacionfemsa.org or follow us on Facebook (/FundacionFEMSA) and Twitter (@FundacionFEMSA).
About FEMSA Collection
FEMSA Collection was born in 1977 as part of the company’s commitment to the development of its employees, their families and their communities. Currently, it is recognized as one of the most important corporate collections internationally. It gathers more than 1200 works of Latin American art from the 20th and 21st centuries from different disciplines such as painting, sculpture, drawing, graphics, photography and installation. Its collection offers a journey that illustrates the evolution, plurality and richness of modern and contemporary art in Latin America with special emphasis on Mexican production. Through an active program of exhibitions, individual loans of works, publications and various activities, FEMSA shares its Collection with the most diverse communities in Mexico and abroad, thus fulfilling its objective of promoting the dissemination of culture and the promotion of artistic appreciation. FEMSA Collection is part of FEMSA Foundation, which generates positive impacts on people and communities through social investment projects for sustainability.