Afropop Worldwide

The weekend may have been cloudy but the Afro-Latino Festival, which took place July 8-10 at Bed-Stuy’s Restoration Plaza in Brooklyn, shone bright and vibrant. In its fourth edition, the festival hosted a potpourri of DJs, musicians, artisans and great food. It was a demonstration of how deep, mellifluous and quintessentially beautiful the roots of Africa are throughout the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The musical styles were varied and eclectic, yet every participant embraced the moment side by side in harmonious syncopation. With pride-filled hearts and raised fists in “Black Lives Matter” solidarity, the audience joyously sang along and danced to sounds ranging from bullerengue, cumbia, champeta, salsa, merengue, punta, reggae, soul, hip-hop, house music as well as some of the best remixes of Latin American standards. Afro-Latinidad was as “¡presente!” as Rubén Blades’s “Plástico” coda! [caption id="attachment_30389" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Princess Nokia. Photo ©Mario Carrion[/caption] Puerto-Lombian DJ Geko Jones and Panamanian DJ Big Nito hosted the weekend’s Que Bajo and FunDay Stages, respectively. Here are some of the artists that electrified the stage, demonstrating the power of one nation under a groove! Feature photo above: Bulla en el Barrio by ©AilynRobles [caption id="attachment_30379" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Aurelio Martinez. Photo ©Elaine Eversley Images[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30381" align="aligncenter" width="640"] DJ Jigüe, Photo ©Mario Carrion[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30382" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Los Rakas. Photo ©Jasmine Matos[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30383" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Maluca. Photo ©Mario Carrion[/caption] [caption id="attachment_30384" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Tito Puente Jr. Photo ©Mario Carrion[/caption]