sa国际传媒官网网页入口

Featured

Citing a shifting political landscape, Globalquerque! takes its 'final orbit'

Published Modified

Globalquerque!

Globalquerque!

WHEN: 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20

WHERE: sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Civic Plaza

HOW MUCH: Free, at globalquerque.org

An event that brings international artists to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 is celebrating its 20th year 鈥 and its last.

Globalquerque! founder Tom Frouge cited a lack of desire from bands to come to the United States combined with visa rules that make international travel to the U.S. more difficult and less financial support from governments as reasons that this will be the event鈥檚 final year.

At its height, Globalquerque! was a three-day festival held at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, but has had to downsize in recent years.

鈥淥ur budget was so severely slashed on every level 鈥 federal, state, municipal 鈥 that our 20th year is only going to be one day,鈥 Frouge said.

This year, the event, titled 鈥淕lobalquerque! The Final Orbit,鈥 will be held Sept. 20 at Civic Plaza. It鈥檚 free to attend.

Among the artists set to perform are Bia Ferreira, Tarwa N-Tiniri, Yeison Landero, Cheikh Ibra Fam and The Mirabal Sisters.

Frouge said one of the grants that Globalquerque! lost was the Performing Arts Global Exchange grant, administered by Mid Atlantic Arts. Globalquerque! used the grant to fund travel for international artists.

Mid Atlantic Arts got funding for the grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, but NEA funding was when President Donald Trump ordered a sweeping overhaul of federal cultural agencies.

Frouge did not offer specifics on funding lost at the state and municipal levels.

When asked, the city did not comment on possible funding cuts to Globalquerque! but did speak to the event鈥檚 relevance.

鈥淕lobalquerque! leaves a legacy for sa国际传媒官网网页入口. It elevated our city鈥檚 cultural landscape, was great for the live music scene, and welcomed the community to experience world music,鈥 said Shelle Sanchez, director of the city鈥檚 arts and culture department. 鈥淎rts and Culture was happy to provide additional resources for its move downtown and to celebrate a festival that consistently delivered on many levels.鈥

Aside from the funding cuts, Frouge said a shifting political landscape is affecting the event. Among those shifts is the federal government making travel to the United States more difficult.

On Sept. 6, the U.S. Department of State鈥檚 Bureau of Consular Affairs changed visa application rules, stating that non-immigrant visa appointments should be made at the U.S. consulate or embassy in the country of residence.

鈥淭he U.S. government, which has always had an awful visa policy, has made it even more difficult,鈥 Frouge said. 鈥淩ules just came out in the past couple of weeks that artists had to apply for their visas in their country of residence, which has not always been the case.鈥

At least one band that had been lined up for Saturday had to cancel because they couldn鈥檛 get a visa appointment, Frouge said.

Frouge wants to see the community come out for this last Globalquerque!

鈥淚 would love to see people come out and support these international bands and, by extension, support immigrant rights and LGBTQ rights鈥,鈥 Frouge said. 鈥淎nd show people that we can all recognize our similarities while we explore and perhaps celebrate our differences.鈥

Frouge said that he and his team will still be hosting events around the city.

鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of what we鈥檝e accomplished to have an internationally known festival launched in New Mexico,鈥 Frouge said, 鈥渁nd have international attention and interviews and articles written about us around the world, not just locally.鈥

For more information, visit .