On a windswept Campus Center plaza, Casa Latina held the seventh annual Spring Festival. All afternoon, the air was filled with the sounds of mariachi, samba, and Latin rock while students lined up scores deep for authentic Latin American cuisine.
The student-organized event is one of the more eagerly anticipated on campus. Year after year, Casa Latina showcases a variety of musical talent and sumptuous food for the university community.
This year’s festival fell on May 5, or Cinco de Mayo. It’s a popular misconception that Mexico’s Independence Day falls on this date. Actually, it is significant because on that day in 1862 a small force of 4000 Mexican soldiers defeated a larger, better-equipped French army who had come to wrest control from the Mexican government. It is a day of national pride for Mexicans.
The holiday, however, spills across national boundaries, having been adopted by other countries. It is this spirit that Casa Latina tries to uphold. Although each Latin American country has its own culture and traditions, a pan-Latino fellowship exists that is unique in the wider global community.
Casa Latina members and about 15-20 volunteers deftly piled large quantities of food on the plates of hungry students. In fact, there were so many students/faculty/staff waiting for chow, some individuals expressed concern that there were would not be enough food to go around. It turned out to be a groundless fear because Casa Latina laid out a second round of food an hour later.
After obtaining vittles, dozens of students hung around to listen to different kinds of Latin music. The weather did not cooperate with the organizers, who had to move the sound system under the cover of Wheatley Hall, which created some noise issues for classes. Francisco Toro, coordinator for Casa Latina, is working on an idea that would solve similar problems in the future, a portable tarp that would extend from the Campus Center to the Science Building.
Toro was pleased with the event. “We had a good turnout. The rain might have cut down the number of people present and slowed down the momentum, but people were there until the last song at 7pm.”
As for the music, UMass Boston was privileged to hear a diverse sampling. The music of the mariachi band El Charro, dressed in full traditional garb, reminds us where one form of Latin music has been, whereas the contemporary sounds of the rock band Sarcasmo shows where another form of Latin music is headed. Then there were the intoxicating samba rhythms of Brazilian Bossa Nova. The variety of Latin music demonstrates the differences within Latin American culture.
Toro was grateful for the number of volunteers. “Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. And I’d especially like to thank Gina Rojas, my assistant coordinator. Although she ran out of federal work-study money two months ago and could not receive a salary, she stuck with us. She put in a 12-hour day on Wednesday.”
The Latino Coalition, the Latino Studies department, Talented and Gifted, the Student Events and Organizations Committee of the Undergraduate Student Senate, and the Student Arts and Events Council were all sponsors of this year’s festival. Toro was grateful for all the help Casa Latina received in order to make the event a success.
“It was a good show of support from many people,” he said, smiling.