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
Today, I was all set to welcome the official start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season with a post about my life-long fascination with tropical storms, having grown up in Florida. But in light of Sunday’s disappearance of Air France Flight 447, most notably during inclement weather, I’ve decided to re-post an entry I wrote last
Re-post: The Faces of Tragedy Read More
All the pieces of the puzzle. Behold the itinerary* for my upcoming round-the-world jaunt (click image to enlarge), touching six continents and ending this November in Brazil. In the coming weeks, I’ll delve into the details of the planning, including ticket costs, accommodations, and activities. If you’re in any of the scheduled destinations during the
Fly Brother Departures – Summer/Fall 2009 Read More
Day before yesterday, I posted this as my status on Facebook: Acabo de caminar del gimnasio. Hoy es un día brillante de sol tropical. Y bajo de ese sol iluminante, se me dió cuenta que yo era el único negro/moreno/mulato en la calle que no era obrero, vigilante, mulero, vendedor de cocadas o aguacate, o
LMAO! Please don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @FlyBrother, and “like” me on Facebook! You can subscribe, too!
From the AV Room: Titicaca! 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
They say Caracas es Caracas, lo resto es montes y culebras—Caracas is Caracas, the rest is just shrubs and snakes. With serpentine highways jack-knifing, double-backing, and clinging to mountainsides before plunging through tunnels that connect the country with the Valley of Caracas, that statement is beautifully obvious. The capital of Venezuela, at once cosmopolitan and
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
Recently screened at the Havana Film Festival New York, the 12-minute short film, Hispaniola, tackles Haitian-Dominican relations on the Caribbean’s second-largest island. Director Freddy Vargas shows us how childhood friendships can be marred by issues of race, class, and nationality as we watch a rich, light-skinned Dominican kid befriend the son of Haitian migrant workers
From the AV Room: Hispaniola Read More
