From July 25 to August 8, Couserans will live to the rhythm of the RITE festival, Dances, Songs and World Music. A journey through Peru, Poland, Costa Rica, Madagascar, Chile and Bangladesh, alongside the Basque Country and the Bethmalais.
The “RITE, Dances, Songs and World Music” festival is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. Organized by the popular arts and traditions association Les Bethmalais, it will be held from July 25 to August 8 in Saint-Girons and on twelve sites in the Ariège department. A new edition placed under the sign of travel and the discovery of world cultures.
Bridges between cultures
This year, the public will be able to meet the cultures of Peru, Poland, Costa Rica, Madagascar, Chile and Bangladesh, without forgetting the Basque Country and the Bethmalais, guardians of a living Pyrenean heritage.
A mosaic of peoples, languages, music and dances which testifies to the primary vocation of the festival: to create bridges between cultures.
Over the course of the week, the streets of Saint-Girons and the villages of Couserans will become so many open-air stages. Andean dances, African percussion, Slavic songs, Latin-American folklore and traditions from the Bengal delta will take place in a rare proximity between artists and spectators. Here, there are no barriers: cultures are experienced up close, through sharing and meeting.
More than 250 artists gathered
The highlight of this edition will take place on Thursday August 6 at the Exhibition Center with “World Cultures”. More than 250 artists gathered on the same stage will compose a living fresco where spectacular dances, traditional music and exceptional costumes will intersect. A celebration of cultural diversity at its most vibrant.
The next day, the festival will end with a big Fiesta Latina. Information on www.bethmalais.com
