Queloides is an art exhibition that investigates race and racism in contemporary Cuba. Cuban artists, including musicians, writers, painters, performers, and academics, have been denouncing the persistence of racial discrimination in Cuban socialist society since the early 1990s. Queloides, curated by Alejandro de la Fuente and Elio Rodriguez, brings together artists whose work actively confronts racism in contemporary Cuba.
Queloides is currently on exhibition at the Mattress Factory Museum in Pittsburgh, PA. On October 22nd, Queloides artists Marta María Pérez Bravo, Elio Rodríguez, Armando Mariño, and René Peña participated in a CLACS sponsored artist roundtable at NYU. Ana María Dopico, CLACS affiliated faculty and Associate Professor in NYU’s Spanish and Portuguese department, moderated the event.
Dr. Francisco Panizza, a Senior Lecturer at the London School of Economics and Political Science, argues that Latin America’s political elite have used Populism to appeal to historically under-served and excluded communities. In his presentation at New York University on October 12, Panizza asserted that the term Populism has been over-used, has both positive and negative connotations, and has even become an insult in some circles.
“El Barrio,” the predominantly Latino neighborhood in East Harlem, has long been a cultural center for the New York Latino community. Latinos began emigrating to El Barrio in the 1920s, with a large wave of Puerto Ricans immigrants arriving after World War II. In addition to its cultural heritage, El Barrio has also overcome significant struggles with poverty, and drug and gang activity. Recently, many Barrio residents complain that real estate development in the neighborhood is leading to gentrification, and a loss of Latino cultural heritage in this historic neighborhood.
Bolivian President Evo Morales spoke to a diverse crowd of supporters at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of New York on Tuesday, September 21st. President Morales’s talk was titled: “Nature is not for sale: The Rights of Mother Earth.” When talking with attendees in a line that wrapped around the block, I learned that their reasons for attending were as diverse as their backgrounds. Danni Gee from Philadelphia, PA—who works for New York City’s Central Park—knew nothing about Evo Morales, but had decided to come at the behest of a friend. Sam, who asked to remain anonymous, and lives “somewhere in Manhattan,” said he was a longtime supporter and had a friend who was “tied in with a Bolivian ornithologist.” 
