Your monthly roundup of a few fun, unmissable festivals on every inhabited continent on Earth. Here are our picks for August: AFRICA | Chale Wote Street Art Festival | Accra, Ghana The funky, futuristic Chale Wote festival brings together graffiti, film, performance art, music, dance, fashion, and every other form of human artistic expression together […]
Fun August Festivals on Every Continent Read More
“Gringo.” I can’t stand that damn word. And it’s all over Latin America, from restaurants with names like Gringo’s Pizza to movies with titles like “Gringo Wedding.” The meaning of the word varies from country to country, but I’ve not found one place yet where it’s actually a positive moniker, despite many travelers who
A powerful triumvirate of lyricists, CHOC QUIB TOWN hails from Quibdó, the impoverished capital of the mostly-black, oft-maligned, and federally-neglected department of Chocó, on Colombia’s Pacific Coast. In what is virtually the Mississippi of Colombia, the African heritage of the residents, relatively un-integrated with the rest of the country, foments a profound but largely overlooked
Global Juke Joint: Colombian Gold Read More
A few days ago, The New York Times published its list of the “31 Places to Go in 2010.” My former adopted country, Colombia, clocked in at number 26. Certainly, the country is worthy of inclusion on this list; the cultural and geographic diversity alone make it a stimulating visit, and it’s not any more
Tomorrow in Colombia is Love and Friendship Day, a homegrown version of Valentine’s Day that includes platonic friends just as much as romantic. It’s strange that I’ve been thinking a lot about Colombia lately, just as this holiday approaches. During the four years I lived there, I had the opportunity to meet and interact with
Colombia Mía: Amor y Amistad Read More
Los Viajes del Viento: An aching, cinematic love letter to the traditional music, diverse ethnic origins, and breathtaking landscapes of the Colombian Caribbean.
From the AV Room: An Accordion and a Curse Read More
You’ve got 26 days left in Colombia; here’s what you do: Rip all bootleg, copied, burned, and otherwise unoriginal CDs to your computer. No need to carry home all that plastic (and the joy of this is rediscovering old tunes and artists who hadn’t crooned from your speakers in a while…some good ol’ Donny Hathaway,
How to Reduce Four-Plus Years Into a Box, a Suitcase, and a Carry-On in 12 Easy Steps Read More
Four years ago, I first visited Colombia at the behest of the friend of a friend who worked as the academic director at a bi-cultural language center in Medellín, the country’s second-largest city, best known for its controversial benefactor, Pablo Escobar. I fell in love with the place, partially because of the hours-long conversations I
Colombia Mía: Paisas Read More
Beyond the uber-famous, internationally-known Shakira and Juanes, Colombian music is a thick stew of flavors and spices ladled in from the three founding cultures of the country: Euro, indigenous, and, most potently, Afro. And, as in most post-colonial societies, it is the music of Colombian artists that speaks most loudly against injustice and in homage
Global Juke Joint: Soundz of Colombia Read More
Carnaval de Barranquilla, February 2009 One of the traditions of Carnival here in Colombia is the throwing of corn starch and water on unsuspecting revelers. This is the first time in three years that someone has succeeded in tagging me. Leave it to three intrepid Colombianas down from New Jersey…they had been plotting from the
Colombia Mía: Maizena y Agua Read More
