Nadeem SalaamShow Preview: Nosotros Fest Feat Bronx Native Hurray For The Riff Raff
Join Nosotros Festival this Friday (11/4) in honor of art, expression, and protest. Nosotro Fest is a music festival uniting Latinxs people of all backgrounds for one night of music at Bowery Ballroom featuring a stellar lineup: Hurray For The Riff Raff, Las Cafeteras, Making Movies, Downtown Boys, & a host of special guests.
At a time where divisiveness and bigotry are publicly celebrated, i’m proud and inspired to see people coming together in the spirit of love. This is what this event is providing as a defiant alternative to the phobia in our media, in our politics, and in our society. If you are fed up, or feeling lost, this event hopes to bridge the helplessness with social justice, and heal the wounds with song.
Local skateboarding activists and feminists We Are Brujas are presenting this wonderful lineup with help from Remezcla. Hurray For The Riff Raff is headlining the event, the Bronx native, Alynda Lee Segarra, has been a conscious voice for quite some time even as her art grew widely in the public eye around 2012. Making Movies are a fantastic addition to this lineup as well, with afro-cuban flairs and feel-good vibes, while the sound of Las Cafeteras will surely turn heads, being brought to life by the eclectic instrumentation used: which include jarana’s, requinto, a donkey jawbone, a West African bass instrument called the Marimbol, cajón, and a wooden platform called the Tarima used to dance Zapateado. There will even be poetry Performances by Samantha Galarza and Bonafide Rojas.
The official goal as stated by organizers: “Our goal is to create a space for Latinx artists who do not fall into the typical boxes created for us. It is a time to share our work, our ideas and our pride in who we are. It is a response to racist and xenophobic rhetoric that hurts us all. It is a continuation of the work Latinx activists have been fearlessly doing for generations. The message is clear: Our work is not done. We must unite and stand for each other, with pride in all our differences and our similarities.
Latinx identity in the U.S. is constantly evolving. In 2014 there were an accounted 55.3 million of us in the United States (Pew Research Center) with family origins from more than 14 different countries. This is a population that deserves to be represented in all its complexity, brilliance and history.
Where do we as outsider Latinx artists fit in? Nosotros is an opportunity for the weirdo Latinxs of the U.S. to unite and take a stand together. From feminist folk to immigrant rock, drag performance to poetry, first generation to fifth, we aim to create an environment of pride and power. We will define and redefine what it means to be Latinx, outside of the pressures and stereotypes placed upon us. We must be brave. This is a tumultuous time for Latinxs in the US and we must respond. ICE raids, hate fueled scapegoating, and Puerto Rico’s humanitarian crisis all speak to the need for this generation to stand together.”
Lastly a portion of ticket sales will benefit Urban Word NYC, an NYC organization that promotes youth literacy through creative writing workshops & performances.