August 31, 2004
Black Cultural Center lineup focuses on Afro-Latin culture
|
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's Black Cultural Center will sponsor a series of events that focus primarily on Afro-Latin culture and the diaspora.
"This will connect our theme with the 2005 National African Diaspora theme set by the Association for the Study of African Life and History," said Renee Thomas, director of the Black Cultural Center. "It will also lay the foundation to build a strong collaborative relationship between the Black Cultural Center and the new Latino Cultural Center at Purdue University. This series is designed to provide a balanced overview of the Afro-Latin experience. Students will gain greater understanding of the cultural heritage and similarities between African and Latin culture."
Maricela Alvarado, director of Purdue's Latino Cultural Center, said the African and Latino cultures are so intertwined that one cannot fully be understood without looking at the other.
|
"I think that it is important to learn about Afro-Latino culture because it is different from simply the Latino experience or the black experience," Alvarado said. "Afro-Latino identifies the influence Africa has on Latin American culture and vice versa; from music to dance, poetry and literature, our experiences viewed separately are definitely relative and together makes our cultures more beautiful."
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. The following events are planned for the 2004-05 academic year:
• Sept. 1 to Oct. 15. "Forever Free – the Road to Emancipation," Tippecanoe Public Library, 627 South Street, Lafayette. View during regular library hours: Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1-6 p.m. The exhibit reexamines President Abraham Lincoln's efforts toward the abolition of slavery during the Civil War. The exhibit consists of six freestanding panels that form a display 7 feet by 75 feet. Each panel has reproductions of rare historical documents, period photographs, illustrative material and a timeline to explore the events and individuals who influenced Lincoln and led to his pivotal decision to free slaves in 1863.
• Sept. 8, 6 p.m. Black Cultural Center, 1100 Third Street, Multipurpose Room 1. BCC Library/Faculty BookTalk, "Slave Traffic in the Age of Abolition - Puerto Rico, West Africa and the Non-Hispanic Caribbean, 1815-1859." A talk by Joseph C. Dorsey, associate professor of history and African American Studies at Purdue.
• Sept. 11, 3-5 p.m. Black Cultural Center. BCC Friends and Family Day. The annual event will be immediately following the Purdue-Ball State football game. Activities are free and include food, games, cultural events and live entertainment.
|
• Sept. 22, 7 p.m. Stewart Center, Room 218A. Felipe Luciano, "The Magical Journey from Mambo to Hip Hop and Salsa." Reporter, poet and activist Felipe Luciano, founder and chairman of the Young Lords party, gives a multi-dimensional performance.
• Oct. 8-12. Research tour to Puerto Rico. Members of the Black Cultural Center's performing arts ensembles will explore the African influences on the development of Puerto Rican culture. The students will visit Old San Juan, El Yunque (the rain forest) and the town of Loiza, which is the birthplace of the African-inspired musical form known as bomba. Participants will learn from area scholars and study with local artists.
• Oct. 14, 7 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. "English Only," a one-act play by James Chapmyn. Assimilation, acceptance, denial and consensus in a multicultural family are explored when two brothers see their Hispanic culture in different ways. One brother refuses to acknowledge anything that has to do with his Latin heritage, while the other brother is not only proud of his culture and history, but also is an advocate for diversity and acceptance. The brothers struggle to come to terms with each other and their relationship with racism and identity in America.
• Oct. 29-30, 7 p.m. Black Cultural Center. Performing Arts Ensembles Showcase. Students will present a "work in progress" to be created from experience and information they receive during their research trip to Puerto Rico.
|
• Nov. 10, 7 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Jorge Arce, Afro Caribeno. Arce is an actor, dancer, singer, cultural historian and researcher who will present a multimedia exploration of Puerto Rican and Afro-Caribbean culture. His family comes from San Anton, a predominantly black community known for the African traditions of bomba music. Arce, a graduate of Harvard University, will perform music, dance, lore and stories handed down for more than two centuries.
• Dec. 3, 7 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. "Donde Esta Loiza? An Exploration of Afro-Latin Culture and the Diaspora." Features Black Cultural Center Performing Arts Ensembles. Admission is $7 for the general public, $5 for students.
Writer: Reni Winter, (765) 496-3133, rwinter@purdue.edu
Sources: Maricela Alvarado, (765) 494-2530, alvaradm@purdue.edu
Renee Thomas, (765) 494-3091, rathomas@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
To the News Service home page