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: “Nos llaman 'los invisibles', los invisibles. Por todos nuestros colores, sabores y ritmos; Los latinoamericanos esperarían todo antes de la invisibilidad. Estamos orgullosos de nuestra alegría, espíritu musical y voces fuertes. La cruda realidad de ser latinoamericano en el Reino Unido ha hecho de la invisibilidad una nueva costumbre para nuestra comunidad, de la que es difícil escapar ".

---

Latin Hub UK es una iniciativa independiente, no partidista y sin fines de lucro para apoyar a los latinoamericanos en el Reino Unido y promover nuestra herencia cultural. En línea con estos objetivos, el 9 de octubre exhibimos nuestro trabajo en 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!