Athens, Ga. – Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations at the University of Georgia and in Athens-Clarke County, sponsored by the Latin American & Caribbean Studies Institute at UGA, will begin with LACSI’s annual open house this Friday, Sept. 14, from 2-5 p.m. at their 290 South Hull St. location in Athens.
The open house is part of the month-long event celebrated nationally from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This year’s open house is co-sponsored by the UGA romance languages department’s Brazilian Portuguese program. Live Brazilian music, food and dance will be featured, and Hispanic Heritage Month 2007 posters will be available free at the event.
Throughout the month, dramatic performances, films, lectures and fiestas will take place at UGA and throughout the community. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public.
“The Latin American region is very important to the state of Georgia and the U.S.,” said LACSI assistant director Paul Duncan. “Recognition of the region’s importance is not lost on UGA undergraduates, with 35 students already pursuing the new Latin American & Caribbean Studies major. In today’s global economy, having fluency in a second language like Spanish or Portuguese and a thorough understanding of Latin American cultures will make LACS graduates very competitive for careers in the private and public sectors – be it here in Georgia or anywhere in the U.S. or Latin America. The many activities that will take place over the next month will provide the community with a good sense of just how culturally diverse, and important, the region truly is.”
Events include:
Friday, Sept. 14, 2-5 p.m. The Latin American & Caribbean Studies Institute at 290 South Hull St. will host its annual LACSI Open House to launch Hispanic Heritage Month. Co-sponsored by LACSI and the UGA romance language’s Brazilian Portuguese Program.Live music and food provided.Free and open to the public.
Saturday, Sept. 15, 9 a.m. at LACSI.Hispanic Student Association pre-game tailgate. Latino organizations at UGA unite to celebrate one of UGA’s oldest traditions and to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month. Contact kablooy@uga.edu.
Sunday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. at Ciné Art House Theater downtown Athens on Hancock Avenue.The Line in the Sand: Stories from the U.S./Mexico Border will be performed by the new Athens theater group La Compañia. Sponsored by the Economic Justice Coalition, an Athens-Clarke County non-profit organization that works for a living wage and fair treatment for all workers.
Monday, Sept. 17, through Thursday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Peruvian Earthquake Relief Week.Fundraiser outside of Tate Student Center. Latino organizations at UGA unite to collect money for the victims of the recent Peruvian earthquake. Ribbons will be sold for donations to the Red Cross. Contact kablooy@uga.edu.
Monday, Sept. 17, 4-6 p.m., OASIS Catolico. Fiesta de las Americas. As a way to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month and have children be a part of it, this will be an afternoon filled with games, music and refreshments. Sponsored by the Hispanic Student Association. Contact kablooy@uga.edu.
Monday, Sept. 17, 7-8 p.m. at the Athens Regional Library (2025 Baxter St., Athens). Sponsored by the UGA Media Department: Streams of Gold. This documentary traces the history of an American company in an Andean mining town, where filmmaker John Tweedy’s grandparents lived and worked for 30 years. It explores the complicated relationship between global capital and local communities.
Wednesday, Sept. 19, 7-9 p.m., Student Learning Center, Room TBA.”Orgullo Hispano.”Successful Latinos speak on Latino pride and their connection to their heritage.Hear about their struggles, achievements and journey from their native country to the U.S. Contact kablooy@uga.edu.
Thursday, Sept. 20, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.LACSI at 290 South Hull St.Reception for International Public Service and Outreach TIES Program exchange students from universities in Veracruz, Mexico. TIES students will also organize a short presentation on the public education system of Mexico.Presentation to begin at noon, reception to follow.Contact Paul Duncan at LACSI for more information, 706/542-9079.
Thursday, Sept. 20, from 10-2 a.m. at Flannagan’s.Peruvian earthquake relief. The culmination of a four-day fundraiser, Latino organizations at UGA will be having a fundraiser downtown. A donation of $5 will be collected and donated to Red Cross. Contact kablooy@uga.edu.
Thursday, Sept. 20, Viva Cuba, a film by Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti will be shown at 7 p.m. Athens-Clarke County Library auditorium.Viva Cuba is sponsored by the Athens-Clarke County Library’s iFilms International and Independent Film Series. 80 minutes, Spanish with English subtitles.Two best friends who are in danger of being separated forever run away from home. The friendship between two children is threatened by their parents’ differences.
Monday, Sept. 24, 7-9 p.m. at the Athens Regional Library (2025 Baxter St., Athens). Sponsored by the UGA Media Department: El Perro del Hortelano. Directed by Pilar Miró. Based on the Siglo de Oro play by Lope de Vega. Not rated.Spanish with English subtitles. Comedy about a single-minded noble-woman who follows her heart and not the constricting class rules of her day as she woos a lowly attendant.
Tuesday, Sept. 25,7 p.m. at the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship on Timothy Road. The Line in the Sand: Stories from the US/Mexico Border will be performed at by the new Athens theater group La Compañia.Sponsored by the Economic Justice Coalition.
Monday, Oct. 1, 7-9 p.m. at the Athens Regional Library (2025 Baxter St., Athens). Sponsored by the UGA Media Department: Take the Lead. Directed by Liz Friedlander. PG-13.Starring: Antonio Banderas, Rob Brown, Yaya DaCosta, Dante Basco, Alfre Woodard.Inspired by a true story, Antonio Banderas plays acclaimed ballroom dancer Pierre Dulane in the film, which revolves around a professional dancer who teaches in the NYC public school system.
Monday, Oct. 8, Students for Latin@ Empowerment general meeting at 7 p.m., room 267, Student Learning Center. 8 p.m. lecture: “Latino Arts & Activism,” presented by Valerie Aranda from Georgia College & State University.Recognition of overlooked Latino artists and artwork in the United States.
Tuesday, Oct. 9, from 11-3 p.m., Tate Plaza.Voces Unidas, an event celebrating the national Latino Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD). There will be multiple speakers on various issues concerning Latinos such as education, health care and legislation. Contact kablooy@uga.edu.
Thursday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m. “What is Latino?” An open discussion on the meaning of Latino and the heritage of those to whom the label is applied. Sponsored by Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity Inc. Location: TBA. Contact Qasid@lsu79.org.
Friday, Oct. 12, Students for Latin@Empowerment will be hosting Dia de la Raza. The SLE event will take place in the Tate Student Center Plaza from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Celebration of Latino cultural pride in the United States with displays of heritage from Latin America, presentations and music.
Saturday, Oct. 13, Georgia Hall, Tate Student Center.Noche Latina. Food from 6:30-7:30 p.m., Show 8-11 p.m.To culminate the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Hispanic Student Association presents an evening of food and a performance showcase which includes singing, dancing and music. Contact kablooy@uga.edu.
Monday, Oct. 15, 2:30 p.m. Leconte Hall, room 101. LACSI and the UGA history department sponsor the visit and lecture of Micol Seigel, University of Indiana Bloomington assistant professor of American studies and African American/African Diaspora studies. “Trading Race: Transnational Method and Racial Constructions in the Americas.” Contact Pamela Voekel to obtain copy of her pre-circulated papers:voekel@uga.edu.
Thursday, Oct. 18, 3-4 p.m., Baldwin Hall, room 264. LACSI sponsors the visit of Egleé López and Stanford Zent with the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones CientíficasHuman Ecology Laboratory in Caracas, Venezuela.Their lecture is entitled”Constructing and Contrasting Ethnocartographies in the Venezuelan Amazon: Implications for Landscape Theory and Land Rights Policy.”
Saturday, Oct. 20, Latino Learning Labyrinth. Celebrate and learn about Hispanic identity, culture, history, music and mythology.Sponsored by Fanning Institute in collaboration with Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity, Inc., Students for Latino Empowerment and Hispanic Student Association (Rain date: Sunday, Oct. 21) 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Location: Earthsong, 255 Chulitna Way, Bogart. RSVP: Contact the student organization directly orAmanda McKasson, 706-583-5532, amckasson@fanning.uga.edu.
The 2007 Latin American Film Festival Films is co-sponsored by the Georgia Museum of Art and LACSI.All films 7 p.m. at the Georgia Museum of Art M. Smith Griffith Auditorium. http://www.uga.edu/gamuseum. Films being shown include:
Wednesday, Sept. 19: Retrato de Teresa (Portrait of Teresa) (1979) Directed by Pastor Vega, this story focuses on Teresa, a crew leaders at a textile factory, who feels stretched by her family, work, marital and volunteer responsibilities. It is a study of the disintegration of a marriage and the stubborn survival of machismo in post-revolutionary Cuba. Spanish with English subtitles (115 minutes). Not rated.
Wednesday, Sept. 26: Eu Tu Else (Me You Them) (2000) Directed by Andrucha Waddington, this is a comedy of sexual role reversal and female empowerment. An unmarried mother adrift in Brazil’s desert-like northeast establishes her own private Utopia, with three “husbands” who collectively provide the qualities that each individually lacks. Portuguese with English subtitles (107 minutes). Rated PG-13.
Wednesday, Oct. 3, Como Agua para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) Set in the early 20th century, this film tells the story of a woman’s life and how it is shaped by her unyielding mother and the overwhelming power of cooking. Directed by Mexican director Alfonso Arau. Spanish with English subtitles. Mexico,1992. Rated R (113 minutes).
Wednesday, Oct. 10, Valentín. Valentín is an 8-year-old boy who is being raised by his grandmother in Buenos Aires. He finds himself searching for a real family.When his grandmother dies he realizes he will have to find out the answers on his own. Spanish with English subtitles. Argentina, 2003. Rated PG-13 (86 minutes).