Amid Tijuana's violence, cultural pulse is vibrant





By Sandra Dibble
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

June 2, 2008

On the night rival gangs engaged in a deadly gunfight five weeks ago, a Tijuana reggae group was making music across town, at a small bar in the city's Zona Norte.


K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune
An $8.7 million exhibition space dubbed El Cubo will open this year at Tijuana's Cultural Center.
Hours later, a Tijuana dance ensemble would perform at the city's Cultural Center, and writers would gather for a book presentation at a downtown cafe.

Even as a surge in violent crime has badly shaken Tijuana residents, the city's artists have pushed forward with concerts, festivals, book readings, art shows, and theater and dance performances. Their achievements reveal the vibrant side of this city of nearly 2 million people.

“People are continuing to work and showing that here there's more than shootouts and kidnappings,â€