Salsa the night away while supporting a heartfelt art project
From Cultural Capital by Chris Macias:
The details:
- Casa de Español, 1101 R St., Sacramento
- 6 p.m., May 30 (Saturday)
- $10 in advance, $15 at the door
Since 2019, Janine Mapurunga’s camera has been focused on a community of Spanish-speaking elders in Sacramento known as Manitos. She was inspired by the close relationship she shared with a grandmother who raised her in Brazil and is driven to share the stories of these senior Sacramentans.
Through years of documenting their oral histories and capturing their portraits, Mapurunga is producing a bilingual photo book and short documentary film called “Bien Juntitos” (“Well Together”). Her goal is to have the book included in California’s school curriculum and the film screened internationally at festivals.
The process is nearly complete. All the photos are shot. The film is in the final stages of editing. Now, she just needs the financial support to cross that finish line. That includes an online fundraiser and plans to establish relationships with larger funders and sponsors.
“Fiesta Latina” on Saturday at Casa de Español is geared as a way to dance toward the goal. It’s a night of live music, salsa dancing and community celebration with funds going toward “Bien Juntitos.” Clips from the film will be shown on a loop and her portrait of Maria Lopez, a Manitos leader, will be on display.
“I struggle with the reality that elders, who were once the most valued members of society throughout human history, have become the most invisible and neglected,” Mapurunga wrote in an email. “(My goal) is to share these stories as widely as possible in order to bring people together, strengthen cultural understanding and inspire positive social change … We need to love and honor our elders while we can.”
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