10 Distinguished Brits You Didn't Know Were Colombian
The UK hosts the world's second largest Colombian diaspora, and has born generations of talent in all fields of life. But with their very British accents, you may not even know who they are. From dancers, painters,…
Resilience and Resistance: a History of the Colombian London
Over the last 50 years, hundreds of thousands of Colombians have made their mark as the UK's largest spanish-speaking community. As a consequence, Londoners are never far away from the enticing smell of pandeja paisa, the…
10 Stand Out UK Afro-Latinos y Latinas
In the last of our series celebrating Black HIstory Month...it’s time to bring it home. While the US has long been celebrating the contribution of Black Latin Americans to its culture, and life, we here in the UK also have our…
Latin Londoner #49 - Gabriela Vallim, journalist, cultural producer
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Gabriela Vallim is a journalist, cultural producer and founder of Baile Funk Culture, expanding the Brazilian street culture in the UK through events and workshops. She’s curated events at the…
UK Colombian Creatives to be Proud of
Creativity is in any Colombians' DNA, it’s part of our necessity and hence our everyday lives. We’re celebrating Colombian Independence by shining a light on the amazing Colombian talent here in the UK. From dancers,…
10 Latin@ LGBTQ+ Creatives in London
Over the years, London has attracted some of the finest creatives from Latin America and Spain, who have gone on to represent world class talent from the LGBTQ+ community. From the likes of a young precocious Mario Testino from…
Southern Passion at the Cervantes Theatre
The Flamenco Festival London 2022, based at Sadler’s Wells (dance) and the Cervantes Theatre (music) featured renowned stars and legends like Tomatito, the Compañia Jesús Carmona, El Yoyo and his troupe, Rocío Márquez and…
The Return of the Venezuelan Funksters
Latin America's most iconic funk band will perform another of their show-stopping gigs on April 2nd at the 26 Leake Street Club, an awesome venue in the London Bridge arches, displaying of some of the best street-art in…
AMAZONAS: The Beauty of Britain's Afro-Indigenous Latinas
Carina Costa Londono brings together some of Britain’s proud Afro-Indigenous to show their natural beauty in a pioneering photo shoot
Pioneering Black Latina Artists
Recently we published a list of Black Heroines of Latin American History, Afro-Latinas who put their lives at risk, and in some cases gave their lives, in order to shape our history. This week we bring you the brave women who…
Latin Londoner #36: Blanca Huertas, Senior Curator, Natural History Museum
Born in Bogotá, Blanca Huertas is Senior Curator of the Lepidoptera collections at the Natural History Museum. She is responsible for the direct care, development and access of the world’s largest and oldest collection of…
Loathe the Word Latino? Blame it on the French!
The word ‘Latino’ may conjure up style and swagger (LatinoLife, of course, equalling all things cool). But having been created as a tool in Europe’s colonial tussle for territory, is the word really cool or has Latin America come…
Yerba Mate: A Gringa’s Guide
A gringa living in Argentina describes the joys of discovering Yerba Mate, and the social hurdles to overcome in between!
We Ain't No Shithole
Just eight years after the Léogâne Earthquake, Trump was once again spewing garbage about Haiti calling it, among other predominantly non-white countries, a “shithole.” Of course, it is no such place as Antony Stewart, chair of…
London's Latin Culture Under Threat
Stefanie Alvarez, who grew up amidst the bustling 'Pueblito Paisa' market, where her mother works, in Seven Sisters, is set on defending the much-loved north London Latin hub from the designs of property developers who…
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…
Sembrando Cultura: This is How We do It!
Maria Luna, a Dominican American residing in London, speaks to four Latinas in the United States, Scotland and England to find out what it means to be a Latina and how a Latina maintains or compromises her culture when she starts…
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.…
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.
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,…
Top Ten Latin Bars in London
Want to do Christmas the Latin way? Try some of London's best Latin bars, from glamourous to ghetto chic, no one does drinks and festive fun better than Latinos. Here is Latinolife's definitive list...
The Art of Being Bi-cultural
Migration has always been part of human history and always will. Even those who thought they had one cultural identity, are the product of centuries of migration. Where localised migration may have mixed peoples of similar colour…
Chola Power
In their frilly petticoats, layered skirts, dainty pumps and bowler hats, Las Cholitas (chola - the name used to describe indigenous women in Latin America), are relatively new to the Lucha Libre ring. Yet the crowds have come…
Top Ten Most Common Misconceptions about Latin America
Good dancers? Latin Lovers? Revolutionary guerrillas? You might have watched too many soap-operas or just followed rumours but if you want to check your prejudices about Latin America and the Latinos, here are 10 common…
6 Reasons to Love....El Sistema
El Sistema is a Venezuelan musical organisation that has inspired many from the poorest neighborhoods of the Andean Region. The system watches over Venezuela's 125 youth orchestras and is a voluntary group. Some 370,000…
Things You Should Know About...Spanish Fiestas and Festivals
The Spanish peninsula and its outgoing and infamous inhabitants, is well known for annual street parties in every town all over the country, celebrations of various saints throughout the year and above all, for its endless summer…
Latin American Myths and Legends
"I'm learning about really scary myths and legends..." my son recently told me, recounting all the famous Greek tales, Cyclops, The Trojan Horse etc etc. "Ha," I replied. "Those are nothing compared…
Surrogate Latino #1 Ian Mursell – Founder of Mexicolore with Graciela Sanchez
LAYING DOWN THE LORE – For 30 years Ian Mursell, development education specialist and his wife Graciela Sánchez, a dancer with the world famous Ballet Folklórico de México, and have worked with 2,000 primary schools and a wealth…
Macho, sexist, leery - lovely...
Flirting with strangers in the street is a way of life in Buenos Aires. One gringa tries very hard to disapprove.
Las Cosas por su Nombre
Confused when someone tells you to "Stand my balls up", "arm a patch and throw out the wagon" or "take out my stone by making a show"? You'll need Candela’s guide to authentic Colombian Spanish…
Spanish in Spain ¿pan comido? Think again
Just when you think you’ve mastered the textbook basics, reality rudely interrupts with slang to turn those so useful words on their head. Throw away those textbooks! Here is your alternative guide to what you thought were the…
.... Weird Stuff at Spanish Fiestas
Spain - the land of guilt free siestas and fiestas. From burying a sardine to pretending to be dead in a coffin, Spanish fiestas consist of a lot more than the excessive consumption, dancing and extravagance they are famous for.…