Last year saw important celebrations of the bi-centenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the English-speaking world. Our event has been designed to address such a historical occasion from a Latin American perspective, by highlighting and celebrating the African cultural legacy in Latin America.

Latin America is the synthesis of various peoples, races and cultures merged together into one, after a painful and inhumane process brought about by the colonization of the so-called New World with the transportation and enslavement of Africans as well as the Indigenous peoples. Latin American countries with their unique syncretistic culture have come to realize their true identity. Africa has undoubtedly played an important, vital, but often overlooked and forgotten role.

 

Africa’s influence is ever present in the cultural make up of Latin America. The ‘cimarrón’ or runaway African slave symbolizes for us the free and live spirit of Africa in Latin America, hence the name for our event where we will pay homage to its cultural legacy. It is their contribution, together with the Amerindian and European that make Latin America so special and unique.

CIMARRON! will take place on the 11^th to 23^rd February 2008 in Canning House, Conway Hall, SOAS University and other smaller venues across London, this will be a free for all special event that will celebrate the African cultural legacy in Latin America, through music, dance, art, film, ethnicity and culture as a whole.

The event will feature:

Cultural lectures by renowned academics, such as Peter Wade (Manchester University), Matthias Rohrig Assuncao (Essex University), Alessandra Basso (UCL, London), Michael Birimbau (New York University), Jesus Garcia (Venezuela)

Music and dance workshops by renowned UK based Latin musicians and dance specialists: Bosco de Oliveira (Brazil), Emeris Solis (Colombia), Wilmer Sifontes (Venezuela), Jim Le Mesurier (Britain), Flavia Chevez (Peru), Homero Gonzalez (Cuba), Miriam Ojeda (Colombia).

Films and videos

Photographic exhibitions: Lenin Arvelo (Venezuela) about the ritual of mask making and the importance of the devil in the traditional celebrations of ‘Los Diablos Danzantes de Yare’ in Miranda State, Venezuela; Iona Hogendoorn’s work (Holland) pays homage to the courage of an Afrocolombian peace community in the rainforest near the Pacific coast, ‘La Comunidad de Paz de Cacarica’

Music and dance performances by various Latin American artists and community groups representing different countries

CIMARRON! is organized by Bambuco Dance Project, Ola Latina and PercuDance and is funded and sponsored by Awards for All and Festival Encuentro Latino, with support from Canning House and SOAS University.

Special thanks to the artist Kathy Ostman-Magnusen (USA) for kindly allowing us to use her work/image: "Spirit Dance"  http://www.kathysart.com / http://www.monkdogz.com