The Fair of Cultures and Friendship of Mexico City:
how the AH1N1 Influenza Crisis fueled a celebration
that keeps growing
Between the 14th and the 29th of May 2011, 62 countries participated in the Fair of Cultures and
Friendship, which was held in Mexico City. The fair transformed the Paseo de la Reforma into the venue
for a true multicultural celebration complete with stands, flags, national costumes, and traditional music
from all corners of the world. Mexico City, capital of Mexico, has ratified its position as a global and
cosmopolitan metropolis where the rights and freedoms of people are protected.
After witnessing the parade where contingents from all participating nations marched from the Glorieta de
la Palma to the Angel of Independence, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Mayor of Mexico City, together with
members of the Diplomatic Community in Mexico, recalled that Mexico City has always been a hospitable
place for migrants and that it has a century-old tradition as a city that provides asylum to those in need.
After the event’s inauguration, the Mayor recalled that the first edition of the fair took place three years
ago, as a way of supporting Mexico City’s recovery efforts after the crisis caused by the influenza
outbreak.
Three years after the epidemiological crisis caused by the AH1N1 influenza virus, this Newsletter intends
to briefly remember the events that led to the creation of the Fair of Cultures and Friendship of Mexico
City. We believe that it is very important that we do not lose sight of the original context: cities are entities
that are in constant motion; they create their own traditions and stories, and they do this as a result of the
experiences and feelings their citizens go through during the many different events that they may face.
The influenza outbreak
By April 22nd 2009, the first deaths as a result of influenza infection had already taken place in both
Mexico City and other parts of Mexico. By then, more than 20 people had died in the country and 120
people with AH1N1 symptoms were hospitalized in different medical centers of Mexico City. This is
considered the initial date of the epidemiological crisis caused by the AH1N1 influenza.
On April 23rd, sanitary authorities of Mexico City imposed a “first sanitary circle” in hospitals of Mexico City.
The events surrounding the pandemic continued to spiral. On April 24th, classes at all levels were
suspended in Mexico City and the State of Mexico as a result of the influenza outbreak. On this same
date, the Mayor of Mexico City suspended all public activities, as well as more than 550 cultural events,
sporting events, and spectacles. He also announced that the next 10 days would be crucial for controlling
the outbreak.
During this same time, the Government of Mexico City presented an agreement which gave all 16 Heads
of the Political Delegations the power to shut down any establishments, such as bars, restaurants,
cabarets, nightclubs, discotheques or dance halls. Zoos and forests also shut down; information modules
were installed in the subway, light rail train and bus terminal. The use of a mask was recommended for
those utilizing the public transport.
The mask became, from that moment on and during several weeks, a new urban symbol of Mexico City.
Pedestrians, drivers, public transport users, office workers, employees, children and senior citizens
favored the mask as one of the cheapest and most effective ways of preventing transmission of the virus.
After April 23rd, the pandemic went international. This was not only because the World Health
Organization declared Mexico under “sanitary emergency” and raised the global pandemic alert to level 4
(of 6), but because the virus spread beyond Mexican borders. The United States issued its first travel alert
for Mexico. Infections took place in the United States, Canada, Spain and Great Britain.
How the sanitary contingency developed
On April 27th, five more deaths were reported in Mexico City. The Mayor of Mexico City announced that
the most critical phase of the pandemic had begun, and that “everything possible must be done to reduce
the possibility of infection”. In a televised message, Marcelo Ebrard said that “we are all acting firmly, with
strength, cohesion and solidarity, and I want to assure you that, through our efforts and those of the public,
we will push ahead”.
Together with the suspension of school activities, the Mayor announced several additional actions. This
sent a clear message: if necessary, extreme measures such as the suspension of other activities –
including those of the public transport system– would be put into effect.
Also on April 27th, the Government of the United States declared a Public Health State of Emergency in an
attempt to contain the virus –which had already affected five states– and avoid further dissemination.
By April 29th, the death toll had reached 25 in Mexico City and 159 for the entire country. On this date and
during the next few days, several foreign airlines cancelled scheduled flights to Mexico, and cruise lines
avoided Mexican ports. Mexicans in foreign countries were subject to quarantine and vigilance. These
processes were, on several occasions, conducted in a degrading manner.
The World Health Organization (WHO) provided a measurement of the severity of the crisis when the alert
passed to level 5. However, during this same time, the WHO supported the strict measures put into place
by Mexico City.
Mexico City went through an exceptional moment of its history, with millions of people locked inside their
homes. During these days, avenues were empty and silent, and few pedestrians and vehicles roamed the
streets. Aside from services and commercial activities (both had been suspended earlier), all
administrative work in the 16 Political Delegations of Mexico City was halted from this date until May 5th.
In order to face the crisis, the Mexico City Government published a leaflet of which at least three million
copies were distributed: “Influenza: what is and how to prevent it. A complete guide for you and your
family.”
But restrictions continued. Between the 1st and 5th of May, the city government suspended all work,
keeping only essential activities in place.
The possibility of an exit looms
On May 3rd, after three days with no new deaths and no spikes in the number of new infections or
influenza-related health complications, the Mayor of Mexico City declared that: “it is clear that the situation
is improving”. For this reason, he announced that suspensions of commercial activities could begin to relax
after the 5th of May. During this same time, he demanded that the acts of xenophobia that had taken place
in different nations of the world be condemned.
On May 6th, 15 days after the onset of the crisis, the end of the epidemiological crisis that had affected
both Mexico City and the entire country seemed much nearer.
In order to face the severe consequences of the economic crisis that had worsened with the
epidemiological crisis, the Mayor of Mexico City created the Council for the Economic Recovery of Mexico
City. Restaurants were allowed to operate at 50% capacity, from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm, as long as all
members of staff wore masks.
Simultaneously, 3,200 public and private educational facilities in the city and all units of public transport
were subject to a massive cleansing campaign.
The Government of Mexico City implemented a Sanitary Alert System with a “sanitary light” that informed
(and continues to inform) the current risk level at which the population stands in regards to contagious
diseases. Currently, this light system can be consulted at www.ciudadglobal.df.gob.mx. It includes four
levels: low (green), medium (yellow), elevated (orange) and high (red).
On the next day (May 7th), the Mayor of Mexico City announced that AH1N1 influenza infections were
under control but that, in order to avoid a new suspension in activities, all sectors of the economy had to
adequately comply with the sanitary standards established by the Mexico City Government. The sanitary
light turned from orange to yellow, and the city gradually regained its normal rhythm.
On Friday, May 8th, the Mayor of Mexico City announced that 100% of the activities of Mexico City had
normalized. On Monday, May 11th, classes began to be taught once again in primary and secondary
schools of the city.
Recounting the damage
The Ministry of Economic Development estimated that about 15 billion pesos (1.15 billion dollars) were no
longer generated as a result of the sanitary emergency. The sectors most negatively affected as a result of
the influenza outbreak were, without doubt, restaurants, bars and other centers for recreation, and also
tourism.
Between April 27th and May 10th, the occupancy rate for the average hotel was 9.82%, when a normal rate
for the same period in other years should have been about 60%, according to numbers from the Ministry of
Tourism of the Government of Mexico City. This was surely the lowest occupancy rate in modern history
for Mexico City.
For these reasons, the Government of Mexico City announced two important projects: first, a new cut in
current expenditures for the city and, second, a new campaign for the recovery of Mexico City’s image as
a tourist-friendly city. The campaign for the recovery of Mexico City’s image began with a meeting on May
14th between the Mayor, 51 Ambassadors, and representatives from several countries and international
organizations. There, the measures undertaken during the epidemiological crisis were explained in detail.
During this same meeting, a campaign for the promotion of tourism called “Mexico City, a city full of life”,
was officially presented, although the campaign was launched on the 19 th of May. Diplomatic
representations were invited to participate in organizing the Fair of Cultures and Friendship, and the
General Coordination for International Relations of the Government of Mexico City was put in charge of the
task.
The Fair of Cultures and Friendship
The origin of festivities is a colorful process that dates to ancient times. Those who study the subject
sustain that the first large celebrations date from the times of pharaohs in Ancient Egypt and that,
afterwards, Greeks and Romans incorporated several celebrations in their calendars.
There are many large festivities that derive from the calendar per se, and many others are associated to
religious phenomena. Victories in war and great acts of courage by individuals and armies are, without a
doubt, some of the most important motives behind many of the celebrations that are currently still a part of
the culture of different nations of the world. It is worth mentioning that, during many centuries, and
especially in Europe, fairs were the preferred space for these celebrations, and they normally took place
within castle grounds or fortified cities in order to avoid intruders. The fairs combined celebration together
with commerce and entertainment. In time, the party merged with the fair and thus, the fairs became, on
many occasions, the reasons for celebration per se.
The Mexican calendar of celebrations (one of the most varied in the world) is a concoction of pre-Hispanic
traditions, colonial religious fervor and a pinch of imports –some more successful than others– taken from
other cultures.... If you count traditional and civic celebrations, as well as fairs, you will see that Mexico has
more than five thousand celebrations a year.
The different forms of the Mexican fiesta are well worth mentioning: pastourelles, processions, offerings,
dances, parades, fireworks, bullfights and charreadas, cock fights, beauty pageants, art and skill contests,
feasts . . .
But beyond the volume of celebrations and the forms they adopt, the Mexican calendar of celebrations is,
beyond doubt, one of the richest in terms of meanings... In Mexico, celebrations are closely and directly
associated to death. This is proven by the celebrations that are held each year on the 1 st and 2nd of
November. Elena Poniatowska describes them here:
“No other country has something like this: Mexicans are the only ones who make bones
out of sugar, the only ones who turn our own skulls into sugary heads with our names on
the foreheads, the only ones who open our mouths wide open to eat ourselves and lick
our fingers clean after eating the clavicles, tibias and fibulas of that we have baked into
pan de muerto.”
Death, however, is not only present in Day of the Dead celebrations. It apparently forms part of all Mexican
celebrations:
“For the New Yorker, Parisian or Londoner, death is a word that is never to be uttered, for it
burns the lips. A Mexican, however, may repeat it, mock it, caress it, sleep with it, and
celebrate it. It is one of his favorite toys and the source of his most enduring love. It is true that
there may be as much fear in him as in others; however, he does not hide from death nor does
he hide his fear; he looks death in the eyes with impatience, disdain and irony.” Octavio Paz,
Laberinto de la Soledad, ed. FCE, ed. 2004, page 63.
It is likely that, after having been face to face with death in April and May of 2009, the Fair of Cultures and
Friendship emerged as a way in which the city has been able to celebrate life...
After three years, this multicultural celebration in the heart of Mexico City has grown strong partly because
of the enthusiastic participation of our fellow countries and international organizations with which Mexico
City collaborates, and also because of the large amount of residents and both national and international
tourists that attended the event.
The Fair of Cultures and Friendship is more than a celebration: it is the result of an event that could have
had dramatic consequences, but that was contained thanks to the strict measures put in place by the
authorities of our city. If we never forget this, each year we will celebrate with greater intensity.
Other news
●
The Mayor of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, participates in a panel on natural
disasters with Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the UN, in Geneva
●
The European Union Recognizes Local Governments as Key Players in International
Cooperation
●
The battle against climate change will take place in cities. The Mayor of Mexico City, Marcelo
Ebrard Casaubon, attends the Mayors Adaptation Forum in Bonn, Germany
●
May: a Month of Action and International Cooperation in Mexico City