The Westbury Memorial Library will kick off a three-day cultural event titled “Empowered,” which will bring a taste of Latin America to the local area next month.
Adriana Devers, director and coordinator of the Latinx Arts Festival, worked with local groups like the Westbury School District, Westbury Memorial Public Library and Nassau Community College to make this event a multi-day cultural experience. The festival will start on Oct. 10 and end on Oct. 12, which will coincide with the completion of Hispanic Heritage Month on Oct. 15. It will highlight diverse voices; celebrate local performers, artists and cultural heritage; and authors will host readings.
“We’re doing the grand opening at the Westbury Memorial Public Library where we’re going to have a selected group of students from the Westbury School District who are going to be sharing readings from different pieces of literature by Latin authors,” Devers said. “Then we’re going to have a musical performance by young performer Laura Martinez and we’re going to have an international dancer Zaman.”
The inauguration ceremony will take place on Oct. 10, at the Westbury Memorial Public Library from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., where literature, visual arts, music and folklore will take the audience through different corners of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Our programming aims to foster artistic expression and provide an educational opportunity that highlights the contributions of Hispanic artists on Long Island, celebrating our cultural traditions while uplifting our diverse voices,” Devers said on Liberarteinc.org.
On Oct. 11, there will be an exclusive student-oriented educational fair at Nassau Community College. Devers said registration for this fair is closed because it will be serving 200 to 250 students from six different school districts on Long Island. She said students will be immersed in different cultural activities, author talks and have the opportunity to meet artists.
On Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the event will continue at the CCB Building at Nassau Community College. There will be a live performance by the international Afro-Colombian ensemble Tambacum. Then there will be a screening of a documentary titled “Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story” by Renzo Devia and Jorge Cano-Moreno, with a question-and-answer session following the film.
“It’s on Afro-Latinx history and how our heritage is so rich all throughout Latin America, recognizing our African history,” Devers said.
Paul Rodriguez, author and illustrator, will read one of his books. After the reading, he will guide students to create their own story, inspired by one of his books.
A pop up art exhibit will feature works by various Long Island artists, sharing their perspective of what it means to be “empowered,” among them Clemente Ettrick and Sueey Gutierrez.
The program will continue with a spoken word open mic hosted by Nassau County Poet Laureate Paula Curci and journalist Angie Hernandez. Salsa Sensation Latin Dance Studio will then provide a salsa workshop. Devers and musician Juan Urib will close the festival with a presentation of the New York State Council on the Arts grant program “Bearing in Mind, Poems and Vignettes of an Afro-Latina on Long Island.”
Devers said she had the idea to start a Latinx festival since before the pandemic. She presented the idea to local organizations, artists and authors as an event to showcase diversity and celebrate culture with music and art.
“It’s really important for us to share with our children our rich culture and our pride,” Devers said. “It’s something that really empowers them. It brings families together.”
Devers said that with this festival, she hopes to show kids that there are spaces where they can feel welcomed, hear stories that they can relate to and feel uplifted.
