José Asunción Flores: Celebrating the creator of Guarania

Paraguay is celebrating the legacy of José Asunción Flores, the creator of Guarania, marking his birth anniversary and the National Guarania Day. The musical genre was recently declared by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during a session held in Paraguay.

To commemorate this, the National Guarania Secretariat has launched ‘Guarania Week,’ featuring various national activities, including a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra.

Additionally, historian Juan Marcos González is presenting a new biography of Flores at the Casa Bicentenario de la Música. The book explores the composer's early life in the popular sectors of Asunción, detailing how his journey through various social and institutional mechanisms eventually led him to the Police Band School, where he received the musical training that allowed him to develop the Guarania rhythm.