08/11/2026
In 2023, the city of Cali, Colombia, welcomed CIOFF Internationall festival leadership from around the world. We as Leaders from CIOFF® USA and across our international movement were received not simply as visitors, but with extraordinary generosity, friendship, and hospitality.
During our time in Cali, we met folklorists, ensembles, cultural leaders, and families from throughout the city and surrounding communities. Those encounters created friendships and opened doors to international festival invitations, extending the cultural traditions of Colombia far beyond its borders.
Today, many within those same communities are facing the devastating effects of yesterday's earthquake.
At CIOFF® USA we believe the meaning of an international cultural family is revealed not only in the moments when we gather to celebrate, but also in the moments when members of that family are suffering.
We remember who welcomed us and the personal connections these moments created.
We remember the folklorists who shared their traditions with us, the people who opened their city to us, and the communities that embraced international CIOFF® leadership with such warmth.
CIOFF® USA extends our deepest concern, solidarity, and prayers to our CIOFF® colleagues, the folklorists and cultural organizations of Cali, and every family and community affected by this earthquakes in the regions.
