They ask for accounts on how artists are hired at the Cali Fair - Cali - Colombia

Two months after the 64th version of the Cali Fair, there are questions about payments to artists who participated in last year’s December event, both for arrears and for the amount, according to the type of participants.

The discomfort is presented among members of the Association of Workers and Artists SOS (Asotrasos), in the city, from where the assignment of contracts and the criteria, as well as the values ​​of said payments to artists, are questioned.

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From Asotrasos It is requested that there be no alleged clientelism when it comes to shaping the programming of the City Fair and more clarity on how the hiring of both national and local artists, as well as international ones, is made.

Luis Arturo Clavijo, director of the World Salsa Orchestra Festival and World Salsa Day, agrees on this point.

Clavijo pointed to a report from the Cali Events, Fairs and Shows Corporation (Corfecali), in response to a right of petition from the National Citizen Oversight Office Jorge E. Clavijo with the request for information related to “name of the artist, date, value of all the artists hired by Corfecali for different events.”

The spokesperson for the World Salsa Festival said that the inequality in the values ​​of the contracts caught his attention and also rejects what he considers to be alleged patronage.

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He mentioned, for example, according to the document with the response to the right of petition of the supervisor Jorge E. Clavijo, that “local children’s singing artists – Rural and Communal Fair – La Elvira corregimiento, 64 Feria de Cali'” would have had an assignment of a payment of 50,000 pesos compared to other contracts of up to 155 million pesos.

Clavijo pointed out doubts about the assignment of contracts and fears that they will be done by hand.

Regarding the delay in payments, the manager of Corfecali, Argemiro Cortés, specified that a first payment was made for artists and procedures are being carried out to pay what is owed.

The Mayor’s Office has delivered 4,500 million pesos, explained Cortés, who indicated that the times of public contracting to make payments are different from those of private entities, since they take longer due to the conditions and requirements of law to make them. Therefore, these payments would have been extended to this year. However, he said that the first ones who have been given the money are the artists.

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“Understand that we have made a great effort. We hired 208 orchestras,” said the director, highlighting that it is one of the largest numbers of artists hired for a version of the Fair.

Faced with questions about the way in which contracts and payments are made, the manager of Corfecali said that he does not agree with these statements and that it is not true that there are alleged anomalies.

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Corfecali responds for late payment of artists at the Cali Fair - Cali - Colombia

The 64th edition of the Cali Fair, which in December of last year returned to face-to-face attendance, had an important staging with artists and orchestras from Cali.

However, after the fair event was over, some of the city’s talents who were part of this iconic quote They assure that they have not yet received the corresponding payments from Corfecali, the organization that organizes the fair.

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Given this situation, the manager of the corporation, Argemiro Cortés, specified that they made a first payment for some artists and advance procedures to pay what is owed.

“Obviously the Cali Fair is over and we received a first disbursement from the Mayor’s Office of $4,000 million. Right now we are processing so that they give us the 6,000 million pesos”, explained Cortés.

Argemiro Cortés, manager of Corfecali.

For the manager of the entity, this waiting situation on the part of some artists is “a normal process”, because “Corfecali historically pays at 30, 60 or 90 days”.

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“We contracted 208 orchestras, of which we have paid 103 of them”, explained Cortés Buitrago, who hopes that in the next 15 days they will be able to settle everything.

The manager of the corporation asks the artists “to understand that we have made a great effort. We are paying, and it is normal that Corfecali pays to the extent that the Mayor’s Office is paid, that is why we ask for patience and apologize for our delay, which is nothing to write home about because in the end it does not even take 30 days”.

One of the points that the manager considers that have generated trauma at the time of disbursements is that “some of them have not delivered social security, and taking into account that they are public money, we cannot pay them if we do not have the legal requirements” .

positive balance

With the participation of different agencies of the District Administration, Corfecali presented a balance on the Cali Fair.

The manager of Corfecali, Argemiro Cortes, highlighted that the entity generated profits of more than $800 million, despite the difficulties of returning after the restrictions due to the pandemic.

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This result was weighed by the Secretary of the Government of Cali, Nhora Yaneth Mondragón, who added that they are still working on audits and law reports.

“The preliminary evaluation shows us an excellent administration led by the manager Argemiro Cortés, which responded to the addresses of the mayor Jorge Iván Ospina and is a sign that public companies can generate profits to reinvest and improve for the benefit of the population. ”, detailed the official.

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