Concert to benefit libraries, archives damaged in the Haiti earthquake
September 22, 2010
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida will host a fundraiser on Oct. 22 in University Auditorium to benefit the Protecting Haitian Patrimony Initiative, which brings together international contributors to support vulnerable libraries and archives in Haiti damaged in the Jan. 12 earthquake.
The fundraiser will feature music and dance performances celebrating the African diaspora in Latin America and the Caribbean. Performances will include capoeira, Afro-Brazilian dance, Afro-Haitian dance, reggae, Afro-Peruvian music, samba music and more.
Choreographers and performers include professor Elizabeth Chin from Occidental College in Los Angeles; Bohasha Porto, Leandro Silva and Janete Silva of the Brazilian Cultural Arts Exchange; and the group Macaxeira Roots with guest artists Welson Tremura and Larry Crook, co-directors of UF’s Jacaré Brazil.
On Oct. 21 the artists will perform at Duval Elementary School to raise cultural awareness among the students. A number of dance and percussion workshops will also be open to the Gainesville community. For more information on performers and workshop schedules, please visit www.bcaeonline.org.
Tickets to the “Hand in Hand” concert are $12 for UF students and $16 for the general public and can be purchased at the Phillips Center Box Office 352-392-2787. Online purchases can be made via Ticketmaster at: http://www.ticketmaster.com.
Tickets purchased from the Phillips Center for Performing Arts box office or online with Ticketmaster prior to Oct. 18 will be entered into a drawing for original Haitian artwork. The winner will be announced at the concert.
The Protecting Haitian Patrimony Initiative funds collection/archival recovery and preservation projects, including purchasing and shipping materials, paying for specialists to travel to Haiti, and paying wages for personnel engaged in archival preservation and recovery-work in Haiti. More information is available at http://www.dloc.com.
The event is sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies and supported by the Brazilian Cultural Arts Exchange, the UF Black Graduate Student Organization, the African American Studies Program, the Center for African Studies, UF’s George A. Smathers Libraries, the UF School of Theatre and Dance, S-Connection LLC and Studio Percussion.
Founded in 1930, the UF Center for Latin American Studies advances knowledge about Latin America and the Caribbean and its peoples throughout the hemisphere. With over 170 faculty members from colleges across UF, the Center is one of the largest institutions for interdisciplinary research, teaching and outreach on Latin America, Caribbean, and Latino Studies. Programs include Tropical Conservation and Development, Crime, Law and Governance in the Americas, and Latin American Business Environment, among others.