La Casita’s jam-packed month includes a discussion of post-hurricane Puerto Rico
Daily Orange File Illustration
La Casita Cultural Center, a hub for Syracuse’s Latinx community, will host several events this month, including one for its annual “Diversity in Reading” campaign.
Martín Gonzalez, author of the book “21 Miles of Scenic Beauty … and then Oxnard: Counterstories and Testimonies” and a member of a reading circle group at La Casita, will host a discussion and sign books on Wednesday. The “Diversity in Reading” campaign fundraises for La Casita’s bilingual library and dual language literacy programs, said Tere Paniagua, the center’s executive director.
La Casita will also release a bilingual children’s book titled “Gavi in Her Little World,” this month. The book is written and illustrated by the children of La Casita’s weekly after-school reading circles. These groups include children from 5-12 years old. The program is supported by Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Latino-Latin American Studies program.
“We have an orchestra, we have violin classes, we have dance and we have drumming,” said Luma Trilla, the center’s programming coordinator. “All these programs end with a series of performances on the opening day of the young art exhibit.”
On Friday, La Casita will host “Puerto Rico Post Maria – 205 Days,” a discussion about Puerto Rico 205 days after the devastating Hurricane Maria hit the island. The panel, which will feature members of the SU and Syracuse communities, will discuss the human impact of devastation, Puerto Rico’s economic and political statues and resources for families relocating in Syracuse.
“This is an event that touches everyone,” Trilla said.
The center will also feature a 23-minute Spanish film on April 18 depicting childhood memories of a difficult time during Cuba’s history. The film, which will be dubbed in English, is fueled by the oral storytelling of a grandmother.
“This is not the classic Hollywood movie,” said Dashel Hernández, who wrote the film. “It’s a movie made from the perspective of a visual artist. It’s basically a draw of some of my generation’s childhood memory in Cuba, including childhood trauma and political dance that shaped the little kids of my generation.”
Hernández, who is from Camagüey, Cuba, is a graduate student at SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He grew up amid the Cuban-Soviet ideological struggle during the Cold War, but said everyone can find something to relate to in the film.
“Usually when we study history and talk about politics, we talk about the impact the story of that country has, but what are the effects on the people and in particular on the kids?” Hernández said. “This is why my story can connect to everyone.”
