Karamu is the Swahili word for ‘party’ or ‘fiesta.’
“And that’s what we’ll be doing,” said Cecilia Nadal, executive director of Gitana Productions.
On June 14, Gitana is hosting the “Karamu: Fiesta of Latin and African American Music,” the 16th annual Faces of Love Concert. The event, held at the Union Avenue Christian Church at 733 Union Blvd., will feature local Latin and African American artists, including the Bosman Twins, Denise Thimes and the Latin Fire Ensemble. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m.
Preceding the concert at 6 p.m. (same location) will be “Salsa Con Salsa,” a free salsa tasting and Salsa dancing event. Guests are invited to taste and vote on the “Best St. Louis Salsa Sauce” from 10 local Mexican restaurants while Carmen Gwynn of Alma Latina will lead free salsa dance lessons. The salsa sauce competition is sponsored by the St. Louis – San Luis Potosí Friendship Committee.
The Karamu fiesta also will feature drumming by Bokulaka, poetry readings, and an art exhibit on Latin culture and the celebration of “Carnaval”, sponsored by the Latin Legacy Project.
“We’re so excited to bring the best of St. Louis’ Latin and African American musicians together for this event,” said Nadal.
Latin and African American music and dance – from jazz to Salsa, rumba and bachata – all share roots in Africa and express the cultural embrace of celebration, Nadal said.
Among the featured performers at the event are the Emmy Award-winning Bosman Twins, writers, composers and performing artists who share in the legacy and tradition of great jazz through education, creativity and innovation. The Bosman Twins have performed with such greats as Curtis Mayfield, Branford Marsalis, Fontella Bass, Roy Ayers, jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie, The Ohio Players and Freddie Cole. The Bosman Twins also are dedicated to preserving school and community music programs through music workshops, seminars and training programs.
The multi-ethnic Latin Fire Ensemble features band leader and percussionist Herman Semidey, Jr. from Puerto Rico; classically trained cellist and vocalist Patricia Ruiloba from Panama; jazz, soul and classical trumpeter Dawn Weber from St. Louis; percussionist Thor Anderson from Cuba; pianist Hector Molina from Puerto Rico; bass player and percussionist Juan Quesada, a recent immigrant from Cuba; and vocalist Enrique “Kike” Molina Ortiz from Veracruz, Mexico.
Salsa dancer and instructor Carmen Guynn of Cha Cha Cha is an influential instructor in St. Louis, with a background in tap, jazz, modern and hip hop dance. Her troupe the Almas Del Ritmo Dance Company performed on the OWN Network TV show “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s.” Guynn also is the first African-American woman to produce the annual St. Louis International Salsa/ Bachata Congress.
World-renowned Congolese drummer, singer and dancer Bokulaka will share the culture of Central Africa through a drumming performance. Shirley LeFlore and Jaime Torres will perform dramatic poetry readings.
Gitana Productions chose Union Avenue Christian Church because of its location on the “Delmar Divide,” the east-west street in St. Louis that separates black residents from white, poor from wealthy. A 2012 BBC documentary noted that wealthy, million-dollar mansions to the south are separated by as little as one city block from poverty-stricken areas to the north.
“We hope to bring a deep sense of joy and unity to our Faces of Love event at Union Avenue Christian Church, which sits on this well-known dividing line,” said Nadal.
The Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council have provided funding to support Gitana Productions events.
Tickets for Karamu are $20 general admission, $18 for seniors and students, and may be purchased online at www.gitana-inc.org, at the event or by calling Gitana at (314) 721-6556. Group discounts up to 15 percent are available.
