
Mexico in Kew: A Floral Celebration of Life
“Our Day of the Dead is an affirmation of life”, says Betsabeé Romero, the internationally renowned Mexican artist who has created a riotously-colourful Día de Los Muertos installation at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. As…
CAMUFLAJE (Camouflage) 2022 by Jonathan Perel
A jogger decides to run around the largest Military garrison camp in Argentina. On his travels he meets an array of people whose lives have been affected in various different ways by living close to Campo de Mayo, that had become…
An Aural Mapping of Nostalgia
One of the most critically and commercially successful bands to emerge from Latin America, Café Tacvba have come to define the essence of Mexican rock. Ahead of their European Tour this September, Shyal Bhandari speaks with…
TIMBA’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN
Those who were enjoying Eliane Correa and su Evolución at this weekend's LatinoLife in the Park, are no doubt are fans of Maykel Blanco - today's bonafide guru Cuban Timba. Lucky for them, for the first time in six…
Mexican Maverick
Striking gold in 2018 with his diamond-certified hit ‘Fuentes de Ortiz’, Latin Grammy-winning 21-year-old Mexican, Eduardo Hernández Saucedo, also known as Ed Maverick, became one of Latin America’s most in-demand talents…
Britpop's Favourite Timbalero
When Colombian timbal player Roberto Pla arrived the UK in the 1970s, the Latin music scene was practically non-existent. But the boy from Baranquilla soon became the percussionist of choice for UK pop artists such as Joe…
Emotional challenges for a Colombian immigrant in the UK
Santi (2021) is a 10-minute short film directed by up-and-coming talent Harry Richards. He talks to Latino Life about the film and its inception, and explains that the short is a taster for what will become a 90-minute feature…
The Juanes Mash Up
The Colombian music landscape has transformed dramatically over the last 10 years, with reggaetón becoming the new pop, but one Medellín rockero has transcended all trends and remains as relevant today doing the music he loves.…
"At the end of the day what's most important is family"
We talk to Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjona (daughter of Guatemalan singer Richardo Arjona) and Diego Boneta (hot off his title role in Netflix's Luis Miguel: The Series) who make up the stellar Latino cast of a…
Odd One Out
Hailed as one of the most promising jazz musicians of her generation, Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana is somewhat of an anomoly. Amaranta Wright meets Blue Note’s latest signing and discovers an incredible journey from a…
The Brit-Latin Underground
Photographer Alicia Colarusso delves into the underground Latin music scene in London to capture the essence of five up-and-coming artists - Fluffy, Luisa Santiago, Guala, A Nahomy and P Man – all born or bred in the capital or…
Nature’s Children
We can all recognize the low whistle opening To My Love, or the growing drum and guitar rhythm of Fuego. Fans of Colombia’s hippest electro-tropical outfit will be dying to see Bomba Estereo after its 4-year break since Ayo. With…
Food, Femininity and Theatre: The Life of Pepa Duarte
Theatre maker, and drama teacher, Pepa Duarte, is author of the self-performed play Eating Myself. Directed by Sergio Maggiolo, the play will be showing at Peckham Fringe this 16 and 17 May and has been hailed by The Guardian as…
The Wild South
After years touring the most successful and innovative tango shows around the world, most notably Tango Fire Immortal Tango, Argentine choreographer and lead dancer Germán Cornejo and his company of 10 men and 3 girls, challenge…
Crossed Off the Map: A Writer Beguiled by Bolivia
Since leaving a desk job at the Evening Standard 15 years ago, Shafik Meghji has authored and co-authored over 40 guidebooks and visited all seven continents, but when it came to his first full-length travel narrative it was…
Breaking Convention in Peru
From the barrios of Lima, 12 dancers arrive in London next week to perform an exciting work with Latin and hip hop influences at Sadlers Wells' 19th Breakin' Convention. We talk to D1 Dance Company founder Vania Masias…
Latin Music 2.0: Meet Candela Records’ Rising Stars
Ever since reggaetón became the world’s most streamed music genre, the major music labels have been on the hunt for the Latin music stars of the future. In a brave move, one global brand decided to look to UK shores for a new and…
Uncovering B.Léza - Cesaria Evora’s songwriter
Few people had heard of Cabo Verde, an arc of islands off the coast of Senegal, until Cesária Évora put them on the map. B. Leza is one of the most important composers in the history of Cabo Verde, and anyone who knows Cesária…
Baroque Cubana: The Extraordinary Story of Gabriela Mulen
Gabriel Mulen is a charismatic young musician from one of Old Havana’s most iconic Afrocuban neighbourhoods who combines a career as one of only two professional organists in Havana - playing organ and harpsichord in two Early…
Bebel Gilberto: Mother of Bossa Electronica
Being daughter to the legendary Joao Gilberto was quite a shadow to step out of. But over a remarkable 40-year career of her own, the multi-Grammy nominated and winning singer Bebel Gilberto became her own star with compositions…
From Mexico to Marylebone: An Interview with Culinary Wunderkind Adriana Cavita
Adriana Cavita, the prodigious Mexican chef who previously worked at El Bulli and Pujol, is bringing the authentic flavours of Mexico to London at her debut restaurant, Cavita. She spoke to Latino Life ahead of the restaurant’s…
HOLOGRAM (2022) Book of poems by Miguel Cullen
‘Books should be more than just lines of poetry.’ HOLOGRAM (2022) the new collection of poems by Anglo-Argentine poet and journalist Miguel Cullen, includes visuals and videos and certainly fits the bill of being different.
A Night Out With Rapzodia
Our man in Havana takes us on a bus journey (literally) into the post-Covid nights of Havana to discover the best Cuban acts coming out of lockdown. First stop, a sizzling evening with Rapzodia, an electrifying blend of hip hop,…
To Fight or Not To Fight
The English-language production of Chilean playwright Pablo Manzi's 'A Fight Against' debuts at London's Royal Court Theatre until 22 January 2022. 'Una lucha contra' portrays violence as a shared…
BALLAD OF A HAPPY IMMIGRANT (2021) book of poems by Leo Boix
“Come back a man or never come!” says the refrain in the titular poem 'Ballad of a Happy Immigrant', that is, in a sense, “the story of my life”, says Leo Boix. If you are searching for a Christmas gift for a book…
Carlos Marín: Il Divo’s non-Diva
Il Divo was brought together by Simon Cowell in 2003 and, since then, the multi-national quartet, made up of Urs Buhler from Switzerland, Frenchman Sebastien Izambard, American David Miller and Carlos Marin from Spain, have sold…
"I couldn't have made this film if I wasn't Latino"
In the 1950s, when the Democratic Republic of the Congo was a Belgian colony, a generation of Congolese musicians fused traditional African rhythms with Afro-Cuban music to create the electrifying beat of Congolese rumba - a beat…
CLARA SOLA (2021) by Swedish/Costa Rican director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
The film Clara Sola (2021)which will be on general release from November 18-2022, first opened at the Cannes Director’s Fortnight in July 2021 and has already received 17 wins and 20 nominations. After being in the Dare Strand at…
Reclaiming Tango: an interview with Maia Castro
Quality and passion never go out of fashion and the wonder of tango is that, though one of the most traditional music genres in Latin America, it keeps evolving and producing new and exciting singers. One of those is singer-…
The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmão (2019) Directed by Karim Aïnouz.
‘THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF EURIDICE GUSMÃO’ (2019) is a dramatic melodrama that delves into how family bonds and betrayals can affect people’s lives for years. Set in Rio de Janeiro in 1950, Eurídice, 18, and Guida, 20, are two…
Reggaetón’s Songsmith
Justin Quiles is not your average reggaetón star. The US-born Puerto Rican is not only one of the hottest urban singers out there, with over five billion combined streams, but also one of the most sought after songwriters in…
Latino, Made in London
María Victoria Cristancho reports on the moment a major global record label decided to invest in the very first UK label dedicated to nurturing Latin talent and finding the next global superstar, singing Spanish and talking…
Inside Rome’s Operation Condor Trial: An Interview with Dr Francesca Lessa
On 8 July 2021 in Rome, Italy’s Supreme Court charged 14 former officials and military personnel with the murder of Italian citizens in South America during Operation Condor. Oxford academic, Dr Francesca Lessa, and MPhil student…
Re-Birth of the Cool
For a long time, salsa music was the music of the street and, when we think of the ‘Golden Age the Salsa’ of the ‘70s and ‘80s, we think of cool. The ascendance of bachata and reggaetón seemed to mark the end of salsa’s reign…
Maya Da-Rin, award-winning Brazilian film director of ‘The Fever’ (2019)
“They don’t know how to look into dreams, they have big eyes but they only see what is in front of them.” Brazilian filmmaker Maya Werneck Da-Rin is a bubbly, energetic, resourceful and creative person with a huge talent. Moved…