Carlos Vives Was Honored Thursday Night with the Legends Award at the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Awards

 

Colombian musician, producer, actor and singer-songwriter Carlos Vives was honored Thursday night by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation with the Legend Award for his work promoting the social and economic inclusion of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities in Colombia. During this week, in his role as the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) first Inclusion Ambassador, Vives got together with leading political representatives in the United States’ capital advocating on behalf of USAID whose efforts are producing real and measurable results in Colombia. Vives argued strongly that these initiatives are vital to overcome decades of conflict and move toward peace in his country.

“It’s important to recognize that indigenous and Afro-Colombia communities have contributed immeasurably to our culture. We must first understand the underlying dynamics and then develop a consciousness about the hardships of our most forgotten people. We need to leave behind the complexities and prejudices of the past which has resulted in the lack of harmony in our society, and move toward a totally inclusive society,” said the international superstar.

 

 

During his week in Washington D.C., Vives met in the chambers of Representative Sam Farr of California, who served with the Peace Corps in Colombia. U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro (Texas) held a meeting with Vives and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus including Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (New York), U.S Congressman Joe Garcia (Florida) and U.S. Congressman Joe Crowley (New York). At the White House, Vives met with Ricardo Zuñiga, President Obama’s Chief Advisor on Latin America and members of the National Security Council to discuss the partnership with USAID and the rights of Afro-Colombians. Vives was the guest of honor at a luncheon at the Atlantic Council with 25 key members of influential organizations working on Latin American issues, and participated in a panel discussion at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).

The 1993 album Clásicos de la Provincia was landmark release, in which Vives started fusing vallenato with rock, pop and other Caribbean Colombian traditional rhythms. The album’s ‘La Gota Fría,’ became a hit throughout Latin America

Carlos Vives’ song ‘La tierra del olvido’ (The Land of Oblivion) from the 1995 recording La tierra del olvido was a tremendous hit in Colombia and throughout Latin America during the 1990s. Vives has sold more than 20 million albums, won a Grammy and 7 Latin Grammys, and multiple gold and platinum albums. The songs “Volvi a Nacer”, “Como Le Gusta a Tu Cuerpo” y “Bailar Contigo” were all #1 on Billboard, also reaching #1 in Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, and Central America.

Vives is currently on his “Mas + Corazon Profundo Tour” which continues this month in Colombia (Medellin, Barranquilla and Santa Marta) before traveling to Central America and then shows in Puerto Rico (11/26) and Miami (12/6). His September 6 show in Bogotá’s Simon Bolivar Park sold more than 45,000 tickets, perhaps his most ever. Vives will continue to play dates in Medellín on September 19 (30,000 tickets sold) and Barranquilla on September 25 (35,000 capacity) and will end in his hometown of Santa Marta on September 27. There, he’ll play before an estimated 80,000 at Playa de Los Cocos beach, 200,000 for the Colombian stretch of the tour.