Ángel Antonio Cocom Pech emerged as the winner of the 4th State Competition of Composition and Singing in the Maya Language, with the rap song “Wayano’one.” The young musician from San Francisco Tinum community considers this award an encouragement to pursue a dream he has been nurturing for years.
On the occasion of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, the prizes were awarded to the three winners of the contest titled “U k’aayil in k” (The Song of my People), organized by the Yucatan Institute for the Development of Maya Culture (Indemaya).
For Ángel, participating in such contests, which he did for the first time, is a way to recognize the talents within communities where the Maya language prevails. Many of these talents, due to not knowing other languages, often go unnoticed and unshared with the world.
The objective of the competition is to promote cultural expressions, creativity, composition, and music in the ancestral language, while also strengthening and spreading it. It also aims to showcase the young talents of Yucatán.
The second place was awarded to Roy Elisur Góngora Magaña, who composed the ballad “Yaan in yabiltikech,” and the third place went to Damián Medina Van Berkum with the acoustic piece “Júunkúul taj” (Tajonal), both from the municipality of Akil.
Loreto Villanueva Trujillo, the head of Sedeculta, highlighted that as part of the strategy to decentralize culture and promote native languages, houses and spaces in this field are being supported.
Eric Villanueva Mukul, the General Director of Indemaya, pointed out that this day was about recognizing and preserving the contributions of our ancestors. “We chose music because it’s one of the strongest cultural expressions of humanity, and it’s also something we, the Yucatecan Maya, possess. Yucatán is also a land of great composers and musicians.”
During the ceremony held at the Palacio de la Música, the winners presented their respective compositions. Pérez Sabido participated with his poems “La noche del baktún” and “Retoma tus raíces,” while the rapper Pat Boy performed a repertoire featuring the best of his hits.
TYT Newsroom
