By José Gandue @Gandour Photo by Karin Richter @karinrichter
There are many reasons to celebrate the first day of Rock al Parque 2016. It was a day where one hundred thousand people came to enjoy and reclaim the festival. A day where, amidst the stagnation of the Bogota metal scene, there were proposals like Stained Glory and Perpetual Warfare that broke the mold and avoided the stagnant discourse And they actually had fun, and the audience rewarded them with applause. Where the Brazilian band Sepultura, after 32 years of existence, He finally performed on the Plaza Stage and was a huge success. Rock al Parque is showing signs of life and strength, that much is clear. All this despite the clumsy budget cuts and a certain degree of bad faith on the part of some management in their work.
At home they used to say a phrase that I always thought was accurate: One should save the pesos, not the cents. That's the difference between carefully managing a company's finances and being inconsiderate and stingy. It's the difference between seeking survival in difficult times and arrogantly devaluing a brand. We're talking about a festival with a history dating back to 1995, one that has hosted some of the world's best artists. An event that, without any exaggeration, It can be considered one of the world's leading festivals. One of the greatest cultural events that Colombia has ever seen in its history and a perfect symbol and example for times of peace agreements. But, as the devil is in the details, we notice the current Mayor's eagerness and carelessness to undo what has been built, little by little, and not so little, stitches that make Rock al Parque look good. like a party that they are trying to take away the shine it deserves.
The 22nd edition of Rock al Parque It has had barely any advertising, stubbornly trusting that the attendees who have always come will be there, but forgetting that we are in a city of eight million inhabitants, where the rest of the population, whether rock fans or not, He is largely unaware of what is happening in the Park. It's as if the director of Idartes, the institution organizing the festival on behalf of the Mayor's Office of Bogota, He would be ashamed to be in charge of this task. Just a few posters scattered around bus stops and a couple of banners. And to this lack of advertising materials is added... an almost non-existent promotional strategy, There were a couple of lackluster press releases and little else. There's no leadership in this area. It's clear that the head of Idartes' Communications department never knew how to handle the issue, and his superiors forgave him without question. This is carelessness, ignorance, or arrogance. In any case, take it however you want, it is a clear lack of interest on the part of the organizers in preserving the status that this festival has achieved throughout its history.
The details are still noticeable, when instead of taking the recommended time for setting up the festival, They reduced everything to a few days, with the risk of reaching the moment of truth. and have technical failures that would harm the realization of the concerts. It's about saving a few thousand pesos by hiring a company with many shortcomings for the backline, a company that had to resort to the competition to meet the requirements. It's about seeing how the mayor is obstructing things. that the public telephone company of Bogotá participated as a regular sponsor of the festival and, at the same time, not seeking resources from other companies, wasting the opportunity to invite major brands to participate as sponsors of the event.
It's ridiculous how they save pennies, when you see that in the press room, having more than one hundred accredited media outlets, They only provide two power outlets, and the furniture is arranged to discourage journalists from attending. There are fewer portable toilets. There are no information catalogs for the festival artists, and few souvenirs to remember this year's event. There is a sum of too many small missing elements that are very bothersome. I insist and echo the words of Santiago Rivas, our co-director of this special: There is a clear lack of love here and (now the words are mine) There is a palpable sense of contempt emanating from the office of the director of the organizing institution.
The festival survives because of the affection the scene has for the event. It survives the political maneuvering of the past., and the neoliberal arrogance of the moment. Rock al Parque is there, although some of its organizers blatantly believe that it would be better if the event were run directly by private entrepreneurs, perhaps the same ones who a few days ago They announced the cancellation of Lollapalooza Bogotá.
The truth, gentlemen, is that if these people are bored with doing their jobs for the good of the city, it's better that they leave. It's better for them, it's better for us.
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