Camagüey hosts 9th National Cultural Journalism Colloquium

Radio shaped how people experienced culture for decades
Reflecting on why a 69-year-old broadcasting institution deserves recognition at the colloquium.

En Camagüey, durante tres días de junio, periodistas, realizadores y críticos de medios se reúnen para interrogar el papel que el periodismo cultural desempeña en la vida de una nación. El noveno Coloquio Nacional de Periodismo Cultural no es solo un encuentro profesional, sino un acto de memoria y proyección: honrar lo construido —69 años de radio, 35 de creación audiovisual juvenil— mientras se buscan los lenguajes que el presente exige. Es la pregunta perenne de quienes trabajan con la cultura: ¿cómo contar lo que somos sin reducirlo?

  • El periodismo cultural cubano enfrenta la tensión entre el registro simple de eventos y la necesidad urgente de una crítica más profunda que dé sentido a lo que la cultura produce.
  • La confluencia de emisoras, realizadores y críticos en un mismo espacio genera un intercambio poco frecuente entre quienes crean, quienes difunden y quienes analizan.
  • Talleres prácticos de crítica audiovisual y paneles sobre memoria juvenil intentan tender puentes entre la tradición acumulada y las formas narrativas emergentes.
  • El reconocimiento a Radio Cadena Agramonte y a las cineastas camagüeyanas instala la historia institucional como ancla desde la cual proyectar el futuro del campo.
  • El coloquio apunta a consolidar un discurso crítico que integre el audiovisual en los entornos mediáticos contemporáneos, señalando una dirección para la práctica profesional.

Camagüey acoge entre el 9 y el 11 de junio la novena edición del Coloquio Nacional de Periodismo Cultural, un encuentro de tres días que reúne a periodistas, profesionales del audiovisual y críticos de medios para examinar cómo el periodismo da forma a la vida cultural del país. El programa combina conferencias, talleres y paneles diseñados para fortalecer el análisis crítico en la cobertura cultural y para rendir homenaje a instituciones y personas que han marcado la radio y el audiovisual cubanos.

El primer día arranca con una conferencia sobre herramientas para la comprensión del trabajo audiovisual, a cargo de Armando Pérez Padrón, y continúa con una ceremonia de reconocimiento a Radio Cadena Agramonte por sus 69 años de transmisiones, celebrada en la Dirección Provincial de Radio. La jornada también incluye una actualización sobre el Movimiento de Jóvenes Radialistas, reafirmando el lugar de la radio en la identidad cultural de la ciudad.

El segundo día se centra en la práctica crítica: Juan Antonio García Borrero dirige un taller de crítica audiovisual, y luego un panel modera la memoria de 35 años de creación audiovisual juvenil a través del proyecto El almacén de la Imagen, con voces de realizadores y estudiosos del medio. El día final abre con una conferencia de María Antonia Borroto sobre las cineastas camagüeyanas, seguida de un panel sobre la integración del relato audiovisual en los entornos mediáticos actuales.

Más allá de la agenda, el coloquio expresa un compromiso institucional con elevar el discurso del periodismo cultural: pasar del registro al análisis, de la crónica a la interpretación. Al reunir a practicantes, críticos e historiadores del medio, el evento abre un espacio de reflexión sobre el camino recorrido y los horizontes posibles de un campo en permanente transformación.

Camagüey is preparing to host the ninth iteration of a national gathering devoted to cultural journalism, a three-day colloquium running from June 9 through 11 that will draw together broadcasters, audiovisual professionals, and media critics to examine how journalism shapes and reflects the cultural life of the nation. The program is built around a series of lectures, panel discussions, and workshops designed to strengthen the practice of critical analysis in cultural reporting and to honor institutions and individuals who have shaped Cuba's radio and audiovisual landscape.

The opening day begins with a lecture on tools for understanding audiovisual work, delivered by Armando Pérez Padrón at Dodos Café, where book presentations will also take place. That same afternoon, the Provincial Radio Directorate will host a recognition ceremony for Radio Cadena Agramonte, marking the station's 69 years of broadcasting. The event will also include an update on the Movement of Young Radio Professionals, underscoring radio's continuing importance to the cultural identity of the city.

The second day shifts focus to critical practice itself. Juan Antonio García Borrero will lead a workshop on audiovisual criticism, followed by a panel discussion examining 35 years of youth-oriented audiovisual work through a project called El almacén de la Imagen. Yanetsy León González will moderate the conversation, which will include Reinaldo Pérez Labrada, Ihordan Torres, Marianne Portuondo, and Keiter Castillo. The discussion is framed around memory and the evolution of youth-driven audiovisual creation in Cuba.

The final day opens with María Antonia Borroto's lecture on women filmmakers working in Camagüey, a recognition of the distinct contributions women have made to audiovisual production in the region. This is followed by a panel on how audiovisual storytelling can be integrated into contemporary media environments, featuring María del Carmen Fuente and María Elena Javier.

The colloquium reflects a broader institutional commitment to strengthening the discourse around cultural journalism—to move beyond simple reporting toward deeper analysis of media's role in shaping how culture is understood and valued. By bringing together practitioners, critics, and historians of the medium, the event creates space for reflection on where the field has been and where it might go, particularly as audiovisual forms continue to evolve and reshape how stories are told.

The colloquium seeks to strengthen critical analysis and reflection on the role of media in promoting culture
— Event organizers
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Inventor

Why does a city like Camagüey need a national colloquium on cultural journalism specifically?

Model

Because journalism about culture isn't the same as journalism about politics or economics. It requires a different kind of critical eye—you're not just reporting facts, you're interpreting meaning. When you bring people together to talk about how to do that well, you strengthen the entire field.

Inventor

What's the significance of honoring Radio Cadena Agramonte at 69 years?

Model

Radio shaped how people experienced culture for decades. A station that old has lived through enormous changes in how media works. Recognizing that history isn't nostalgia—it's saying this institution mattered, and we should understand why.

Inventor

The panel on 35 years of youth audiovisual work seems oddly specific. Why that number?

Model

It's probably marking when that particular project or movement began. In cultural institutions, you often celebrate the arc of something—not just the milestone, but what it reveals about how a field has developed and changed.

Inventor

Why devote an entire session to women filmmakers?

Model

Because women's contributions to audiovisual work are often overlooked or undervalued. By making it a focused conversation, you're saying: this perspective, this body of work, deserves its own critical attention.

Inventor

What does "integrating audiovisual storytelling into contemporary media contexts" actually mean?

Model

It means figuring out how to tell stories in a world where the platforms and audience expectations are shifting constantly. How do you maintain critical rigor and artistic integrity when the medium itself is changing?

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