In times of uncertainty and challenge, organizations and communities rise together, drawing strength from their shared histories, cultures, and dreams. Through resilience, creativity, and solidarity, they find the courage to endure, resist, heal, and reclaim joy.
AfroMundo invites you to participate in a powerful weeklong Arts & Humanities Festival— a multilingual, cross-cultural celebration of storytelling in all its forms. Immerse yourself in a dynamic tapestry of music, literature, film, visual and culinary arts, and communal dialogues that transcend state and national borders. Experience the transformative power of art, engage in thought-provoking conversations, forge meaningful connections and honor the voices and narratives that shape our world. Come for the inspiration— stay for the community.
April 12th 7:30pm, At the Crossroads (opening concert)
Hosted at the Outpost Performance Space, Albuquerque, NM.
Grammy Nominated and Jalc Millennium Swing Award recipient, Elio Villafranca is a Cuban born Composer and Jazz Pianist extraordinaire. His latest album, Standing at the Crossroads, explores the different religions intertwined within the cultural fabric of his country. His concert, Letters to Mother Africa, was selected by NYC Jazz Record as Best Concert in 2016. (Not funded by NMHC).
April 13th, 3pm, We Will Not Perish – (documentary screening and panel discussion)
Hosted at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Wells Fargo Auditorium, Albuquerque, NM.
Screening of documentary Ayiti Pap Peri: Ayiti Will Not Perish (2023, Cassandre Thrasybule, 1h4, 3 min). A spotlight on Haitian expatriates returning to work on behalf of their country. Intersectional discussion of Haiti and Cuba follows. Panelists include the documentary’s Director and Journalist Cassandre Thrasybule, Haitian American author Patrick Sylvain, Afro Cuban Artist and Actress Lili Bernard, and documentarist Aida Esther Bueno Sarida. Followed by a Q&A.
April 13th, 7pm, Changing the Narrative (literary reading)
Hosted at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Wells Fargo Auditorium, Albuquerque, NM.
Presentations by Haitian American poet Patrick Sylvain, Afro-Cuban filmmaker Aida Esther Bueno Sarduy, and Palestinian-Canadian author Saeed Teebi. Followed by a Q&A.
April 14th, 7pm Together We Stand – (documentary screening)
National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Bank of America Theater, Albuquerque, NM.
Screening of documentary Standing Above the Clouds (2020, Jalena Keane-Lee, 1 hr, 23 min). Through the lens of mothers and daughters in three Native Hawaiian families, the film explores intergenerational healing and the impacts of safeguarding cultural sites. Panelists include Hawaiian tradition bearer Pua Case; Alaskan playwright Marleah Makpiaq LaBelle; and Grand Canyon Havasupai Native Carletta Tilousi Followed by a Q&A. (Panel discussion funded by NMHC).
April 15, 7:00 pm – No Other Land – (documentary screening)
Hosted at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Bank of America Theater, Albuquerque, NM.
Screening of multiple award winning documentary No Other Land (2024, Basel Adra, Hamden Ball, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shore, 1 hr, 32 min) made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four directors. Over the course of five years, Basel Adra films his Palestinian community of Massager Yatta as he builds an alliance with an Israeli journalist. Panelists include author Saeed Teebi; Nicole D. Porter, Senior Director of Advocacy at The Sentencing Project; and Brandi Kellam, a Gracie and Emmy awarded Journalist. Followed by a Q&A.
April 16th, 7pm, Food is Power—Cultivating Resilience, (panel discussion)
Hosted at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Salon Ortega.
Panel discussion with Palestinian/Syrian Chef Reem Assil; Santa Clara Pueblo Chef Norma Naranjo, and Haitian Chef Cynthia Verna. Followed by Q&A.
April 17th, 6pm, Wellness and The Art of Expression (visual arts slide presentation and humanities conversation)
Hosted at the Albuquerque Museum of Art.
Presentation and dialogue between interdisciplinary artists: Flint, Michigan born Ash Arder, and Taos, New Mexico resident Nikeesha Breeze. Followed by a Q&A.
April 18th, 7pm, Wade in the Water: The Will to Heal (cross-cultural healing ceremonies)
Hosted at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Salon Ortega.
Multi-generational, cross-cultural healing ceremonies from Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, and Haiti. Followed by communal sharing of narratives and Q&A. (Not funded by NMHC).
April 19th, 7pm, Pèlerinaj: Pilgrimage (closing concert)
Hosted at the South Broadway Cultural Center.
Ordained as a Houngan (Vodou priest) in his teens, Erol Josué currently holds the position of General Director of Haiti’s National Bureau of Ethnology, acting as both an academic and living emissary for his birthplace and the Haitian Vodou religion. Josué’s newest album, Pèlerinaj, is a showcase for his eclectic and innovative blend of contemporary jazz, Haitian sacred songs, Creole folk, improvisation and electronic pop. (Not funded by NMHC).
