Rule Colombian Britannia!
This year the BBC Proms pays tribute to a new British-Colombian generation by featuring the London born and bred accordionist Jose Hernando who won the BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy at only 19. Here the burgeoning star talks…
Take the Slow Road in Eco-Ecuador
Hannah Bewley delights in the efforts and charms of an unknown coastal eco-village off the beaten track in Ecuador.
In Search of Memory
‘My photographs are about our journey through life’ Corina Poore interviews the remarkable Chilean photographer Maurizio Valenzuela
This Latino Week
Covid-19 Death toll slowly rises in Latin America, Trouble in Colombian and Brazilian Prisons, J Balvin Releases New Album
FUNK FOREVER
Los Amigos Invisibles is arguably the most globally recognized music act from Venezuela since Oscar D'Leon (the Salsa legend on their new album). Breaking onto the international scene on David Byrne’s (Talking Heads)…
Guatemala: Indigenous Women take on Canada’s Mining Industry
Elena Choc Quib, a unilingual Q’eqchi’ speaker from a remote village in rural Guatemala, never imagined travelling outside her country, let alone boarding a plane to Toronto. But everything changed when she and 10 other women…
Tego Calderón's Fantasy Island Tracks
If you were stranded on a desert island, which tracks would you absolutely need to have to get you through those times of loneliness and despair? Man cannot live on sun and fish alone right? Our castaway this week is Tego…
The Reggeatón Evolution – Three Decades of Flow
When quintessentially English band Clean Bandit was recently rocking X Factor with their latest hit ‘Rockabye,’ few watching would have known that the country that invented its catchy beat was banned from playing it for years.…
This Latino Week
Maduro madness, Indigenous groups don't want a repeat of history, "El Trumpo", Britons on virus-hit ship wait for Panama Canal green light, La Linea reschedules to Autumn, F.C. Barcelona agrees to pay cuts and…
Indiscretion by Hannah Fielding
Hannah Fielding is an award-winning writer and published her first book, Burning Embers, in 2012. Since then, she has gone on to publish two more works, The Echoes of Love (2014) and Indiscretion (2015). Extensively travelled…
On the Edge of the Embrace: A Contemporary Tango Drama by David Chartoriski
In David Chartoriski's latest creation for the stage, "On the Edge of the Embrace", three souls perform a story of love, betrayal and freedom through sizzling dance movements, in an electrifying night of tango…
The Phenomenon of Latin Music in the US
Back in the late seventies an outstanding documentary was made about Salsa in New York and its social significance. It became a seminal work. Thirty years later its director Jeremy Marre, commissioned by the BBC, went back to…
Latinos in London Part 2-The Liberation of being Latin in London
Lazy, violent and corrupt?…it’s sometimes tiring countering the contantly reinforced stereotypes of Latin America in the British media, but if we don’t do it who will? In the second part of our Latin London identity series we…
MEDELLIN No.3...The Flower Fair
My girls expect me to spend my last day before leaving for Bogotá with them. It is a question of duty. They have embraced me, showered me with affection, and in return, they expect a certain loyalty. I have had to give back more…
Camilo Menjura on life and LUKAS nominations
Camilo Menjura is certainly a very busy musician! The Bogota born multi-talented player is once again up for a LUKAS nomination, having won in two categories "Musician of the year" and "Community worker of the year…
Fresh Blend
Legendary Latin dance-music pioneers Bomba Estéreo are back on tour, bringing their blend of cumbia, rave and rap to top clubs and festivals across Europe and the US. Founder and maestro Simón Mejía talks to Charley Allan about…
WRITING BEYOND MACONDO
Do modern Colombian authors still lurk in the shadow of Gabriel García Márquez? Candela explores Colombian literature in light of the 2010 celebrations of all things Latin American: a new list published by Granta magazine of the…
Argentina finds a New Kind of Meat to Export
They're on the television all the time, they're in the magazines, they're on the arms of footballers, politicians and businessmen in all the smart restaurants and nightspots of Buenos Aires.........they are the new…
'ROMA' by Alfonso Cuarón sweeps the boards at the BAFTAs.
ROMA (2018) by Alfonso Cuarón, a masterpiece of cinema, has been crowned the outstanding film of 2018 at the BAFTAs. Semi-autobiographical, it was created with deep affection in homage to a person who was and remains of huge…
The Bogotá Mayor Scandal - separating the politics from the rubbish
Mayor Gustavo Petro's sacking late last year caused public protest and political a political storm. Nevertheless, on the 13th January, the Inspector General confirmed the decision and Petro's cause seemed to be lost,…
Paradise City by Joe Thomas (Arcadia Books)
American style 'noir' set in South America's biggest megatropolis - a lonely cop's battle with corruption, despair, and his own demons makes for an enthralling Sao Paulo thriller.
Treating Trauma with Art
Amy Draper is a bold, young theatre director whose innovative production 'These Trees are made of Blood' – a musical cabaret about the estimated 30,000 people murdered by Argentina’s dictatorship (1976-1983) who then…
Colombia: the biggest conversation in the world
Gwen Burnyeat reports on the Colombian peace process and the efforts being made to promote conversation among all its actors, at both local and national levels
Venezuela: Trochas de la Información
Produced by Circuito Gran Cine, a collective of film makers based in Venezuela, this film is one of a series about the difficulties Venezuelans have faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, ranging from water shortages to the lack of…
Joe Bataan ‘Call my Name’ (Vampisoul)
Joe was one the faces of New York’s Latin music movement in the late 60’s and 70’s. He recorded some of the biggest hits of Latin Soul, Boogaloo, Salsa and Funk, including ‘Gypsy Woman’ and ‘Subway Joe.’ He has become a cult…
Latinolife's Best Party Tracks of 2016
As the Reggeatón beat continues to generate global party anthems, and mainstream music sees Latin influence on an unprecedented scale, we thought we'd pay tribute to this incredibly appealing and uniquely Latin beat, with…
We Owe Paco So Much
Paco Peña, one of the world's most celebrated flamenco guitarists mourns an irreplaceable Flamenco soul and friend
The Turbulence of Budding Stardom
Once a mere suburban boy from outside Barcelona, now Spain’s representative at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, via a controversial decision that split the country, Latinolife talks to Manel Navarro, as he prepares for his…
‘Los Conductos’ (2020) Directed by Camilo Restrepo
Colombian experimental filmmaker, writer and director Camilo Restrepo, known for 5 award-winning short films, including ‘La Bouche 2015’, has won the Berlinale’s GWFF Best First Feature Award with his ópera prima ‘Los Conductos…
Top 10 Greatest Latin American World Cup Players
How do we define "Greatest"? It isn't just a tally of goals or a collection of medals, it's unquestionable leadership as the nation’s heartbeat, a sustained peak of individual performance on the world’s…
From The Hand of God to The Forehand of God: The Day Maradona Made History (and what it means today)
Forty years ago, the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City witnessed 90 minutes of football that would never be forgotten. The 1986 World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and England was not just a match; it was a cultural, political,…
Anarchy’s Enduring Appeal
Santiago Oyarzabal talks to Los Auténticos Decadentes, one of the best, most enduring and probably the most fun, rock bands to ever come out of Argentina. Known for its distinctive anarchic energy, unique mix of rhythms, and…
Making their Mark - the rise and rise of The Latino-Brits
First generation Latino-Brits are bubbling under the surface and seeping through into mainstream British cultural life.
Pacifica @ The Garage, Islington
Formed by internet friends Inés Adam (vocals and guitar) and Martina Nintzel (bass and vocals), and Inspired heavily by The Strokes, Pacifica is in Argentine rock duo who gained traction posting covers on social media before…
Richard Gott on Argentina's Bi-Centenary Celebrations
Renowned for his critical-thinking 'people's histories' of Latin America, the UK's most authoritative Latin Americanist - author of 'Land Without Evil' and 'Cuba: A New History' - explores…