Alerta
Theatre is also democratic
Review about “Alerta”, a play by Marianne Eilers Gonzàlez, performed at the Bread & Roses Theatre in July.
We are in Chile and it is 2018. Several education centres and colleges had challenged the status quo from within: students had decided to take their classrooms and lock themself as a way of protesting against unfair treatment. But, who is getting that much noise and alarm? Women are. This is what Alerta play is all about.
In a similar approach to “Women Talking” the movie (2022), Alerta is performed by 10 actors who interact between each other and sitting next to the audience, allowing us to experience closely the fears, the dreams, and the unfortunate events that lead the protagonist to fight against their authorities with strength and vulnerability at the same time.
“Coming up with this show has been a huge and beautiful journey of personal, cultural collective and inspiring discovery. Alerta explores a part of my life in Chile, during the feminist wave in 2018. Creating Alerta comes from a need to tell these stories that drive us to bridge distances, to question, to unite”, shared the director Marianne Eilers González.
What I loved about this play is that it promotes democratic principles which are disappearing in some of the countries where the actors come from, and my own particularly. . Actions such as voting or hearing others’ viewpoints are powerful tools to make everybody feel listened and included. Of course coming to an agreement is always the difficult part and the play highlights this.
When I left the room, it was a shame not knowing if I had to come back. I never knew what happened to these girls up there and how their fight ended. Maybe it is just like democracy: it is always a “work in progress”. But the show had sparked my curiosity about the feminist ‘revolution’ in Chile.
Tell me more!
Alerta is created with 100% Latin America creative team and cast, having performers from Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Nicaragua, Perú, Brazil and México. Alerta combines theatre and activism to create a thought-provoking and impactful portrayal of the feminist movement. Search for it. Read about it and shared it.
Have a look at @alertatheplay on Instagram.
By Cristina Martinez
Carnavalito Family Village
Latin Hub has teamed up with Carnaval del Pueblo to develop a new Family Village ‘Carnavalito’ to offer families a new experience happening in Burgess Park this Sunday 20th of August starting 11 am! FREE ENTRY!
11:00
Open registrations to sing in Karaoke Party and get free circus tickets! (First come first serve- 11:00 to 12:30 pm)
Open registrations for Arts and Crafts Workshops (First come first serve- 11:00 to 3:00 pm)
Spanish bookshop and face painting stands open (11:00 to 4:00 pm)
Free henna tattoos for adults stand open (First come first serve- 11:00 to 4:00pm)
NHS bus and Community tent open (First come first serve-11:00 to 4:00 pm)
Football pitch opens (First come first serve-11:00 to 4 pm) Outside the gated area!!!
SELCE stands opens: save money and the environment at once! (First come first serve-11:00 to 4 pm)
Food stalls open for brunch!
11:30
Toddlers club and storytelling tent: traditional Latin American nursery rhymes and dancing (11:30-12:00 pm)
Brazil tent: Thais Braga session ( 11:30 to 12:30 pm)
Arts & crafts tent: Mosaic workshop for the family and Free drawing and painting for kids. (11:00 to 3:30 pm)
12:00
‘X’ tent: Eco games: learn about the environment while playing coordinated by SELCE. (12:00 to 1:00 pm) Trilingual! Spanish/Portuguese and English
Toddlers club and storytelling tent: Storytelling time: reading of a book in Spanish (12:00 to 12:30 pm) – Spanish
12:30
Toddlers club and storytelling tent: Various activities: playdough, small world, messy play. (12:30 to 1:30 pm) Bilingual Spanish/English
Brazil tent: Intro to Samba workshop by Paraiso School of Samba (12:30 to 1:00 pm) Bilingual Portuguese/English
12:45
Salsathon Stage: Karaoke Party. Come and sing along with your favourite Latin songs! (1:00 to 1:30pm) – Trilingual! Spanish/Portuguese and English
1:30 pm
Toddlers club and storytelling tent: reading of book in English (1:30 to 2:00 pm)- Bilingual Spanish/English
Brazil tent: Melina and Adrian read a Brazilian book called ‘A carta de Hugo’ that reflects on the impact of migration on children (1:45 to 2:00 pm) – Portuguese
X Tent :Collage workshop (1:00 to 2:00 pm)
2:00 pm
‘X’ tent Andean instruments and music workshop by Johnny F Rodriguez @Kausary (2:00 to 3:00 pm) – Bilingual Spanish/English
Brazil tent: Canto dos Mafagafos and Sabia Duvida will coordinate interactive kids entertainment with fun activities including games, fancy dress, songs and dance ( 2:00 to 3:00 pm)- Portuguese
Toddlers club and storytelling tent: Circle time: traditional Latin American nursery rhymes and dancing ( 2:00 to 2:30pm) – Bilingual Spanish/English
3:00 pm
‘X’ tent: Piñata and big Puppets visit including Paddington, Peter Rabbit and ‘El Cuye’ (3:00 to 3:30 pm)
3:30
‘X’ tent : Pub Quiz, test your knowledge on Latin American facts and will get a £50 voucher to be redeemed in a food stall ( 3:30 a 4:00 pm) Trilingual! Spanish/Portuguese and English
4:00
‘Arts and Craft’ tent: Collage workshop (4:00 to 5 pm) Bilingual Spanish/English .5 pm announcement of the winner of the ALAS Competition.
4:30 pm
Outside the gated area in the football pitch: Kicking competition. Give it your best shot and win a voucher of £50 to have the most delicious meal at Street Food Brazil! (4:30 to 5:00 pm) Trilingual! Spanish/Portuguese and English
Storey Telling Tent
A FREE story telling tent hosted by Piñata Bookstore @spanish.books.for.kids. Volunteers will read books in English Spanish and Portuguese.
Age: 2 to 18
Time: Book shop will be open from 10 to 4 pm. Stories programme to be confirmed
Toddler’s Club
FREE toddlers club, where the little ones (0-4) can play in a safe environment and engage in games and songs. Kindly 
sponsored by Tia Ana Nursery Parents are required to stay.
11:30-12:00-Circle time: traditional Latin American nursery rhymes and dancing
12:00-12:30- Storytelling time: reading of a book in Spanish
12:30-13:30-Various activities: playdough, small world, messy play
13:30-14:00-Story telling time: reading of book in English
14:00-14:30-Circle time: traditional Latin American nursery rhymes and dancing
14:30-15:00-Various activities: play-dough, small world, messy play
Arts & Crafts
FREE arts and crafts throughout the day for kids to express their creativity and enter ALAS arts competition!
Latin Hub wants to create a public mural in Maldonado Walk that will include ALAS (wings) and in some ways, represents the Latin American community in the UK. This is a co-creation with the community and some of the designs that come out from these workshops will be included in the final ‘feathers’ of the winds of the public mural.
Age: 3 to 15 Time: 11 am to 4 pm
Supported by United Saviours
Mini Football
Free mini football games for boys and girls!
Age: 3 to 16
Time: 11 to 4 pm
Prize kindly sponsored by Brazilian Street Food
Karaoke
FEE karaoke party! Kids and youth will get to sing their favourite songs in Spanish and Portuguese. Slots will be allocated on a first come first served basis. If you want to secure a slot you can email hola@latinhubuk.org.uk
Age: all ages
Time: 12:45 pm
Piñata
No Latin American party can take place without a Piñata! Make sure you don’t miss this fun tradition that extends from Mexico to Argentina.
Age: 2 to 12 pm
Time: 3 pm
Falamos portugues 🙂
We are so happy to have a record number of Brazilian participants in the Carnival this year including Paraiso School of Samba, Street Food Brazil, Canto dos Mafagafos and Mae Zona. Join our Brazilian tent for bilingual storytelling, samba workshops, singing and games!
Collage & Mosaic Workshops
FREE mosaic workshops! Families can get together to produce a work of art that will be part of a public mural, to be displayed in Elephant and Castle. Supported by Mayor of London. Untold Stories
FREE collage workshops where participants will draw and stick colours and images which are relevant to them and their cultural heritage. Supported by Julio Cesar Osorio @juliocesartist8
Age: Everyone ! — Time: 11 am to 4 pm
Dance Workshops
FREE dance workshops for the whole family (beginners) . Come and learn some salsa, samba or folklore!
Age: Everyone !
Time: All day
Supported by SalsaTeca, Paraiso School of Samba,
Face Painting
Face painting for kids and adults all ages. Will you choose animals, flowers or your country’s flag?
Age: Everyone
Time: 11 to 4 pm
Andean Music Workshop
FREE workshops to learn to play and make Andean instruments by Johnny F Rodrigez @Kausary
Ages: Everyone!
Time: 2 pm
Supported by Jhonny Kausary from @KausaryFusion One of the best Andean bands in Europe.
Food served from 11 am !
This year Carnaval del Pueblo has double it’s efforts to be able to offer high quality food that represents the diverse Latin American Cuisine at affordable prices.
Sunday brunch can include empanadas, arepas, pupusas, tacos, menestra, stake sandwiches, churros, ceviche, caldo de manguera, milanesas, cachapas, llapingacho, vegan food, cachapas, chorizos, halal food and more.
Henna Tattoos
FREE henna tattoos to experiment art in our bodies.
Age: adults only
Time: 11 a 4 pm
Supported by BLAS-Bolivian Latin Age Association
Health Advice
FREE NHS bus that will deliver #PrimaryCare #BloodPressure #WeightManagement #BreastScreening #StopSmoking #MentalHealth #SafeClinics #Vaccinations #DrugAlchoolismRecovery #HealthyStartProgramme #SouthwarkWellBeingHub
Age: everyone!
Time: 11 am to 4 pm
Coordinated by NHS -Partnership Southwark with the participation of Change Glow Charity
Board Games
Like board games? You can borrow one of our board games including chess and scrabble.
Age: everyone!
Time: until 3 pm
Community Tent
FREE Community Tent where visitors can learn about the services available such as housing, employment, community kitchens or benefit advice. Participating charities include LAWRS, Latin American House, Aymara, Latin American Disabled Peoples Project, and more!
Age: everyone!
Time: 10 am – 3 pm
Fun Fair
Ramp up your adrenaline in our fun fair! A wide variety of activities to keep all family members entertained.
Age: Varies
Time: All day
Pub Quiz
Test your knowledge on Latin American culture, sports and geography in a pub quiz and you may win some prices! Coordinated by APARU. Asociación de Profesionales Argentinos en el Reino Unido
Age: Everyone!
Time: 3:30 pm
Raffle
You could win:
A Flight to any Latin American destination thanks to the generous donation of Soliman Travel . Over the past 35 years they have taken thousands of satisfied clients to the region, from Mexico all the way down to Antarctica and looked after them while they’ve been there.
Three signed t-shirts donated by FIFA from profession football players.
Age: Adults only
Time: to be confirmed
Save money and help the planet at the same time!
One-to-one FREE, expect, independent energy saving advice from SELCE . SELCE helps people who are struggling with their energy bills, households who want to invest in greening their property, and organisations that are looking to become more sustainable.
#EnergyDebt #EnergyDiscounts #EnergyGrants #EnergySavingTips #SaveWater
Kids can also learn playing at The Guessing Game (how do I save more) or fight against contamination villains in a Tug of War.
Age: Everyone! Time: 11 am to 4 pm
And this is just Carnavalito !
Click on the Carnaval del Pueblo programme below
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My uncle is not Pablo Escobar
Existing is a visibility thing.
Review about “My Uncle is not Pablo Escobar” theatre play written by Valentina Andrade, Elizabeth Alvarado, Lucy Way, and Tommy Ross-Williams.
I know I am the new kid on the block writing about Latinx in the theatre scene in London, but I am happy to discover Latinx actors taking the stage in different communities. The Brixton House is one example of venues showcasing more Latinx stories. On this occasion, they hosted a play about the complexity of being an immigrant in the voice of four Latinx actresses and how one extraordinary life changing event challenged their status quo.
“Bro, believe me if you are confused, so am I”
A typical migration story goes, first we try to assimilate as much as we can into the culture we are living in. The goal is to adapt and survive. If you depend on a visa; it is also a visibility issue: the less you expose yourself, the better. This was my impression of the conflict between the characters from the Play “My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar”. These characters are invisible to society; just trying to fit in; until an extraordinary event awakens then from that taciturn inaction to work together for the greater good of their communities back home so the events that occurred in the past, don’t happen again.
A well written and directed play performed by amazing actresses in dynamic rhythm. I could not keep my eyes away from the stage for an hour and a half. Also worth mentioning is how inclusive it was displaying subtitles in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Latin American stereotypes were discussed from within the community; another example of how Latinx are increasingly contributing to London’s cultural scene.
Tell me more!
“My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar” is a theatre play written by Valentina Andrade, Elizabeth Alvarado, Lucy Way, and Tommy Ross-Williams. A nug shell for the play: four Latinx women risk everything to expose a multinational bank while they confront the audience with creative inserts games about what it means to be both Londoner and Latinx. You can check more information here
Review by Cristina Martinez
29/06/2023
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.”
ENDS
Eating Myself
***UPDATE***
New UK TOUR DATES. Find out here
“Food is a gift and excuse to be with our love ones”
Comments on “Eating Myself”, solo performance by Pepa Duarte. Peruvian actor, writer, and theatremaker based in London.
Food magically takes us back home evoking memories through its aroma, taste, and the people we share it with. This is precisely what Pepa Duarte, an experienced Peruvian actress, brings to the stage in her play “Eating myself” ; the ability to make the audience feel like they are part of the family. However, this theatre play is not merely a tale of heritage and family, but an exploration of the perpetual struggle for acceptance and the challenges of being an outsider, particularly as a migrant woman.
Pepa has a clear mission “My goal as an artist is pushing boundaries to make unique, experiential, and challenging pieces responding to the demands of social change. My work responds to reality through vulnerability, commitment, and entertainment. Often exploring the themes of migration, feminism, and tradition. Community, family, belonging”.
As an immigrant living in London, Pepa found herself on a journey: a journey inside herself, to discover experiences of sexism, dieting culture, and gender societal norms. Ultimately, she learned that food could be shared with a new family around a new table. And in her play, you are invited to taste it.
The work of Pepa is truly exquisite. As she performs on stage, she commands the scenery with such mastery that it’s almost impossible to look away. And to top it off, she cooks while performing, adding yet another layer of talent. At the end of the play, she invites the audience to share the food she’s prepared, creating a truly immersive experience. As a Latin American migrant in London, I felt a strong connection to her story, and it was hard not to burst into tears.
Tell me more!
Pepa Duarte is a Peruvian actor, writer, and theatremaker based in London. UKNA Selected artist. Award winner (OFFCommendation) for ‘Eating Myself’. Currently working with Old Vic Theatre, Kit Theatre, Tender & Education, and West End in Schools, amongst many other organisations.
***UPDATE***
New UK TOUR DATES. Find out here
Convocatoria a la comunidad argentina a celebrar la COPA DEL MUNDO en UK
***URGENTE***
**Celebremos en el desfile anual del London New Year’s Day Parade**
- Como?
@carnavaldelpueblo tiene como misión promover la herencia cultural Latinoamericana en UK y ha participado en previos desfiles.
El Carnaval del Pueblo gentilmente ha donado un espacio a la comunidad argentina en reconocimiento del logro histórico del mundial.
El desfile se lleva a cabo el primero de enero 2023 de 12:00 a 15:30. Se esta gestionando una plataforma para quienes quieran descanzar. A confirmar esta semana.
- Donde?
Nos encontramos a las 11:30 (PUNTUAL) en el restaurante peruano COYA. SE PUEDE IR DIRECTO SIN REGISTRARSE EN NINGUN LADO. 118 Piccadilly, London W1J 7NW
https://maps.app.goo.gl/nyBi8m847vUkkG9q9
- Quienes?
Se buscan argentinos con ganas de celebrar, especialmente
+chicos/as y jóvenes que les guste el fútbol y tengan camisetas, pelotas y otro merchandising de la selección. (Padres/madres pueden también participar del desfile)
+quienes tengan ganas de bailar tango o murga en la procesión.
+quienes tengan tambores, bombos, banderas y ganas de tirar papel picado.
+quienes tengan ganas de ‘fabricar’ una copa mundial para el desfile.
No hay limite de participantes. Otras ideas bienvenidas!
SE PUEDE IR DIRECTAMENTE AL PUNTO DE ENCUENTRO SIN REGISTRARSE EN NINGUN LADO. Mas preguntas enviar un whatsapp al +44 771 444 2153
- Mas info
*El desfile dura 3 horas (ver itinerario en pdf arriba). Para los menores o gente con problemas de movilidad (mayores) va a haber un carrusel de descanso (confirmado) y quizá una van (a confirmar).
*Todos van a tener una ‘pulsera’ que les permite salir y entrar al desfile cuando quieran y les da prioridad para ir al baño en los locales.
*La hora de llegada es 11:30 en punto de encuentro, es clave ser puntual ya que a las 12 salimos al desfile. Nosotros estaremos en el punto de encuentro desde las 10 y son bienvenidos los que quieran conocer a las otras delegaciones etc.
*Casi confirmado que tenemos un bombo y Sofía se va a disfrazar de Argentina, confirmado copa del mundo. Más tambores, silbatos, panderetas, pelotas, banderas, papel picado lo que sea es bienvenido.
*La temperatura está pronosticada en 11 grados caminando y cantando debería estar ok. Igual yo llevo una mochila con termo y mate. Más termos y mates bienvenidos.
*El transporte es gratis ese día.
*Dentro de lo posible usar pantalones negros, azules o colores oscuros asi se destacan las camisetas y baneras celeste y blanca
- Que es el London New Years’ Day Parade ?
Es el mayor desfile anual del mundo con 10,000+ participantes, 650,000+ espectadores en las calles y cobertura internacional de más de 1500 canales de noticias incluyendo CNN, Fox News, Sky News, BBC y ITV con una audiencia de 500 millones. El evento busca destacar la diversidad de Londres y sus comunidades.
LAWRS[EC1] [SE5]
”Nuestros servicios: Ofrecemos servicios especializados gratuitos y confidenciales para mujeres latinoamericanas, incluyendo asesoramiento y terapia para mujeres enfrentando situaciones de violencia contra mujeres y niñas, asesoramiento legal en beneficios, vivienda, deuda, y derechos laborales, así como actividades de integración y actividades grupales donde puedes conocer otras mujeres de la comunidad.
Todos nuestros servicios son en español y portugués y ofrecemos guardería para mujeres con hijos/as accediendo a nuestros servicios.” By Lawrs
