Afro-Latin Aesthetics and Mass Media

The public lecture takes place as part of the seminar „Black Aesthetics in the 20th and 21st Centuries: Art, Music, Film“ (Prof. Dr. Susanne Leeb)

”We Are The Heat“ (Somos Calentura, 2018) is one of the largest and most expensive productions in the history of Colombian cinema. It was filmed in Buenaventura, a major port located on the west coast and at the same time one of the most important black cities in the country. On the one hand, the city is of outstanding importance for the colombian economy, and the port operation itself is often reffered to as an example of efficiency, prosperity and technological proficiency. On the other hand, the black population is confronted with poverty, racial discrimination, political corruption, narco-traffic, and the armed conflicts originated by the political turmoil.

Paradoxically, the port provides the mass media with a lot of important cultural productions, especially in sports, music and dance. In this context ”We Are The Heat“ is the first major Colombian movie, starred by young black Afro-Colombian actors and artists.

In close relation to this film Angel Perea Escobar (writer, producer and specialist for black aesthetics and Afrodiaspora) will discuss the incorporation of contemporary Afro-Latin cultural productions in the cultural mainstream and the mass media.