AFRO-LATINO NIGHT
Tuesday, Dec. 6 @ 8:30 PM – Teachers College

GOLDEN SCARS
An intimate portrait of the realities facing young musicians in Cuba, offering an exclusive look into the unique stories of two young rappers born in Santiago de Cuba. They are neither blood brothers, nor the best friends in the world. What they have in common is a passion for an expressive urban culture that gives voice to their most powerful impulses. Going beyond issues of politics and revolution, the artists share with us their passion and the roots of their musical inspiration. Their spiritual strength as well as fierce convictions drive them to pursue their odyssey despite the tensions and personal struggles with which they are confronted. Canada, 2010, 61 min, Doc, Spanish with English subtitles, Alexandrine Boudreault, dir.

Shown with

SOLIDARITY IN SAYA: AN AFRO-BOLIVIAN MUSIC MOVEMENT

Since the abolition of slavery, Afro-Bolivians have remained isolated in rural poverty as subsistence farmers. In recent decades, there has been a wave of urban migration and youths in urban centers have built a supportive community around the traditional Afro-Bolivian Saya music creating a refuge from marginalization in mainstream Bolivian society. The social cohesion and unity cultivated within the Saya group has become a platform for political activism to confront the invisibility of the Afro-Bolivian minority. Rather than standing idle while the colonial hegemonic system of racial hierarchy defines them, the Afro-Bolivian Saya group members empower themselves by defining their own history and identity through public music performances. Bolivia/USA, 2009, 30 min, Doc, Spanish with English subtitles, Maya Jensen, dir.

Q&A with directors Alexandrine Boudreault and Maya Jensen after the screenings followed by a catered reception