
Looking for Trouble – The Life and Poems of Roque Dalton
As the first bi-lingual edition of a selected works of the Salvadoran poet, Roque Dalton, is published, Roger Atwood reflects on the life and work of one of Central America's greatest literary figures and revolutionaries…
Remembering Luiz Melodia
A Carioca God of music, Brazil's black Orpheus, a master of Música Popular Brasileira (MPB); Luiz Melodia was like a rhapsode, always absorbing what was happening in the universe of music at that moment condensing rock,…
Gilberto Santa Rosa Tunes That Rock the Dance Floor
Only a handful of Latino singers can boast the career of “The Gentleman of Salsa” Gilberto Santa Rosa. He has the voice, the improvisational skills, the longevity and the popularity. He has been creating hit after hit since the…
Quinoa Porridge
So this recipe is a bowl of deliciousness, and again another “accidentally vegan” recipe hailing from Peru. Quinoa is full of protein and is the perfect start to the day…. unlike regular porridge which can be a bit stogy and has…
Sarmiento: Argentine National Hero or Ideologue of White Settler Racism?
2011's Latin American bi-centenaries saw governments celebrating their national heroes again. In Argentina, a broader process of revising its recent 'Dirty War' history has made many eager to revisit their more…
UK Latino Music Producers
With the UK Latin urban music scene boiling over into the mainstream, a generation of talented Latino producers are rising to the surface. Drawing on their diverse Latin American roots, London influences, and the talent and…
Mon Laferte Live in London
Mon Laferte warmed the EartH in Hackney at her London debut where the Chilean diva played, whilst launching her sixth Album launch 'Norma'
Mexican artist Perla Krauze at the Cadogan Gallery
‘The crevices talk of what has gone before, which is life’ (Las grietas hablan de lo que ha pasado… que es vida’) Mexican sculptor and painter, Perla Krauze, is exhibiting a fascinating selection of her sculptures and…
Ismael Rivera Tunes That Rock the Dance Floor
Ismael Rivera, el Sonero Mayor, the most popular salsa singer and the most accomplished sonero of his time! He was the embodiment of Puerto Rican music, Salsa's father figure and an inspiration to singers from NY to Colombia…
Top Ten Flamenco Legends
It's no surprise that a culture as old and fascinating as is Flamenco has its plethora of legends. As a mere starting point, here we introduce you to a few of those, so they can serve as just a starting point for…
On The Trail of Che
A wave of nostalgia is sweeping Latin America as the 50th anniversary of the death of Che Guevara approaches. Julio Etchart follows the ‘Che route’ to the remote spot where the revolutionary icon was executed.
Films to Watch Before You Die #7 – “The Motorcycle Diaries" by Walter Salles
Guevara Before Che – An expedition for Socialism across 1950s Latin America and the making of a revolutionary
'Madalena': Another Lonesome Transgender Death in Brazil
Shown last month as part of the official selection at the IFFR film festival in Rotterdam, 'Madalena' shows the reality of life and murder for the trans community in Brazil. The film is not a crime thriller, the police…
The Uribe Legacy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
In his eight years as president Álvaro Uribe changed Colombia. But was it all for the best?
ELLA ES CRISTINA Dir. Gonzalo Maza
Life is in colour but sometimes we need to see it in black and white. In ‘Ella es Cristina’ (This is Cristina, 2020), award-winning Chilean writer/ director Gonzalo Maza explores the power of female friendship set against the…
To Flip or not to Flip? The Capoeira Debate
Tradition versus progress. Authenticity versus evolution. In tackling the great Capoeira debate – whether acrobatics orientated Capoeira means abandoning its roots - Helen Lima de Sousa goes to the core of what Capoeira, and…
Brazil: Pixacao Sao Paulo’s Urban Calligraphy
Although present in many different Brazilian cities, pixação (often spelt ‘pichação in official accounts) is most closely identified with São Paulo. In this ‘city of walls’, pixação is everywhere. No building or wall is…
Hip-hop on Lisbon’s South Bank – 40 years in the making
Hip-hop Tuga, otherwise known as Portuguese hip-hop, began in the late 1980s on the south bank of the river opposite Lisbon, the area known as the Margem Sul (South Bank), including Almada and Miratejo, where Cape-Verdean culture…
Things That Matter to...Mon Laferte
Mon Laferte is one of Latin America's most dynamic artists, unstoppable since releasing her album Mon Laferte Vol. 1 in 2015. Last year's Latin Grammy winner for Best Alternative Song for 'Amárrame', the young…
'Window to the Sea' Directed by Miguel Ángel Jiménez
“Those that take risks get the life they want”, not as easy as it sounds, but pretty close to the decisions made by María (Emma Suárez) in this very moving film about love and loss, when María discovers she only has a few months…
Did Salsa Dancers Kill Salsa Music?
Salsa promoters and musicians alike are lamenting the demise of live Salsa music as a culture and commodity people will pay to see. Some even blame the salsa dance and club culture which, they say, got cliquey with its over-…
SALSA IS BACK! (But it Never Went Away)
Over the past few months, the world has seen its biggest reggaetón artists, Bad Bunny and Rauw Alejandro, go back to their roots with salsa releases, in a nod to the Puerto Rican legends that made them. Despite the rise of…
One Hundred Years of Nostalgia: The Great Astor Piazzolla
One hundred years ago today Astor Piazzolla one of the world’s most admired composers and musicians in the world, was born. A man whose transcended borders and revolutionised tango music forever. To this day his towering…
SURVIVING BAHIA'S CARNIVAL
Sweaty grabbing men, cheesy electric guitar music, trance-enducing drumming and plenty of piss: how our girl in Salvador de Bahia got lost in the frenzy that was Brazilian Carnival 2010 and managed to come out to tell the tale.
Radical Aristocracy - A Tribute to María Luisa Bemberg
Celebrated at the Argentine Embassy last week, María Luisa Bemberg is one of Argentina’s most famous film directors; her best known film Camila being nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Described as both a "radical…
Fernando Montaño - Royal Ballet Dancer
Air Europa LUKAS Finalist for Personality of the Year
Ciro Bustos, Che Guevara’s friend and ally
Artist and revolutionary, Ciro Bustos was a key confident of Che Guevara in his fated attempt to trigger revolution across Latin America, through Argentina and Bolivia. He was wrongly accused of betraying Che, when it is now…
Camilo ‘Azuquita’ - A Black Man from Panama - (1945-2022)
He was the daddy of salsa singers, the ultimate papichulo with his crisp swagger and style and one of our favourite salsa singers of all time. Luis Camilo Argumédez had a voice like honey that was so distinctive, so sweet and…
JORGE SPITERI: The Father of Latin Funk
Signed to major record labels in the 1970s, Jorge Spiteri is considered by many to be the pioneer of Latin music in the UK. In Latin America, he is known as the godfather of Latin Funk, influencing a generation of bands, such as…
Remembering Rodolfo Aicardi
Blessed with an unusual voice, which exuded passion and raw emotion, an era of great songs that connected with audiences every day lives, and a magnetic charisma, Rodolfo Aicardi was one of Colombia’s biggest Cumbia stars of the…
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 Saura – A Flamenco Retrospective
The great film director's passion for Flamenco marked his career and helped force the arts establishments in Spain and abroad to give this great art form the respect it was due. Here we pay tribute...
Reinas, Princesas and First Ladies: Salsa’s Women
Salsa music may be known as a tool to seduce women, but the flow swings the other way too. Here are some of Salsa’s greatest soneras who bewitched audiences and proved their talent in a world dominated by male leads.
SON OF HIPHOP: An interview with Trueno
Of the dozens of artists being hailed as the ‘next big thing’ in Argentine urban music, one has caught our attention. The son of a true pioneer of Argentine hiphop, Trueno has grown up immersed in the genre: a technically…
Mezcal Cantina
Charismatic Cesar Garibay runs a veritable home from Mexican home down Dalston way