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Top Ten Latin Bangers of 2017

No one can deny that this was the year of 'Despacito.' But more importantly, this was the year that Latin music conquered the world, topping the charts in almost every country on the planet. It was also an unprecedented…

Belo Horizonte gets a Land Reform Farmers Market

Brazil's Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) opens a rural market in Belo Horizonte city

Latinolife's Ultimate Reggaetón Top Ten of 2017

What a year its been for Reggaetón. Finally the unique Latin Caribbean beat we've been pioneering here at Latino Life and La Bomba for the last 15 years has broken the global charts over and over, showing there is no turning…

The Midas Touch

While the whole world (yes even Simon Cowell) seems to have caught the Reggaetón bug and new talents (and not-so talented) are battling for no.1 hits on a weekly basis, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter has been riding on a high…

Colombia/Venezuela: How Petrol is Fuelling Instability on the Border

The smuggling of petrol and other products from Venezuela is part of daily life in Cúcuta

Little Louie Vega'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? Man cannot live on sun and fish alone right? Our castaway, Little Louie Vega, the world renowned house…

A Fan’s Dream Comes True

What happens when the UK’s most famous music fan and his long time idol, arguably Latin America’s most gifted guitarist, get together? Corina Poore visited Jools Holland and Jose Feliciano to learn about an English presenter’s…

Brazil: Bolsonaro – The Lone Wolf Dreams of Glory

Brazilian nationalist demagogue Jair Bolsonaro is bidding to run for President. His views are truly frightening, reveals Lucas Farrez

The Gentleman with the Bad Ass Voice

Gilberto Santa Rosa shows no sign of slowing down. Jose Luis Seijas caught up with the Puerto Rican icon to discover that the rumours were true: he really is ‘The Gentleman of Salsa,’ as often referred to - the nice guy of Latin…

The New Latin Hit-Makers

The last article in our series on Latin Hit-making, Jose Luis Seijas spots the emerging talent from Latin America who, with luck on their side, will be the Latin hit-makers of the next few years. These are the names to look out…

COLOMBIA: Bogotá’s Recyclers Fight for Inclusion

As the city rises up the development index, Bogotá’s waste services are undergoing structural transformation. Rachel Simon learns how Colombia’s informal waste-picking recicladores are organizing and fighting to play their part…

Latinolife’s Worst One-Hit Latin Wonders

British consumers love a bit of kitch, and there’s nothing like a foreign-ish song to give the drunken punters a laugh on the pub dance floor. From the pastiche to the parody, they were painful at the time, but now a dying genre…

Things You Should Know About... Day of the Dead

There is still a commonly held view that ‘Day of the Dead’ is Mexico’s ‘Halloween,’ that everyone dresses up as skelatons, and it is truly scary, therefore unsuitable for children. 'Dia de Los Muertos' is in fact a…

Martin's Causa Santa Rosa

Causa is a Peruvian classic style of dish meaning ‘the cause’. It originates from the wives of Peruvian soldiers who made a wonderful salad style dish from cold potatoes and various fillings including seafood and avocado. This is…

The Trailblazers of Latin Hit-Making

From Perez Prado and Vinicius de Moraes to Carlos Santana and Emilio and Gloria Estevan, in our series of articles on Latin-hit-making in the UK, we recognize the heavyweights from Latin America and the Latin diaspora, whose…

THE LATIN HIT TIMELINE

We’ve gone back decades and delved into our archives to bring you a definitive Latin hit timeline…from the 1970s and Julio Iglesias to Maluma’s Hawái via Ricky Martin and ’Despacito’. Remember the lost years of Latin Cheese? from…

Brazil’s MST: challenging power structures and the need for ‘historic patience’

In the wake of an alleged 'political coup' in Brazil, which has seen former left-wing president Ignacio Lula da Silva convicted and his successor Dilma Rousseff impeached, Movimento Sin Terra leader Gilmar Mauro…

Just Another Lonely Latin Hit?

We’ve seen it before, the querky pop tune with a tropical feel that gets under the UK’s skin for a while. Every so often they hit this cold little island, create a Latin craze and then disappear. In the nineties we had ‘Mambo no.…

Alex Wilson's Top Ten Latin Jazz Albums

From the early 19th century, the mutual fascination and connection between American Jazz musicians and the plethora of Latin American talent gave birth to a whole new world of music we now know as ‘Latin Jazz.’ We asked London…

Reconciling with History - An Interview with Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderón

Guillermo Calderón is an innovative Chilean playwright who has written many acclaimed plays, such as Villa and Discourse, that delve into Chile’s political past. He also achieved fame as a screenwriter with the award-winning…

Oriximiná: Quilombolas vs The Mines

In Oriximiná, a municipality in the northern state of Pará, traditional people see their lands being invaded by mining, under the conniving gaze of the authorities

Guatemala: a Rotten State

President Morales' anti-corruption pose is dropped as soon as his own family is in the frame

Latin Pop's Feminine Side

Bomba Estéreo has paid its ‘derecho de piso’ and proved that it’s not just another ‘alternative’ Latin band adding funk beats to folklore. With a 20 year trajectory writing and producing innovative songs, founder and bassist of…

Jose Luis' Top Ten Latin Summer Hits 2017

We’re still recovering from the plethora of Latin hits that dominated the sound waves this summer – with ‘Despacito’ breaking records around the world (if we hear it again, it'll be too soon). To celebrate having four…

Afro-Peruvian Artists

The influence from Africa is felt in many corners of Latin America and in Peru its light shines brightly through its incredible food, art and above all, its music. It is woven into the texture of Peruvian society and features…

Ground Control to Major Juan

Elizabeth Mistry hears how the Colombian super-bard has put aside his Camisa Negra for a spaceman's helmet.

Memorable Films: Hectór Babenco and 'The Kiss of the Spider Woman'

Corina Poore pays tribute to one of Latin America's great directors Hectór Babenco and his most memorable film ‘The Kiss of the Spider Woman' which continues to draw public fascination, even more remarkable for being…

Ana Victoria's Story - Part 4: A Life of Purpose

Ana Victoria is an Afro-Colombian biologist and the first female Colombian Anglican priest. After being kidnapped by armed traffickers while she was working with indigenous communities in the Choco region, she subsequently fled…

Ana Victoria's Story - Part 3: The Search for Kio

Ana Victoria is an Afro-Colombian biologist who will be ordained as the first female Colombian priest of the Anglican church in July 2017 in St Paul Cathedral. After being kidnapped by armed traffickers while she was working with…

The Fabulous Chameleons

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs have calved a place as one of Latin America’s most successful rock bands, thanks to a unique and ever-mutating style - a concept, they say they copied from The Clash. Latino Life talks to Vicentico and…

Juan Luis Guerra’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? Man cannot live on sun and fish alone right? Our castaway, Juan Luis Guerra, one of Latin America’s…

Ana Victoria's Story - Part 2: Helena

Ana Victoria is an Afro-Colombian biologist who was ordained as the first female Colombian priest of the Anglican church in July 2017 in St Paul Cathedral. After being kidnapped by armed traffickers while she was working with…

World Cup Wisdom

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a football icon? Latinolife talks to four World Cup legends of Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese football about their life and passions.

Colombians’ Persistence in the Search for Peace: Interview with ‘Chocolate of Peace’ Producer

Gwen Burnyeat, the producer and co-director of the documentary Chocolate of Peace talks about the ‘persistence’ in peace-building, considering that Colombia is now both implementing the peace agreement with FARC and starting…

Ana Victoria's Story - Part 1: In Exile

Ana Victoria is an Afro-Colombian biologist who was ordained as the first female Colombian priest of the Anglican church in July 2017 in St Paul Cathedral. After being kidnapped by armed traffickers while she was working with…

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