Friday, in conjunction with the release of its art and literary magazine Sabor, the Organization of Latin American Affairs (OLAA) held an event titled "Night at the Revolutionary Café II." The evening featured music, poetry, and education, all of which culminated with an open mic session that allowed students to express themselves to a supportive crowd.
OLAA transformed the Vanderslice Cabaret Room into a place of reflection and relaxation with dim lights, soft music, and choices of coffee, hot chocolate, doughnuts, and an array of pastries. Students slowly filtered in and were greeted by several exhibits with pictures and biographies of influential Latin American and U.S. Latino figures scattered on the walls.
"This night is geared to make learning about Latin American history educational, fun, and expressional," said Jessica LoBoen, A&S '07, introducing the event to an eager crowd of approximately 70 people.
After the success of last semester's "Night at the Revolutionary Café," OLAA knew it had to hold another. But this time, drawing from past experience, organizers made a few changes.
"Last year, we focused on key figures in Latin American history. Then, this semester, we shifted focus to Latino figures in U.S. history. We wanted students to understand and learn both histories in order to bridge the two together," said LoBoen, who served as coordinator and master of ceremonies Friday night. "Moreover, we wanted to highlight Latino leaders, both here and in Latin America, that often get unrecognized in our world history classes."
To achieve this goal, LoBoen introduced two students who discussed the accomplishments and impact of Latino figures in U.S. history. Maria Centento, A&S '10, talked about journalist Cristina Saralegui, who has become very influential among Hispanic women over the past few years because of the popularity of her television series The Cristina Show, which celebrated its 18th year of broadcasting this year.
For the café, LoBoen actively pursued talented students like Centento to participate in the evening's events. "This semester, we tried to confirm performers beforehand in order to ensure the café a steady stream of active participants," said LoBoen.
"Night at the Revolutionary Café II" featured a lineup of eight performances, ranging from original rap songs by Seif Ammus, CSOM '08, to innovative poems from Bryan Leyva, A&S '10.
The night was not limited to these scheduled performances - the event also marked the release of Sabor, OLAA's art and literary magazine, which features poems, stories, photographs, and artwork from Boston College students. Since Sabor has been on hiatus since 2004, many alumni have also submitted their work to the magazine.
The magazine required great commitment from Katherine Fuentes, editor in chief and A&S '09, who had a vision that differed from previous editions, which she thought focused too much on OLAA as an organization and served as a sort of memoir for past board members.
"This year, we wanted Sabor to be more artistic and less focused on the organization and cabinet members," said Fuentes.
In addition to her involvement with Sabor, Fuentes played an integral role in the event as a participant in the open mic portion of the café.
"I always get scared doing that, but I remembered not reading anything last semester, and with Sabor coming out, I had to read something," said Fuentes, who recited Pablo Neruda's poem "I Like It When You're Quiet" and followed with an original piece, "My Response to 'I Like It When You're Quiet.'"
"The last part of the event was aimed at creating a space and time for individuals to openly share their experience and culture, filled with both pride and frustration," said LoBoen. "It was a time to of both expression and learning. I was thrilled to see students stand up and express their thoughts on what I see as a common struggle."
Several other students sang or read poetry, some of which were submissions from Sabor. And the night ultimately ended the way it began: with music, coffee, and relaxation.
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