Latin Hub UK receives funding from the Mayor of London
‘Aqui Estamos’ Exhibition Project has received £5000 from the Mayor of London’s Untold Stories fund, part of his Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm.
We want to create a contemporary mosaic mural that celebrates the diverse cultural heritage and contributions of Latin Americans to the UK. Bottom-up co-designing will highlight stories of resilience and success dispelling stereotypes that reduce our contributions to the entertainment and hospitality industries.
The funding is part of the £1m Untold Stories programme to champion diversity in the capital’s public spaces and ensure London’s landmarks and monuments reflect the achievements of all who have contributed to the success of our city. The grants offer Londoners the opportunity to develop ideas and share their stories which will be represented within the public realm.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, established the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to improve the representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, women, LGBTQ+ communities and Deaf and disabled people and those from a range of socio-economic backgrounds in the public realm.
Romina Lopez, Latin Hub Founder said : “We are passionate about promoting visibility of our community because that leads to recognition from institutions and increased opportunities.”
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Latin Hub increasing visibility of Latin Americans
The Latin American community is one of the fastest growing in London making an essential contribution to how the city operates economically, socially and culturally. In her foreword to the report, Paulina Tamborrel, a Citizens UK community organiser from Mexico, said:
“They call us ‘the invisibles’, los invisibles. For all our colours, flavours and rhythms; Latin Americans would expect all before invisibility. We pride ourselves in our joy, musical spirits and loud voices. The grinding reality of being Latin American in the UK has made invisibility a new custom for our community, one that is hard to escape.”
Latin Hub UK is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit initiative to support Latin Americans in the UK and to promote our cultural heritage. Our website and social media channels aim to integrate all the dispersed activities by and for our community, creating a hub that strengthens our identity and contributes into a larger journey towards visibility and recognition of one of London’s fastest-growing yet least appreciated communities.
In line with these goals, on the 9th of October we exhibited our work in Southwark Heritage Centre & Library.
During our last year we have gathered stories of courage and resilience from Latin American traders that have been affected by gentrification, covid and all the other barriers that the community faces.
On the ground floor we exhibited the beautiful paintings of Desire Noriega, which illustrated the spirit of our oral interviews.
It was a great event that connected us with young Southwark residents also concerned with issues of gentrification as well as the wider community.
Art can be a great communicator, but we also accompanied the paintings with a synopsis of the story that inspired the artist, contextualised by the wider challenges that the Latin American community faces related to each story. We also included organisations where members of the community can seek support for a wider rage of issues, from domestic violence to work exploitation.
On the first floor we presented an audiovisual experience, all audio interviews were animated with painting videos combined into a short movie that presented all the trader stories in a series. Visitors were able to experience first hand the moving stories of resilience and hope.
At the end of the event, a local artist illustrated the day that we captured in the image video.
A big thank you to all visitors who were so positive about our exhibition and project!
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