Thanks to its mixture of African rhythms, string instruments from Europe and the flutes and songs of the indigenous populations, Latin America is home to a particularly diverse traditional music culture. The international Sonamos Latinoamerica festival has been showcasing this diversity for several years and now comes for the third time to Belgium to present a week of concerts, a film and an exhibition.

Celmaca’s music takes the listener on a colourful journey through original compositions inspired by the broad range of Latin-American traditions. The diverse indigenous cultures are leavened by musical influences from Africa and Europe. Celmaca offer a mix of amazing vocal combinations, the subtle sound of the Bolivian charango, the Venezuelan cuatro, the jarana from Mexico and the soft and harmonious sound of the African kalimba.

Celmaca consists of:
 Osvaldo Hernandez: string instruments
 Patricia Van Cauwenberge: percussion

After the concert we will be showing the film ‘El Sistema’. The Venezuelan musician and politician José Antonio Abreu had the visionary plan to use the national system of musical education as a lever for social emancipation. In the poorest barrios in the nation’s cities young street children were encouraged to take up an instrument and play in a youth orchestra. The very best of these musicians have progressed to play in leading orchestras at the very highest level. This deeply moving documentary follows young musicians, their teachers and their concerts while, at the same time, giving an unromanticised depiction of the daily realities in Venezuela.

NB The film will be shown in Spanish with subtitles in French only.

During the Sonamos festival Federico Núñez will exhibit in the Molière his sculptures inspired by the archetypes and universal symbols of, amongst others, the Maya, the Aztecs and the Celts.

Free entrance