
Things we love about...Nicaragua
Charming colonial cities with cobblestone streets, Pacific breakers producing perfect surf year-round, tiny Caribbean islands you can make your own for a day, and the smoothest rum that ever came out of an oak barrel. Nicaragua…
United Migrations?
Walk around London and it’s hard to avoid the Spanish vowels swirling around the air. The recent influx of Spaniards and Latin Americans arriving through Spain adds yet another layer to the original Spanish speaking communities.…
Bridges and Walls
With 1.5 billion YouTube views, a 3x platinum debut album in Mexico and a second album premiering at #1 all over Latin America and several Grammys, what makes Jesse and Joy one of Latin America's biggest emerging acts? As…
Ciro Bustos, Che Guevara’s friend and ally
Artist and revolutionary, Ciro Bustos was a key confident of Che Guevara in his fated attempt to trigger revolution across Latin America, through Argentina and Bolivia. He was wrongly accused of betraying Che, when it is now…
Chilli con Carne con Chocolate
This is my favourite chilli con carne recipe ever not just because it tastes amazing, incredibly velvety with an amazing depth of flavour thanks to the dark chocolate… but also because of the way it looks. Making chilli con carne…
All Hail the Vinyl Collectors!
Salsotecas are the mythical vinyl-sharing encounters that began in Cali, Colombia. We explore the legendary phenomenon that helped give the city its reputation as home to the world’s most passionate Salsa lovers.
The death of Fidel Castro, what his legacy to Cuba has been, and how he should be remembered.
Richard Gott, historian, journalist and one of the few foreigners who met both Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, recounts his impressions of the 20th century revolutionary icon.
LATIN LONDONER 19: FERNANDO D GUIBERT - Artist
Fernando Guibert (father), was one of Argentina's most recognised poets and artists until his death in 1983. Fernando D Guibert (son) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1957, where he taught and lectured before arriving…
Wilfredo Lam: Painting Afro-Cubanism
The 20th century Cuban painter, Wifredo Lam, was one of the finest artists of his time. Full of Afro-Cuban mysticism, Lam's work - revolutionary, non-conformist and deeply spiritual - pays homage to Cuba's unique mixed…
THE OUTSIDER
Few people thought that Reggaetón - the famous “Dembow” beat with the Latino twist that exploded 15 years ago – would stand the test of time. Yet today almost every big artist, from Shakira and Enrique Iglesias to Drake, Sia and…
Top Ten Latin Funk Classics
Latin artists from Puerto Rico to Colombia, from East L.A. to Spanish Harlem, were getting groovier and earthier throughout the '60s, and the results were wide-ranging and just as freaky as in the parallel Afro-American funk…
Akumal - A Corner in Paradise
If Tulum is too trendy and Playa del Carmen's party vibe isn't your scene, take time out at Akumal. Just don't pester the turtles, says Elizabeth Mistry.
Latin Londoner #18: Gloria Lizcano - LGBT community leader
Celebrating 20 years of her legendary Latino LGBT Club night Exilio this Friday, Gloria Lizcano has been the pioneer and main activist for the Latin LGBT community in London.
Watermelon & Tuna Ceviche
It’s September which means its officially the end of Summer….. boooooo! All the sad face emojis. I can’t let summer escape me with out making one last dish to celebrate the warmer seasons and that is my favourite new ceviche…
Ten Reasons to Love Juan Gabriel
The songs of Juan Gabriel, one of Latin America’s most important singer-songwriters who died this week, have become anthems, re-recorded by the biggest current and former pop stars, such as Marc Anthony, Rocio Durcal, Juanes and…
Juan Gabriel, Singer-Songwriter (1950-2016)
Juan Gabriel, who has died aged 66, is considered to be one of Latin American greatest singer-songwriters of all time. The Mexican wrote around 1,500 songs, many of which made hits for and brought fame and fortune to countless…
Brazil's Scandals; Cunha on the Rack
Brazil’s congressional ethics committee recently voted to remove Deputy Eduardo Cunha, one of the orchestrators of President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment, from his position as Lower House Speaker. This decision comes after a…
TOP TEN Marc Anthony Salsa Hits
The king of modern Salsa, who is so big in Latin America that US pop stars line up to duet with him to capture the Latino market. One ambitious lady called J-Lo went further and married the guy, and another presidential hopeful…
LATIN LONDONER #17: Juliano Fiori - rugby player
If anyone epitomises the uniqueness and strength that comes from being bi-cultural it is Juliano Fiori. Not only is he a West Londoner who is playing rugby for Brazil in the Olympics, but to do so, he’s had to juggle a full time…
THE ONLY WAY IS UP
It has been a rollercoaster few years for the Grammy award-winning singer, but now Lila Downs is appreciating life more than ever, she tells Elizabeth Mistry
Not Another Play About War
Bringing real life British and Argentine veterans of the 1982 Falklands/Malvinas War to the stages of London and Brighton, Lola Arias is soon to create a ground-breaking theatrical experience. Latinolife talks exclusively to this…
In Praise of The Bandeja Paisa
Latinolife’s Latina Cook basks in the glory of a full Colombian Breakfast
Chasing Butterflies
Victoria Kellaway visits the birthplace of Gabriel García Márquez, Nobel Prize winner, pioneer of Magical Realism and Colombia’s most famous writer.
TOP 10 DISCOS FUENTES VINYLS
When it comes to Colombian Music, Discos Fuentes is the daddy. Since 1934 this seminal label has been home to some of Colombia’s biggest commercial artists, yet it was never afraid of the experimental and the weird. When it came…
Lucuma smoothie
Lúcuma is an amazing Superfood from Peru, it’s full of potassium with bright yellow coloured flesh and tastes a bit like maple syrup! So much so that it’s often used as a natural sweetener… Lúcuma has a very low Glycemic index,…
Things we love about...Colombia
Colombia is a country bursting at the seams with extraordinary natural beauty, vibrant music, fantastic food, white (and black!) sand beaches, world-class diving, and endlessly friendly courteous people. Now, it even has a Peace…
The Blue Line to Cali
Mirca Moreira revels in the short London journey that quenches her craving for a little piece of Colombia.
The Accidental Hero
Once a struggling rock star in Bogotá, Carlos Vives became a national symbol almost overnight by fusing Colombia’s traditional vallenato rythmns with modern rock and pop. As if to represent the unity of a country in conflict, the…
Top Ten Traditional Latin American Dishes
The ComidaFest team give us a tasting journey through the most popular and delicious culinary goodies of Latin American cuisine, from awsome Arepas to yummy Churros, a delicious Churrasco, Tamales and Empanadas,
The UK's Top Colombian Movers and Shakers
Take a trip to Elephant and Castle or Seven Sisters’ indoor market and you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’d been transported to Colombia. Salsa blaring out of little shops, couples dancing between tables in mid-afternoon,…
The UK's Top Colombian Creatives
The contribution of Colombian immigration to UK culture is impossible to ignore. As far back as 1975, Guardian writer Richard Williams described the Monday night when salsa king Héctor Lavoe took to the stage in a grotty London…
Things you should know about Latin American Oscar Triumphs
Do you remember the days when Latino artists weren’t allowed to sing their songs on mainstream TV because ratings would drop? I know right? Hard to imagine, but it did…Back in 2005, when Jorge Drexler was nominated for an Oscar…
Mexico Unlimited
Amaranta Wright basks in the stunning combination of ancient civilisations and Caribbean luxury in a family trip to the Yucatán peninsular, combining road trip adventure and resort comforts.
TOP 10 Latin Hip Hop Artists
Dominated by Caribbean talent - from Venezuela and Puerto Rico to Cuba and the Dominican Republic – Latin America has produced some of the most exciting Hip Hop artists of the last decades. Ticking the boxes of commercial…
Love Is (Not) All You Need?
Some say that people of all cultures use the word ‘love’ to describe a feeling they get when someone meets their needs. In the view, we invest emotions in what is in fact a transactional affair. So what is love between Cubans and…