“El Güengse（艾尔-圭根斯）是抗议殖民统治的有力表达，是一部在尼加拉瓜全国广为人知的讽刺剧。它在尼加拉瓜卡拉佐省迪里亚姆巴市的守护神圣塞巴斯蒂安的盛宴上演出。El Güengse（艾尔-圭根斯）是西班牙和土著文化的综合体，集戏剧、舞蹈和音乐于一体它被认为是拉丁美洲殖民时代最独特的表达方式之一。

最早的文本可能是在18世纪初创作的。故事围绕着西班牙殖民当局和美洲原住民之间的遭遇展开，尤其以主角为代表。前拉美裔尼加拉瓜的一位有权势的年长人物El Güegünse（艾尔-圭根斯）通过一系列巧妙的语言手段反驳了殖民地官员对他的指控。他没有直接面对或挑战权威，而是试图表现出一贯的合作和顺从，同时利用诡计破坏西班牙权威。剧中穿插在街头游行中，通常由八个主要角色在舞者的支持下表演。小提琴、吉他和鼓提供音乐伴奏。服装、木制面具、帽子和其他属性区分了不同的角色。由于全国电视台对一年一度的圣日游行进行了报道，尼加拉瓜大部分讲西班牙语的人口对这一传统很熟悉。事实上，众所周知，尼加拉瓜人创造了一个短语“戴上葛兰西的脸”，指的是一个表面上似乎遵守规则，同时巧妙地破坏规则的人。

尽管受欢迎，但由于该国经济困难、对表演者的支持不足以及年轻人的兴趣减弱，El Güense的受欢迎程度仍有下降的危险，甚至可能消失。"

2008年度列入人类非物质文化遗产名录。

来源：联合国教科文组织亚太地区非物质文化遗产国际培训中心

A forceful expression of protest against colonial rule, El Güegüense is a satirical drama well known throughout Nicaragua. It is performed during the feast of San Sebastián, patron saint of the city of Diriamba in Nicaragua’s Carazo province. El Güegüense, a synthesis of Spanish and indigenous cultures combining theatre, dance and music, is considered one of Latin America’s most distinctive colonial-era expressions.

The earliest texts were probably composed in the early eighteenth century. The story revolves around encounters between the Spanish colonial authorities and native Americans, represented particularly by the central character. A powerful elder figure in pre-Hispanic Nicaragua, El Güegüense, countered charges levelled against him by the colonial officials through a series of clever verbal manoeuvres. Rather than directly confronting or challenging an authority, he attempts to appear consistently cooperative and compliant, while utilizing subterfuge to undermine Spanish authority. Interspersed in street processions, the plays are generally performed by eight main characters supported by dancers. Violins, guitars and drums provide the musical accompaniment. Costumes, wooden masks, hats and other attributes differentiate the various characters. The tradition is familiar to most of Nicaragua’s predominantly Spanish-speaking population owing to the nationwide television coverage of the annual Saint’s Day procession. In fact, it is so well known that Nicaraguans have coined the expression “to put on the Güegüense’s face” to refer to someone who outwardly appears to comply with the rules while working subtly to undermine them.

Despite its popularity, El Güegüense is in danger of declining in popularity, and possibly disappearing, due to the country’s difficult economic situation, insufficient support for performers and a diminishing interest among young people.

Included in the list of human intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Source: UNESCO International Training Center for intangible cultural heritage in the Asia Pacific Region