Courtesy of National Radio

From What's Going On - Tuesday 14th April

Presenter (Lynn Freeman): New Zealand's performing arts have traditionally looked towards Europe for their inspiration and for possible markets but there's an increasing awareness of the opportunities offered by Pacific-rim countries, among them Mexico with its huge population and strong support of the arts. Courtesy of National Radio

From What's Going On - Tuesday 14th April

Presenter (Lynn Freeman): New Zealand's performing arts have traditionally looked towards Europe for their inspiration and for possible markets but there's an increasing awareness of the opportunities offered by Pacific-rim countries, among them Mexico with its huge population and strong support of the arts.Festival director, Jaime Suarez, was recently in Wellington to see an arts showcase organised by Creative New Zealand and he spoke with Tarrock Bazley.

Jaime Suarez (Programming Director, Internationale Cervantino, Mexico): I am the programming director for the Festival Internationale Cervantino. That is one of the most important festivals in Latin America. We are an annual festival, multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary festival. It takes place every year in October in the city of Guanajuato which is a beautiful colonial city about 300 kilometres from Mexico City.

Reporter: We think of Mexico as part of the Pacific Rim, certainly here in New Zealand. Are Mexicans looking back across the Pacific at countries like New Zealand and Australia?

Suarez: Yes, of course we do. We do look for and to get to know more about your culture and about your traditions and that's why I am here and I've been invited to see the work in New Zealand and to be of a project that will maybe bring closer our cultures, Mexican and New Zealand.

Reporter: Mexico itself has a history of indigenous people and newcomers to the country, just as New Zealand has. Is that something you're interested in reflecting in your programme choices?

Suarez: We are very interested of course in traditions and I think New Zealand has great traditions and I have seen a lot of the importance you give to traditions and to the work of the people of Maori, Samoan. They do. I have seen some works of those cultures and it's very interesting for us to learn about that and to show these traditions in our country because we are a traditional country as well.

Reporter: So you've seen some of the work on display. What are your impressions of the type of works you're seeing?

Suarez: I think they are very interesting works, very good performers and actually we have had some groups from New Zealand already in our festival. We had in 2001 we had Strike, and some other New Zealand performers and this year we are presenting Dame Malvina Major, the soprano from New Zealand and here I am to look for more projects in not only performing arts but in visual arts as well.

Reporter: Mexico I know, is fostering some very strong links and the ambassador who has recently returned, was a strong patron of the arts. I wonder whether New Zealand is really exploiting or developing the other Latin American countries in the same way?

Suarez: I think Mexico, it's a good how do I say, gateway to go to other Latin American countries. In terms of culture we have a very important programme named Gateway of Americas, that will take place in Mexico City in the first week of June and it's a market where we show all Mexican works and also work from other countries and where we get together all the people from our other cultural institutions from Mexico city and from other cities as well, and from other Latin American countries. So I think in that sense we are a very incredible gateway for the arts to other Latin American countries.

Presenter: And that's Mexico festival director, Jaime Suarez, talking to Tarrock Bazley.