“A Celebration of Latin American Music,” on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, from 7pm to 9pm, at the Coffee House, 631 N. 19th Street in Milwaukee, will feature folk music from from the Andes to the Caribbean, and also help raise humanitarian aid to help in the rebuilding of Cuba and Haiti from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. Featuring Tony Baez and Grupo Caupolican, the program will present Latin American folk music and poetry, promoting the cultures of Latin America and the struggles for social justice. Admission is by a free will donation.
When Hurricane Sandy hit the Caribbean, it was a full blown hurricane. It cut right through Cuba’s second largest city, Santiago de Cuba with winds of over 110 mph, and a UN observer declared it to be worst catastrophe to hit Santiago in over 50 years. Over 130,000 homes and 200 medical facilities were destroyed or damaged. 11 persons were killed, which is a very high number in Cuba, which is known for its extensive disaster preparedness. Over 54 people died in nearby Haiti, where Cuban and Haitian doctors are working to contain the continuing Cholera threat. Both nations face a food crisis as the hurricane devastated much of the crops in both nations that were almost ready to be harvested.
Tony Baez, will perform with his guitar poems and songs of political and social content from Latin America. He is the Executive Director of Centro Hispano (the Spanish Center) in Milwaukee; and he has been performing songs of social change for more than 30 years in Puerto Rico, Latin America, and throughout the U.S. Grupo Caupolican is composed of Milwaukee musicians from many nations who bring a message of peace and social change, and who promote maintaining the wonderful folklore of Latin America. They sing and perform instrumental songs and use multiple instruments, presenting songs from Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Argentina.
The event is sponsored by the Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba, which has a matching fund to double your donations, which are tax deductible if made out to MEDICC, Global Links, or to IFCO/Pastors for Peace which is collecting for relief efforts in both Cuba and Haiti (see http://www.ifconews.org/node/1298).
For more information, visit, www.wicuba.org, call 414 273-1040, or send to 633 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1410, Milwaukee, WI 53203.
