After dedicating its last edition to the musical reinas of the African diaspora, Afro-Latino Festival returns in 2018 with a whole weekend centered around a new theme: #IDENTITY&BEYOND. The three-day event takes place across a wide range of New York City venues, and will explore the conversation on Afro-Latinidad beyond the context of identity, digging deeper into its cultural, socioeconomic, and political issues.
The program kicks off with the day-long conference Afrolatin Talks at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which will honor Afro-Latinx activists Urenna Best, Marielle Franco, and Bernardo Cuero. On the second day, the Liberation Film Festival is set to take place at the Abrons Center for the Arts, with films from countries like Puerto Rico, Brazil, Haiti, and more, as well as food, beer, and wine tasting, and live music.
Outdoor Brooklyn venue The Well is where the main musical event will happen on July 15, with performances by La Tribu de Abrante (who have previously collaborated with Tego Calderón and Ivy Queen), Brooklyn rapper LATASHA, Dominican roots group Yasser Tejeda y Palotré, and more. Thanks to the festival’s Cultural Ambassador Exchange program, there will be a special delegation of Afro-Colombian artists this year, including bands like Profetas, Palma Chonta, and El CaribeFunk.
You can support the cause as soon as July 5, with a concert at Queens’ Springfield Park, co-presented by the festival and City Parks Foundation Summerstage, featuring Haitian band RAM, Paul Beaubrun, and DJ Hard Hitting Harry.
Afro-Latino Festival takes place on July 13-15, 2018 in New York. Peep the complete program and buy tickets here.