A Zest for Life: AfroPeruvian Rhythms, ...
"...a vivid demonstration...that...Afro-Peruvian music and culture [are] ... exciting and dynamic...." --Wayne Wallace, 3 times Grammy nominated jazz trombonist)
"...satisfying...good educational tool..."
--Troy Bedford for Anthropology Review
This documentary about Afro-Peruvians focuses on the dance, and on the history of the Afro-Peruvian community. One hour long, it screened in four festivals and was runner-up for the prize of Best Documentary in the San Diego Black Film Festival. It has also been broadcast over individual PBS stations.
"A Zest for Life" stars Lalo Izquierdo, who is one of the three principals of my later documentary, "Masters of Rhythm." Izquierdo's talent, chrisma, and knowledge of the history and culture of his community, shine forth in this film. In "A Zest for Life," Izquierdo is ably complimented by singer-songwriter Jorge Luis Jasso, by bassist Vladimir Vukanovich, by the performing group "de Rompe y Raja," and others.
Filmed in the USA and Peru. In Engish, and Spanish with English subtitles.
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A Zest for Life: Afro-Peruvian Rhythms, a Source of Latin Jazz
This one-hour documentary about the dance, music, culture and history of Afro-Peruvians is a deep dive into a topic first brought to wide attention by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s seminal series "Black in Latin America."
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Trip to el Carmen district
The el Carmen district in southern coastal Peru is known as a center of Afro-Peruvian culture. This short video gives you an idea of what it's like to go there, and what you can expect to find. From the bus trip down from Lima to graphic illustrations of the artistic vibrancy of the community, ...
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Juan de Dios Soto cooks "carapulcra"
"Carapulcra" is a signature Afro-Peruvian dish. In the countryside, in towns that are largely Afro-Peruvian, it is often eaten with "sopa seca," another typically Afro-Peruvian dish.
The base is potatoes - dried potatoes if you are from Lima, regular potatoes if you are from the countryside. ...
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Lalo Izquierdo Explains Afro-Peruvian Talking Drums
As we saw in the full documentary, the cajón was used as a means of communication in the days of slavery between the communities of escaped slaves and their brothers and sisters who had not been able to escape. This mirrors the "talking drums" found in many regions of Africa.
Izquierdo expl...
