Hear the Voices
The amazing team at Latin American Bureau has, after years of labour, finally published its long awaited book ‘Voices of Latin America’, which recounts the continent’s recent history of social movements and struggles for justice, through the protagonists themselves. LAB spoke to indigenous activists, mothers of police brutality victims, independent journalists, women and LGBT rights defenders and students - from 14 countries between Mexico to the Southern Cone. The locations and causes are disparate, but the book collates the shared learning between the different movements which link issues across national borders. A must read for all those interested in Latin America. www.developmentbookshop.com
Listen to the Music
For the first time ever, The UK will host its own Latin Music Conference on Friday 3 May at the prestigious Bush House (former home of the BBC World Service) in The Strand. Set to check the temperature of Latin Music in the UK through a day of panels, discussions, workshops and networking, LoLaMC is a one day event for everyone with a professional interest in the creation, presentation, promotion and distribution of Latin genres, which are slowly taking over the world. Musicians, DJs, dancers, promoters, venues, labels, distributors, media and other organisations make up the list of impressive guests and speakers who will share their passion and knowledge. Some hot discussions will be had and no doubt even more schmoozing over Mojitos. Be there or be square. www.lolamc.com
Drink to Brexit
For you wine lovers out there, fear not the woes of Brexit or the need to stockpile bottles of French wine. The Brazilians are here to save the day! Go Brazil have built a successful business out of sourcing the best Brazilians wines and have selected for us this Sinais Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, priced at £12.50/bottle. Packed full of blackcurrant and cassis fruit, with a touch of spice, this is a chunky and flavoursome red, perfect with steaks or mature cheeses. Hopefully there’ll still be some French cheese left in the supermarket to drink it with, otherwise we might have to soon import that from Latin America too. www.gobrazilwines.com
Taste The Hand of God
If you died and went to heaven, the little cherubs in the sky would be surely stuffing themselves with Havanna’s white alfajores. These cake sandwiches coated in a sugar meringue, filled with ‘dulce de leche’ have been quelling cravings all over Latin America for decades. But no matter what anyone tells you, the ones made by this legendary Argentine confitería, founded in Mar del Plata in 1948, are the queens of the alfajor, still made to the original recipe. The name "Havanna" was an homage to the capital city of Cuba but the reason why the name was written with a double "n" is now unclear. Growing up on these delicious morsels, I now know why I spelt the Cuban capital with two ‘n’s until I was an adult! www.urushop.co.uk
