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Buika: 'La Noche Mas Larga' (2012)
A few months ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Concha Buika. Charming, clever, talented beyond words and with a unique a yet universally appealing personal history: the daughter of African immigrants who grew up in Spain…
‘The Silence of my Hands’ (2024) by Mexican documentary film maker Manuel Acuña.
Screening at the 2025 BFI Flare LGBTQAI+ Film Festival, ‘The Silence of my Hands’ follows the travails of two deaf Mexican women who struggle to keep their relationship alive despite separations, the short spells when they are…
.... 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.…
Argentina: Forty years of the ‘Mad Mothers’
April 30 marked the 40th anniversary of the foundation in Argentina of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo. Some of them are still searching for their disappeared loved ones.
Leonor: The Story of a Lost Childhood
What the FARC? Women are the silent victims of Colombia’s conflict, exploited and abused by guerrillas as much as their enemiesGavin O’Toole reviews the book Leonor: The Story of a Lost Childhood by Paula Delgado-Kling. The…
In Oaxaca The Walls Speak
In a country whose history simmers with political resistance and art, graffiti has come to reflect a post-modern merging of the two. Far away from the Banksy hype, we celebrate the art of Mexican political graffiti and the…
The Resurrection of Fania
Everyone knows the legendary tunes that came out of Fania. Like all empires, Fania’s went into decline after the 1990s. For many years the catalogue of iconic albums that sold millions, made superstars of Latin artists such as…
Ancho Chiles Stuffed with Pork in Adobo Sauce
As one of the most popular dishes at Mestizo during our Chile Pepper Festival, we think that this combines some of the best that Mexico has to offer. Chiles and pork, cooked only as you would find in any Mexican kitchen. It may…
‘FRAGMENTED DIALOGUES’: Art and Identity in 1980s Chile
Corina talks to the curator of a fascinating exhibition of the work by two Chilean artists, Mario Fonseca and Mauricio Valenzuela. It is on at Austin/Desmond Fine Art till 30 June and explores both the fragmented and silenced…
Afro-Cuba returns to Africa via London
A triumphant reunion for Boncana Maïga’s transatlantic charanga orchestra Las Maravillas De Mali...not so much a reunion as a reformation. Octogenarian master flautist, composer and arranger Boncana Maïga was the only original…
COVID Stories: Growing Together
Latin Americans Women’s Aid (LAWA) has been supporting Latin American women for 35 years with emergency refuge homes for victims of domestic violence, advice, support, English classes, counselling, empowerment programs and much…
Sabrina Malheiros ‘Clareia’
The most up-lifting and danceable album to date, from the queen of Nu Bossa Nova
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…
Açaí Bowl
Açaí is a berry that grows in the Brazilian Amazon. The antioxidant-rich dark purple berries are packed with amino acids, as well as vitamins A, B, C and E and minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc. It…
Colombia: The Peace Agreement Three Years On
Christian Aid's 'Ten Years' study documents the lives of marginalized people
SVICHED ON
New York-based playwright Caridad Svich has created a fascinating body of plays, picking up some of the most prestigious awards in the process. In the UK to give a Masterclass on Writing for Stage and Screen at the Royal Central…
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…
Samantha Manzur, Actor, Theatre-maker
Chilean-Palestinian actor Samantha leads the Interdicta Collective, an interdisciplinary group creating immersive theatre and museum experiences. Samantha also starred in 'Mad Women' (2024), El Círculo (2019) and La…
Salsa Hits of the Noughties
With the ascendence of reggaeton in the noughties, as new generations took over the streets and craved the ever-hardening bass, some of the best salsa tracks ever were made in these ten years. Whilst embracing the new urban beats…
Roberto Bolaño: Literary Hot Property or Hot Air?
Roberto Bolaño is being hailed as the best author to come out of Latin America in the past 40 years. Why, after years of success in Spanish, has the Chilean author only now come onto the English-language radar and does he live up…
Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical and Cumbia
Peru Maravilloso: Vintage Latin, Tropical & Cumbia
Monica Puig: Tossing a Curveball to the Tennis World
In our first in a series profiling up-and-coming sports stars of Latin America and Spain, we present the 21-year-old Puerto Rican, currently number 61 in world rankings, storming her way to the top of women's tennis
Colombia - A Beacon of Light in a Chaotic World
As the situation in Syria and the Middle East gets ever more complex and violent, Colombia is finally finding its way out of a 50 year conflict that has ravaged the country, giving us hope in a chaotic world, argues Kristian…
Chevron, Ecuador and the extractor’s curse – part 3: When in doubt, sue the lawyer
“We’re going to fight this until hell freezes over … And then we’ll fight it out on the ice”, said a Chevron spokesman in 2009. The company has done just that. Meanwhile, the Lago Agrio region of Ecuador remains severely polluted…
Chile's Artistic Renaissance Questions the Past
From decades of silence and a few lone voices such as documentary-maker Patricio Guzman, has come a flourishing arts industry in Chile, with film studios like Fabula, Oscar-winning directors like Sebastian Lelio, and artists like…
LATIN HOTLIST #6 - SUMMER 2017
Think Latin, Feel Latin, Buy Latin...here's our choice of great Latin products on the market this Summer
Arturo O'Farril's Fantasy Island Tracks
As son of the late Cuban composer, arranger, conductor, Chico O’Farril, and growing up among the greats of New York’s Jazz scene, we reckoned ARTURO O’FARRIL pianist, composer, and educator extraordinaire, must have had some…
Sao Paulo Symphony and Venezuelan Pianist Gabriela Montero delight a packed Royal Albert Hall at The BBC Proms
The 2016 season of BBC Proms has featured an unusual programme of high profile musicians from Latin America, starting with the brilliant young Argentine Sol Gabetta, soloist in an outstanding performance of Elgar's '…
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…
Rumbero de Corazon by Dorance Lorza & Sexteto Cafe
The latest smooth salsa sounds from maestro arranger and vibrophonist Dorance Lorza
It Takes Two…
Love comes in many forms, but music never lies when it comes to harmony...so we bring you the best in North-South Harmony? From Frank Sinatra and Tom Jobim when mutual admiration looked so cool (I mean, the legs crossed and fag…
Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America (1935 - 2009)
It is 11 years since Mercedes Sosa - the singer and exponent of what became known as 'nueva cancion' - died, but her musical legacy lives on, not just in her native Argentina or even Latin America but across the globe.…
Colombia Brings Hope
Kristian Herbolzheimer, a key analyst in the soon-to-be-signed Colombia peace agreement, explains how this historic achievement came about and its significance for Colombia and the world.
Latin America's Real Heroines
Women human rights defenders challenge the traditional gender roles that keep women in the domestic sphere. They often suffer the worst kind of smear campaigns, accusing them of neglecting their family or of being in search of…
COVID Toll on Indigenous Elders is Destroying History
"Every time an elder dies, a library is burnt"
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THE OTHER WAY AROUND (Volveréis-2024) by award-winning Spanish director…
“It’s like a wedding but the other way around.” Here is a couple who are convinced they want to…
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While at a commercial level, during the last two decades, it may seem that reggaeton took over and…
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THE JUNE REGGAETON RECAP
Karol G surprised everyone by announcing a new album while the second half of this reggaeton power…
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As one of the biggest football teams in South America and the world, the Argentine Football…
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Globally, Mexico is known as a boxing powerhouse, boasting some of the greatest champions in the…
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Since the days when Mexico was a serious rival to Hollywood in terms of film production and quality…
