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J Balvin performs @ The Endz Festival June 2019
Colombian Reggaeton superstar lights up South London
Top 10 Summer Latin Films
Latin Cinema is in full bloom. Here’s a glimpse at the Latin and Spanish films coming up this summer to whisk you away from the heat.
Ayahuasca, Colonialist Mysticism and Exploitation of Indigenous People
A Review of 'The Cull of Personality - Ayahuasca, Colonialism, and the Death of a Healer' by Kevin Tucker
LATIN LONDONER #24 - Baldo Verdu - band leader
Once described as 'a Latin-swing-coup-d’état by a guy who was clearly out of his mind', this songwriter, guitarist and percussionist hails from one of Venezuela’s most illustrious Afro-folk musical families. Baldo’s…
Total Eternal Gozadera
It’s not unusual for someone who’s never been to an ‘Amigos’ concert to emerge saying ‘that was the best concert I’ve ever been to.’ The energy and commitment to ‘total party’ in the live performances of Venezuela’s most popular…
Latin American Activists: More in Danger than Ever
While Venezuela dominates the headlines in terms of Latin America's human rights news, Tom Gatehouse reminds us of the grave situation of many activists all over Latin America, including in Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and…
MARCOS VALLE- SEMPRE- Far Out (FARO 211 LP)
For several decades, Marcos Valle’s winning formula of well-produced bossa/boogie/beach vibes has been a shoo-in for non-Brazilian MPB fans and Sempre, his 28th album, is no different.
LATIN HOTLIST #13
Think Latin, Eat Latin, Feel Latin...here's our choice of Latin must-haves and must-dos this summer...
Roberto Carlos
John Armstrong attempts to synthesise the enduring appeal of Latin America’s most successful artist.
Afro-Cuba returns to Africa via London
A triumphant reunion for Boncana Maïga’s transatlantic charanga orchestra Las Maravillas De Mali...not so much a reunion as a reformation. Octogenarian master flautist, composer and arranger Boncana Maïga was the only original…
Cuba's Real Royalty
When Charles and Camilla visited Cuba in March this year they were probably unaware that Cuba has its own royalty in the shape of popular female Cuban Rap duo “La Reyna y La Real” (“Reyna” being a popular Cuban name which is…
‘She’s Not There, You see Another Person’
The Cervantes Theatre has just opened its third Season of New Spanish Playwriting with the inventive and award-winning ‘La Realidad’ (The Reality) by Uruguayan playwright, Denise Despeyroux - the story of two identical twin…
Spirits, Birds, Omens, Dreams and Death.
Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego talk about their film ‘Birds Of Passage’, which relates the extraordinary narrative of how the incipient and often casual trade of Marijuana lead to the notorious drug’s trade in Colombia and…
Mexico’s ‘Tren Maya’ railway: fat jaguars vs starving babies?
The AMLO government falls for the mega-development temptation
The Sunday X-Perience Bank Holiday Top Ten
The Sunday Xperience has become THE party to go on Sundays due to its vibe and dancing crowd, but it is all down to the music played there, a mix of Reggaeton with doses of Dancehall, Afrobeats, Baile Funk and Salsa. Ahead of a…
Birds of Passage (Dir. Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra)
Through a series of five ‘songs’ or ‘cantos’, ‘Birds of Passage’ tells the painful story of how the drugs trade began in Colombia in the 1960s. From modest beginning, the Wayuu tribe found themselves involved as it began. The…
Peru Pop
Ella Windsor reports on a vibrant new resort wear brand from Peru, specialising in culottes, kimonos and beach dresses. All printed with vibrant symbols of Peru and other places from the travels of brand owner Camille Defago,…
West Side Story @ Manchester Royal Exchange
Mexican actress Gabriela Garcia's performance is worth a trip to Manchester, says Elizabeth Mistry
A Boy Called Sailboat (Dir. Cameron Nugent)
Once upon a time, a sick grandmother asked her grandson to write her a song on his little guitar. When he did, his song set a series of transformations in motion in this heart-warming fable.
Colombia – Two Sisters, the FARC and the Peace Process
A tale of two sisters who grew up apart, their past shaped by the FARC, their future hopes for peace and social justice
Anarchy’s Enduring Appeal
Santiago Oyarzabal talks to Los Auténticos Decadentes, one of the best, most enduring and probably the most fun, rock bands to ever come out of Argentina. Known for its distinctive anarchic energy, unique mix of rhythms, and…
Division Ave (2019)
This aptly named short film, ‘Division Ave’, illustrates the divide between immigrant workers and locals, and the struggle that these workers face, usually without work visas, to try to provide for their loved ones back home.
Messenger on a White horse (2019) El Mensajero
‘Messenger on a White Horse’ is a moving documentary that portrays the courage of Robert (Bob) Cox, Editor in Chief of THE BUENOS AIRES HERALD who dared to publish information exposing the human rights abuses carried out by the…
Colombia: Stairway Storytellers in Medellín
In Medellin, Billie Melluish-Turner finds a project to replace ghoulish and superficial tourism with something real and sustainable
Rebel with an Accordion
Self-taught Mexican singer and accordionist, Celso Piña, acquired the name ‘the rebel of the accordian’ in his native Mexico and is now considered a pioneer in his unique fusion of musica norteña, sonidero, cumbia ska, hip-hop…
'Tu Casa Mi Casa' by Enrique Olvera
Enrique Olvera, the world-renowned chef behind Mexico City’s Pujol and New York’s Cosme, has collaborated with three Mexican chefs for his first home cooking book “Tu Casa Mi Casa”. Marketed as “Mexican recipes for the home cook…
Breaking the Mould in Paraguay
Marcelo Martinessi’s fascinating study of a lesbian couple affected by social mores in Paraguayan society is submitted to the 91st Academy Awards.
Argentina: Toxic Waste from Fracking in Patagonia
A BP subsidiary is being sued by indigenous groups for criminal dumping of toxic waste
‘Duologue’ by Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez
What happens when two titans of contemporary Cuban music collide? A rare work of art that sends shivers down the body to its very soul...
Bebel Gilberto's Fantasy Island Tracks
If you were stranded on a desert island, which tracks would you absolutely need to get you through those times of despair? This castaway, world renowned and multi-Grammy-nominated Bebel Gilberto, daughter of bossa nova icon Joao…
Things That Matter To…Albert Quesada
Albert Quesada is a Spanish dancer and choreographer who trained in Amsterdam and Brussels (PARTS) after studying philosophy in Barcelona. Quesada is known for translating musical structures into choreography and inviting the…
Nando Reis' Fantasy Island Tracks
If you were stranded on a desert island, which tracks would you absolutely need to get you through those times of despair? Our castaway this month is iconic rock star, Nando Reis, the bass player of one of Brazil's most…
Mexico: AMLO’s first hundred days
The new president claims to have carried out 62 out of 100 campaign promises
YULI (2018) – Born to Dance
YULI is a skilful adaptation by Paul Laverty (I, Daniel Blake) of the dancer Carlos Acosta’s life story as revealed in his autobiography 'No Way Home' Directed by Icíar Bollaín, the film conveys a sensitive intimacy…
Things we love about...Surprising El Salvador
Affectionately known as El Pulgarcito de America (the Tom Thumb of the Americas), El Salvador may be the smallest country in Central America, but it is packed with authentic experiences. From mysterious Mayan ruins, to sleepy…
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Día de la Madre: Entre Londres y Colombia, y Todas las Formas de Amar
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