This festival started the same year NPO Tiempo Iberoamericano was established in 1997. As a major musical event on the local calendar, it is not exclusively focused on being a salsa event, but instead extends the original meaning of the word salsa, or sauce. In this case, it is a rich sauce, that through a mutual blending of understanding rises above the diverse cultures and characteristics or ‘flavors’ of its individual elements, creating the possibility of a new whole when brought together. This is the cross-cultural concept of this festival. In today's world of rapid digitalization, it is a goal of Isla de Salsa to create an experience where people can feel the warmth of one another. In a general sense however, it is the insistence on the basic human and personal level of interaction that enables Tiempo to create a friendly environment for cultural exchange that extends beyond the common divisions of race, gender, age and nationality.

Over the past 25 years, many renowned international and local budding artists have participated in this festival, joined by people from near and far. The festival attracted 4,700 people in 2009. The center has brought wonderful artists to perform not only in Kyushu and in other parts of Japan, but also overseas on extended tours through our network. It has managed, for instance, the tour of Los Van Van at the Sydney Opera House and produced the Asian Pacific Tour of El Gran Combo for their 50th anniversary tour. This kind of cultural exchange, regardless of differ- ences in languages, nationalities and cultures, reflects the heart of Tiempo Iberamericano. At the 2009 Isla de Salsa, we were honored to welcome multi-grammy winner Juan Luis Guerra as his debut in Asia.