Flyer: Conmemoracion de la Abolucion de la Esclavitud Puerto Rico
DistributorDistributed by
FLECHAS
Date1995
MediumPaper
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineConnecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections
CopyrightIn Copyright
Object number2015.196.62.8
DescriptionFlyer for the Conmemoracion de la Abolucion de la Esclavitud Puerto Rico, 1995.
NotesSubject Note: Flechas Inc. was a long running Puerto Rican arts, culture and advocacy organization based in New Haven, developed in 1977 by Menen Osorio and others who came from Loiza, as do many in the New Haven Puerto Rican community. They organized an annual festival – Fiestas de Loiza En Connecticut Honor al Apostol Santiago - celebrating the festival held in Loiza, Puerto Rico, that commemorated St. James (Apostol Santiago) defeating the Moors in Spain. In this festival, both in Loiza and in New Haven, folk dances featuring costumed vejigante dancers were a major element of the presentation. Many of the most prominent Puerto Rican musicians in Connecticut and nearby performed over the years. Loiza is a town on the north coast of Puerto Rico with strong African-influenced traditions from its roots in the sugar cane industry and the culture of its enslaved people. Flechas devoted its work to educating audiences about the African heritage of Puerto Rico. Flechas also held educational events throughout the year in New Haven, such as the Commemoration of the 1873 Abolition of Slavery in Puerto Rico and performances by the group’s Folkloric Bohio Dance Troupe. Lydia Perez of Yoruba II bomba y plena group also performed often at the Festival, and she was a mentor to Menen Osorio’s dance troupe in 1998-1999 under the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program.
Additional audio, video, and/or photographic materials exist in the archive relating to this event and these artists.
Cataloging Note: This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-245929-OMS-20.
Status
Not on view
