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…
MEMORIA (2021) directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
“In here, time stops”. Thai Director, screenwriter and producer Apichatpong Weerasethakul has set his latest offering MEMORIA (2021) in Colombia. He has managed to uncover a sense of peace that one would have thought hard to…
Latin Londoner #40: Monica Feria-Tinta, Barrister
Originally from Peru, Monica was shortlisted Barrister of the Year in the Lawyer’s Awards and is an elected bencher of Middle Temple. She holds an LLM in International Law (LSE) and was awarded the prestigious Diploma of the…
"Don’t Even Try": Breaking Shakespeare’s Glass Ceiling
"I loved Shakespeare, but almost every fellow actor, manager and director told me: ‘don’t even try.’” Mexican-born Jimena Larraguivel didn’t want to be in telenovelas. She wanted to be on stage. But with her strong accent…
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…
Esnayder's Empanadas Paisas
Empanadas are the most traditional of Latin American dishes, with their origen in the north of Spain, introduced the by moors during the their ocupation. Today you can find empanadas on any Latin American high street, as one…
We Love Johnny Pacheco
And this is the bit where we say thank you to the legend on whose shoulders we stand. Put simply, Johnny Pacheco, flautist, percussionist, bandleader, arranger and co-founder of Fania Records, was one of the most influential…
Things That Matter to...La Mala Rodriguez
La Mala Rodriguez is one of the most successful Hispanic artists today. When Rosalia was still in her nappies, Mala was recording with some of the world's most commercial Latino artists as the only Spanish rapper to gain…
J Balvin at the 02 Arena
A night of show-stopping, awe-inspiring production mixed with the perfect ratio of laid-back and heart-warming moments from the artist. J Balvin at this height of his career continues to set the standard for creativity, …
LOVIN' LATIN LONDON - The Dancers
From village pubs to Saturday night television, Latin dances are captivating UK audiences more than ever before. It’s time to recognise the real stars of the show – from Tango and Salsa to Samba and Flamenco. London’s Latin…
Baila La Cumbia
Baila La Cumbia - Tropical tunes from the South West guaranteed to get your feet on the dancefloor!
Chronicle of a Repression Foretold
In 1975, one-year-old Carole Concha Bell and her family journeyed into exile. They fled Chile as refugees during the Pinochet dictatorship, after her grandfather, a government official for the democratically elected Socialist…
Tierra Peru
A thoughtful menu and a obvious passion for bringing the best of Peru to London that will delight both Peruvophiles and Islington Residents
Things That Matter to…Eliane Correa
Eliane Correa studied piano and composition at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, before relocating to London where she quickly gained fame for her work as a composer, musician and bandleader. After years as arranger,…
Shake It Off!
As we head towards the easing of lockdown we all feel a little relieved. But the carnage that the pandemic has wreaked on our mental health has yet to be unveiled. Rafael Santandreu, one of the world’s leading psychologists,…
From Reggaetón to Urban Latin: What Happened after the Boom?
Five years ago Reggaetón exploded onto the US music scene with NORE’s Oye Mi Canto. Fresh out of the streets of Puerto Rico and Panama, Latino kids, the US’s fastest rising demographic, were going crazy for it in every major city…
‘THE FEVER’ (A Febre -2019) by Brazilian director Maya Da-Rin -
“Like a hunter with no prey”- The multi-award winning ‘THE FEVER’ has a haunting, dreamy quality. We are immediately immersed in the quiet, alienated world of the protagonist, who is surrounded by an environment dominated by…
Gaucho, Smithfield
The chandeliers give the cowhides a definite impression of city opulence than Gaucho's den, but the authentic tastes of the Pampa (and more) are unmistakable and comforting.
Fantasy Football - The Power of Spain's Autonomous Communities
It is no surprise that Basque and Catalan football fans waited with baited breath for the result of the Scottish Referendum, seeking inspiration. They know better than anybody the talent in Spain’s autonomous communities and its…
The Incarceration Trap
From the freedom of the Mexican Pacific coast to an American high security jail, director Rodrigo Reyes explores the life of a Mexican illegal immigrant, Sansón Andrade, who was sentenced to life in prison with no parole. This…
Messi is the greatest, so was Diego
Argentina’s well-deserved victory in Qatar means that this South American nation has not only won two World Cups as a democratic country (a third under dictatorship), but each have been achieved thanks to the greatest player of…
'The Latin American Cookbook' by Virgilio Martinez
Danica Katich delves into a masterpiece of research, commitment to food and ode to cooking and sharing by one of Peru’s most magnificent chefs
By Reason, By Force: an interview with Chilean artist Mario Fonseca
Mario Fonseca: Conceptual Artist, Writer and Photographer talks about Chile today and how the Military Dictatorship (1973-1989) affected his work.
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…
Remembering, Mongo Santamaría, Cuban Percussionist (1917-2003)
Mongo Santamaria is arguably the best Conguero ever! Part of that generation of Cuban percussionists who emigrated to the States in the 40s and 50s, Mongo had a fantastic career, recording crossover hits, releasing critically…
Things That Matter… Jards Macalé
Having worked with some of the biggest names in Brazilian music, including Joao Donato, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and more, Jards Macalé has garnered status as one of the most influential samba and tropicalia artists. Macalé’s…
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.
Surrogate Latina #8: Ana Csergö, leader of Las Adelitas
From Back To Black to the Green, White and Red of Mexico's national colours, Las Adelitas is headlining this year's Mexico's Independence Day celebrations in London. Named after the brave women who took up arms…
Brazil's prison massacres - a bloody start to the year
A flurry of brutal deaths in Brazil's overcrowded prisons has shocked the country.
The Lost Children, 2024, by Orlando von Einsiedel, Lali Houghton and Jorge Durán.
“Until we find them” – This gripping documentary reveals the extraordinary trials of 3 young children and a baby, the sole survivors of a small plane crash in the remotest Colombian Amazon, seen from the point of view of their…
"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…
OUR MOTHERS (Nuestras Madres) - A Debut feature by César Díaz
Winner of the Camera D’Or in Cannes, Guatemalan filmmaker César Díaz’s multi award-winning film, OUR MOTHERS opens us to the horrors of the 36 year civil war in Guatemala between 1960 and 1996, through the experiences of Ernesto…
DJ Flecha's Top Ten Cuban Tunes
DJ Flecha has had an amazing DJ career, playing with the most famous Cuban bands such as Los Van Van, Charanga Habanera, Adalberto Álvarez, Manolito Y Su Trabuco, Paulo F.G, Pupi Y Los Que Son Son and Issac Delgado. This is his…
San Juan Noir
Award-winning Puerto Rican poet and novelist Mayra Santos-Febres has been a pivotal literary figure in her island home for many years, championing the work of upcoming writers through her creative writing classes at the…
Un Crimen Comun (2020) Dir. Francisco Márquez
This atmospheric film by weaves together the spectre of The Disappeared of the past in Argentina with the all-too-frequent police murders of contemporary news stories.