APAP 2020: “Risk and Resilience”

Part I Leadership in the Performing Arts in America

It was a great privilege to interview four of the United States’ leaders in the performing arts during and following the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP)’s 63rd annual conference, themed “Risk and Resilience,” at the Hilton in New York City. I was fortunate to have an in-person interview with Mario Garcia Durham, APAP President and CEO.

From Wavelengths, the pre-conference world music forum co-produced by Rock Paper Scissors Publicity and globalFEST, I interviewed three of the most cogent speakers by email (due to scheduling). Sabrina Lynn Motley, Director of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and Wavelengths keynote speaker. The artist Martha Redbone who spoke during the panel “Indigenous Intersections and Networks: Historic Constellations and Future Trajectories.” And the artist Arturo O’Farrill who appeared on the panel “Merging Political Activism with Artistic Innovation.”

All four share their convictions, inspirations, fortitude, and resilience:

Mario Garcia Durham, APAP President and CEO

Mario García Durham, APAP President and CEO, steps down from his position later this year after an immensely successful tenure. 2020 represents his 9th annual conference in New York City. We were delighted to sit down with him during the conference for this fascinating interview. It reflects the mind and heart of a most unusual and brilliant thinker and leader.

Evangeline Kim – How do you wish to be remembered?

Mario García Durham – I wish to be remembered as a caring leader who brought heart and compassion to the organization.

EK – Concerning your legacy, your impact on the cultural landscape of this country, its cultural infrastructure, how were factors such as sustainability and inclusion part of your advocacy? Was your tenure determined by personal convictions or analysis of infrastructural needs?

MGD – That question is based on the supposition that I had an impact on the national scene in a couple of different areas. But if that is true and I hope that it has happened, I’m a structural thinker and I have approached problems in that way throughout my career. That ties into the other part of your question — emphasis on access, equity, and inclusion. Those are part of my DNA, and using the structure of an organization to make that happen has been very important for me, as part of my personal conviction.

When I was with the National Endowment for the Arts, for example, we created an award that recognized American Masters. Those American Masters were not just the artists that you’d see on television or major recording labels. They were masters who lived in local communities, here in the Bronx, for example, who were born here, who had zero recognition but are carrying forward the traditions of the individual communities. We encouraged and allowed the local communities to nominate individuals as “American Masters.” That to me was a very fulfilling program because it really impacted communities and for me — delivered the right message about where recognition should go and where funding should go.

With APAP I tried to do the same thing or followed a similar course: We have a very dynamic board now, primarily women-led. We are making sure that diversity, access, and inclusion are part of the DNA in our programs. So far we’ve been very successful. I try to use structures like APAP to lead, to marvel, yes — but also to do the work, to accomplish the work. There are many levels. That’s how I approach it.

EK- What has been the most rewarding aspect of your APAP tenure?

MGD – I would say this was a very challenged organization when I took it over. There was a lot of distrust in the organization. Some of the membership felt that the direction was not to their liking, that the priorities of their needs were not the priority of the organization. Turning that around, rebuilding the trust, has been the hardest job I’ve had, but it’s also been the most rewarding. Right now, we’re in a very healthy place with our members.

EK- How sustainable do you think your impact is? Is it going to bear even more fruit?

MGD – I don’t know yet. I’m trying my best to ensure the continuation of this approach with the new leadership. Frankly, that’s all I can do. There are some things I can try to control and some things I can’t. But I would hope that it would stay. As far as sustainability financially, APAP is no different than any other non-profit. We struggle just as much. We have a lot more to do and require more resources to do it, but it’s always a very slim margin.

The reason I am leaving right now is because I think we’re in a very nice position with our funders, with our members, with our supporters. And so my dream has been to give this organization a very good working order for a new leader to take it from there. Because when I received it, it wasn’t in that same position. I’m ready for a new leader to take it to a big place.

EK- I have to congratulate you, you have a fantastic staff. One mark of great management is to leave behind a well-run organization that can continue on and grow. What are your thoughts about your management style, how you’ve placed certain people?

MGD – It’s funny, I was speaking to someone yesterday about “style.” The mentors I’ve had have been primarily women leaders who operate, I think, in a completely different dynamic than I do as a man. I mean this specifically in large group meetings and the different power dynamics. Most of my mentors were often very quiet, very savvy, very diplomatic and polite, and very strong.

EK- Who were they?

MGD – One person who comes to mind is Helen Sause. Have you been to the Yerba Buena Complex? It’s an amazing project that started many years ago. I was there for the opening of it. It was basically an arts institution as an anchor that after many years, has now developed into 7 or 8 museums including a modern art museum. There’s mixed-use housing, there’s commerce, there’s industry. There are all the perfect mixes that we talk about in theory. I was there right at the beginning. And if it had not been for this woman with her focus and her vision, and her believing in people — not necessarily the stars but she noticed the rising stars. She would sit in these meetings with these city department heads, sit quietly and listen, and then say what she had to say, to the point, effective, and immediately had people think in a different way. Very elegant, and I loved that style.

There are many effective management styles, but that was the one that most appealed to me. I’ve tried to do that with staff and with fantastic individuals like Leah Frelinghuysen [APAP Media present during this interview]. I try my best to make sure first that they’re with us and then step back and let leaders do their job. I know it’s cliche, but I like to think of each of my staff members as a leader. That’s another thing my mentors have taught me. Allow them as much leadership as they can have. Most of my staff will have other jobs and I want them to have that sense of empowerment, of leadership and management, to take with them.

EK- I’ve noticed more and more diversity and inclusion or inclusiveness each year during the APAP conference under your stewardship. Would you like to address this in a broad sense?

MGD – I think the older I get, the more I realize that my family’s history and heritage come into play, much more so than when I was younger. I’m second generation. My grandmother was born in Mexico, very, very, very poor. My dad followed the American dream, became a dentist, and now his son is running a national organization. That means a lot to me, the older I get, of how fortunate we are here, to have that path to follow. I think about that inclusion and how important it is to have it. It’s deeply rooted in what I feel is fair and the way things should be. Any hand I can have in allowing that to happen, I’m committed.

It ties into my upbringing and what I saw. When I was growing up, I was spoiled. My parents were so loving and gave us all that we wanted. But as I’ve gotten older and looked back, oh my goodness, how lucky I was — nothing extravagant, but nicely middle-class. I’ve never gone to bed hungry, yet it’s not the norm in the world. All those tiny things come back to me and I think, wow. I think about that daily, the inequities. I can’t solve them but I try to make things a little different and better for those that don’t have a comfortable life. It’s just incorporated in what I do, the recognition of inequality. Because I had such a nice upbringing, I have to recognize the inequality of others. My goal has been to bring other voices to the table, bring other perspectives, and also within APAP break down some of the barriers from participation.

I would say that my being gay as well, has had a very strong impact — being the other, not fitting in, all of that. And I recognize that probably most humans I’m surrounded by have felt that way in their lives. But, I hope, those experiences can be used by the recipient later, and that’s what I try to do.

EK – As far as your advocacy, what is most important? In government, in the private sector?

MGD – I, again, as more of a structural person, love politics, I love strategies, I love thinking about how things could lay out for the future. One of the things I’d mention as an anecdote — after President Trump was elected, we had a conference here in January. I don’t think that January he’d even been sworn in yet. However, there was a thought: “What happens if this administration proposes the complete elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts?” And some of my service organization colleagues were like, “That’s never going to happen, that’s never happened in the history of the presidency.” And some of us thought, “Well, maybe, but I think we should meet.”

We actually met at this table, about 7 or 8 heads of national service organizations and advocacy groups like Americans for the Arts. And we talked about that. “What are we going to do if in the proposed spring budget we are zeroed out?” Sure enough, that spring, we were zeroed out for the first time in our history. We jumped into action, all the members, whoever our constituencies were, whether individual members in my case, or organizational members. Without being political we spread the word: “If you like what the National Endowment does, please contact your representatives if you feel strongly about what is going on.” And I felt strongly about what was going on, and I love that, because that’s anticipating the issue, thinking about the structure, thinking about our structures and how they could counter the other structure coming its way. I love that kind of thinking. And I try to do the same with advocacy issues as well. I really enjoy that type of work.

EK- In that sense, do you think there will ever be a Ministry or Department of Culture in our country? I also believe you’d make a great Minister or Secretary of Culture. That would be fun, right?

MGD – (Laughing) Thank you for that. I don’t know. It’s always a question. We talked about it at the National Endowment. The danger, of course, is if you have an administration you don’t necessarily agree with, that’s able to appoint the “other” minister of culture, perhaps with a little more power than the chair of the NEA even symbolically. “Oh my God, who are they going to choose?” There’s been that fear. But I don’t know. That’s always been up in the air.

EK- I think it should be examined continuously, because this country does have a broad mosaic of cultures. What does it mean? Is it all worth preserving? Forgetting? There should be almost a semi-governmental organization or independent council. I am reminded of the story of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister in 1959, who managed to pull his country out of dire economic and social circumstances. By appointing an economic council that had complete authority to make national decisions based on what was best for the country, beyond politics or beyond any parliamentary consideration. Everything was carefully reasoned out and structured, policies were made, and that effort helped pull together the country’s economic development in a long-term sense.

Analogously, from your vantage point and with your experience, it would be something to think about and explore such an official council somehow, beyond the various institutions and the Department of State, for example. Beyond the politics, beyond the infrastructure we currently have. Bring it up to or beyond the cabinet level. You wouldn’t be able to vote any one in or out, because they’d be there for the country’s good and best long-term interests. Establish reasons why such would benefit the country in greater, larger ways.

MGD – Sure. I’d welcome that. I haven’t been in on the discussion for a while at the NEA, but I’d welcome another discussion to hear the pros and cons at this point. Also you’d want to look at the scenario of the current administration. Say, “President XYZ’ came in, similar to this administration, let’s walk through that: how might that fall-out occur? What impact would it have? Because right now, we were able to do all the work to keep the NEA going with much help through Congress — various members of Congress. Looking at that structure, would there be the same strength or would there be vulnerabilities we haven’t thought about yet? But I’d love to have an engaged discussion.

EK- That would be so important and perhaps to publish a paper on the subject? It could be a think-tank paper or part of your memoirs? You have so much to offer from your vast experiences and your structural analyses would be invaluable. It’s to be hoped you’ll take these thoughts into consideration in the coming months, speak to colleagues and explore possibilities? What do we leave behind for the children? How do we compare with other countries’ systems? How does this relate to our international relations where, unlike most countries, we don’t have a MInistry of Culture?

MGD – I will bring it up with my friends.

EK- Finally, what have been your overall rewards throughout your career?

MGD – My reward has been that I’ve been able to use some of the lessons in both my personal and my business experience. To make a difference in the position I”ve had. What’s coming to mind is that I’ve been very, very fortunate in my career. Do you know Baraka Sele, by chance? She’s my mentor-mother. I spent as much time with her at Yerba Buena in the 90s as I possibly could… I’d be with her every second for 3 years in a row, everyday, just taking things in, having discussions with her, questioning, just learning. Mainly I was just quiet. All those years, sharing also with people like Marta Vega, these amazing individuals and their perspectives and how they thought.

There’s something I developed that I call “level.” What would happen is that Baraka would meet with someone — and I knew that person was a dirty dog, not a good person. And she would meet with them and still be able to hash out some sort of discussion. That used to make me so mad. I’d say, “How can you even talk to that person? Didn’t you read what he wrote about you in the SF Chronicle?” Out of that I developed a system. (I have a brother who’s to the right of Rush Limbaugh and with whom I have a Level 1 relationship. Which is: “Oh, great day, isn’t it? Yeah, I can’t wait to have supper tonight…” I can only talk with him at that very level — one. Now, Craig [Mario’s husband] is like 9 or 10.) So that really helped me, learning how to deal with complex situations. Baraka really taught me that.

My career has been rich and fulfilling. I was fortunate to get that job at Yerba Buena in the early days, I stayed, Baraka left. I was able to found my own organization there. It’s now going on its 20th anniversary, the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, now run by Linda Lucero. That’s a legacy that I’ve left.

At the National Endowment for the Arts, when I arrived, the presenting program was a catch-all. They didn’t really know what it was. I was able to solidify that to the benefit of the field. Artists’ communities were in my NEA portfolio, there were weird mix-ups, I was able to separate them out and give them structures, and now they have their own designation by the federal government they never had before. That was a monumental change. Also psychologically for them, they are treated as their own discipline, like dance or like music. They were so thrilled.

And then to be able to turn around this organization from where it was to what it is right now is a reflection of the values I hold so deeply. One of the key words you’ll hear me say is compassion. Did you know Patrice Walker Powell at the NEA? Amazing woman, the daughter of one of Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s advisors. She’s a brilliant woman and was really great as far as her ability to guide me and be very diplomatic. That was the term she used, she’d say, “Mario, always have compassion.”

I have to say that when I’ve had to go into my most challenging difficulties — or at night when I’m thinking, “Ah, I wish I could have done this.” Then I come to: dealing from compassion, and I’m totally able to do that. I literally use that. Even with my members during the first couple of years at APAP, I wouldn’t check my emails or voicemails on the weekend. There was invariably a problem and it would just affect me. But I learned to deal with each of them with compassion. We have to deal with compassion. And sure enough that works. It has been what I learned from Patrice that really changes a way of operating and a way of being in a much healthier way. And if any of that has stayed with APAP that would make me happy forever.

EK – For me, the way you talk about compassion, it’s a form of humility and humanity together…

What are your plans, personal and professional?

MGD – I don’t have anything lined up. I’m not too worried, since I’ve been very fortunate and blessed in my life. But we’ll see what the next chapter is. It is a risk. Part of my job here is to let colleagues and individuals know that I’d like to keep serving. I don’t want to retire. I’m just eager to know what that next service position is. I’m open to greater discussions. And I will make myself accessible over the next few months before my departure.

As we end our meeting, Mario mentions something very special about his annual presence I’ve noticed and admired each year, and as many APAP exhibitors have marveled over:

MGD – The ritual I’m getting ready to do that I do at every conference, that I love doing — is we have almost 400 exhibitor booths. I go to each and every one and thank them personally for being part of APAP. We don’t take them for granted. It’s a significant move early on and it really helps a lot. People want to be appreciated. It’s so good to be open, to ask if you’ve got a complaint? Talk to me.

EK – Congratulations and bravissimo for all, Mario! You’ve made attending APAP a wondrous enjoyable, and happy knowledge adventure each year for thousands of members and guests! We are all so deeply grateful to you. We look forward to news about your next chapter. Godspeed.

Sabrina Lynn Motley, Director, Smithsonian Folklife Festival

EK – Could you re-quote your Wavelengths statement referencing Albert Camus’ “Creating Dangerously” for our readership?

Sabrina Lynn Motley – “We may hope, of course, as I do, for smaller flames, a moment of respite, a pause that will allow us to dream again. But perhaps there is no peace for the artist other than the peace found in the heat of combat.” — Albert Camus in Create Dangerously: The Power and Responsibility of the Artist.

EK – In what ways does your statement reflect your previous and ongoing work?

SLM – It’s the second sentence that pulled me in. Like a lot of folks, I wake up most mornings facing the realization of how exhausting this work can be. AND STILL! The truth is that I can’t imagine life without it. For many of us “no peace… other than the peace found in the heat of combat” is food for the journey. The stakes are high, but so is our commitment to equity, healthy communities, and so much more.

EK – How have your earlier experiences in arts presenting, education, philanthropy, and community engagement influenced your current work with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival (SFF)? Getty Museum, Vesper Society, Asia Society Texas Center, and others, for example?

SLM – That’s an interesting question. If I’m allowed to be honest, then the answer I’d prefer to give may take us in a different direction. What influenced me most was having a mother who quite beautifully encouraged me to follow my curiosity. Still does. She was clear that I was expected to be one little brown girl who could stand wherever she felt called to. That continues to carry me in this world.

EK – Do you think you have amplified the original 1967 vision for the SFF? In view of contemporary criteria, issues, and values?

SLM – I jokingly say that legacy is a blessing and a bludgeon, but the truth is that I am humbled to work in service of the Folklife Festival. The people who created this wanted to make a national institution live up to its mission. They also wanted the same for the country. They saw traditional and folk arts as having an important role in keeping us honest. These were — and unfortunately — are marginalized forms from marginalized communities. There was an understanding that artisans and artists, dancers and musicians didn’t need the Smithsonian to give them voice. They already had it. It was the role of the “nation’s museum” to use its platform to amplify those voices. The push for equity manifested in lives of individuals, institutions, and systems drove their work then and continues to push us forward now.

EK – What are the key challenges and considerations for U.S. festival presenters today from your vantage point?

SLM – How do we foster a sense of curiosity, creativity, and possibility off our stages as well as on them? How do we bring communities into our curation processes? How do we move beyond the artist-in-schools model of community engagement? So many presenters are responding to these challenges in so many profound and inventive ways. We need to keep talking to each other.

EK – You’ve been directing the SFF for the past 6 years. What has given you the most satisfaction and joy?

SLM – The thing that gets me every time is being on the National Mall, which really is sacred space, and seeing people from all walks of life connect as they make, move, learn, and listen. It happens a zillion times a day. In the heat and dust. In a city that is celebrated and scorned in equal measure. All of that can be quite astounding.

I also love the fact that the Festival lives well beyond its ten days on the Mall. We need to get better at breaking through the idea that festivals are time bound. It continues through live and digital programming, yes, but it also lives in the stories passed between generations. I’m lucky that I get to add a tiny bit to that remarkable legacy.

EK – Can you tell us as much possible about the themes for the SFF 2020?

SLM – This year’s Festival is about culture and the environments (stressing the plural). We’re asking how diverse forms of knowledge — from religion to design to science — shape the ways we understand, experience, and respond to ever-changing natural, social, and built environments.

Brazil and the United Arab Emirates couldn’t be more different and yet the similarities are striking. Each offers dynamic, complex, and complicated answers to the challenges we all face. They also point us to solutions that draw from a deep well of history, tradition, and more.

When the Festival best works, it upends assumptions. Visitors question the surface renderings offered to us by the media. They also realize that “the other” is also a neighbor or co-worker or teacher. So a kind of social intimacy is fed through the arts and culture. In that way, the Festival also sparks curiosity about your own life, family, community. The questions may start on the Mall, but we aren’t doing our job well if they end there.

EK – Thank you, Sabrina!

Martha Redbone, Artist

EK – It was heartening to witness Indigenous land acknowledgement during Wavelengths and especially at the opening of each spectacular APAP plenary. Could this have an eventual impact for presenters? Will it stimulate more interest in presenting Native Americans as artists and musicians? Or is more collective activism necessary?

Martha Redbone – It’s about time that land acknowledgements are happening in many art institutions! It’s imperative that it continues in all institutions whether art related or otherwise, for a number of reasons. Land acknowledgements are a sign of respect for the First Nations, the original caretakers of the land that every art and governmental institution sits upon. The acknowledgment is a formal recognition of the unique and ongoing relationship between First Nations and their original homelands. A Land acknowledgement is a humble expression of gratitude, honor and an understanding of the history of those who came before colonialism. It is a peaceful offering that encourages audiences to take a moment to consider what it means to occupy space on Indigenous homelands. It is also a learning opportunity for those who may not have even heard the names of our First Nations who once occupied the land, as well as those of us who are still here, continuing to make contributions.

The act of ceremony and repetition of the welcoming and acknowledgment is also cultural practice for our First Nations. Institutions that take the time to open an event or a convening by paying respect to the original caretakers we make a positive act towards decolonization and a respectful offering of reconciliation.

I am always hopeful that every institution is encouraged to present Native American artists and musicians. It is always in the hope by any means necessary to raise awareness of the wonderful work being made by Indigenous artists be presented equally as any other work by non-Native artists.

Land acknowledgements are a great beginning for a collective call to action in the movement toward decolonization. It is a critical public intervening, correcting the stories and practices that have erased Indigenous people’s histories and opens the dialogue to learning the truth. It becomes even more powerful when it is followed up with the action of establishing ongoing relationships with Indigenous peoples, encouraging a better understanding of Native culture and sovereignty and with this action, a positive, active movement toward equality.

EK – I am always impressed by your capacity to articulate so calmly, precisely and gracefully the current circumstances of Native Americans. This implies to me that you have deeply thought through the issues and challenges. What do you see as the major ones that need urgent addressing?

MR – I would say that the biggest challenge for Native Americans is EQUALITY. We need land acknowledgements because many people are not aware of our existence. So let’s begin from this perspective. WE ARE STILL HERE. We have always been here. Our work has value. The work we create should be received as equally relevant as any other work by non-Natives. When non-Natives purchase our work, they treat it as “primitive” art, then they sell it to galleries and arts institutions for millions of dollars. When we want to bring our works to museums and galleries, our work is considered primitive crafts having little or no value and certainly not worthy of place in a gallery or institution. It’s the same in all the arts, dance, music, theater. Our work deserves equal respect and equal value as any other work. We as people must also be respected. The subject of equality has a very long way to go. The land acknowledgements are an opening to a greater conversation.

EK – How do you manage to transform what might be personal displeasure, frustration, outrage even, into artistic expression, beauty, humor, and solutions for humanity?

MR – My works encompass all of the pros and cons of what it means to be a Native and African American woman navigating in the 21st century. By including beauty and humor amidst the oppression is my expression of resilience in a world, which constantly undermines and omits our existence.

EK – During APAP sessions dealing with Indigenous needs, there was an overall emphasis on Native Americans and First Nations in North America. Apart from major organizational and funding challenges, isn’t it important to create international alliances with indigenous peoples from other parts of the world? Festival projects and exchange programs?

The overall emphasis for some of the long table discussions was funding for Native Americans. In many countries there is federal and national funding available for the arts for Indigenous peoples, Canada, countries in Europe and Australia. In the United States there is not the same federal funding for the arts specifically for Native Americans, and without the same federal funding available, we cannot offer an equal cultural exchange for other indigenous artists as we would like. We continue building international alliances with arts organizations such as ISPA.org

EK – What inspired your most recent theater project? Will it tour?

MR – My recent work is heavily inspired by family and culture and our ongoing connection to our ancestral homelands. The story of our resilience in a land which is desecrated and exploited for wealth while continuing to overcome obstacles that threaten our future existence.

EK – How does theater reflect your creative needs? Does film as an artistic medium interest you?

MR – Theater is a wonderful broad platform for visual storytelling using multidisciplinary forms. From a theatrical concert, we turn the stage into different forms, from a band concert, to front porch style storytelling, taking the audiences on a timeline journey through songs and story. It’s a magical experience with family photos that bring the story to real life. Film is also a wonderful medium. With film you can go anywhere seamlessly, with theater it’s more of a challenge to follow time as we have to create different ways of storytelling as the audience watches.

EK – Are you planning a music recording soon? What will it be about?

MR – I will have new music for 2020! We begin recording in the Spring. The new music will be a collision of cultures!

EK – What might be your biggest dream?

MR – My biggest dream is to bring a work to either the screen or TV or Broadway. Nothing would make me happier than seeing more works by Indigenous artists. I look forward to the day we are no longer seen as a novelty or relic of the past. Here’s to the future!

EK – Thank you, Martha!

Arturo O’Farrill, Artist

EK – Why is political activism for an artist musician important today? Is it a risk for you?

Arturo O’Farrill – Two days ago an avowed racist with a documented history of hatred was awarded the nation’s civilian honor by an impeached president with a history of dishonesty, business failures, sexually predatory behavior, and a pattern of hatred as vile as the awardee. In this day and time an artist who is not politically active is just musical wallpaper. This stance has caused me ostracism from many jazz institutions and endeared me to some. Even so, I cannot in good conscience contain my voice to just aesthetics. None of us can anymore.

EK – For you, are artistic integrity and freedom of expression inseparable?

AOF – We are integral to some value system even if we have not declared it. By not declaring our convictions in our created work we are choosing to stand for nothing and when we do that we have made our artistic voice simply window dressing, there is no integrity in that.

EK – How do you manage to balance beauty and love in your art to counter the current political hatreds and discrimination? (Your vision and focus?)

AOF – I believe that the concepts of beauty and balance are also constructs that can be manipulated by cultural values. Apparently Hitler was a landscape artist. Balance means allowing the voice of suffering to speak and when you allow suffering to speak it hardly reflects Western standards of beauty and balance. And yet to look at human suffering and to admit complicity in society’s part in the creation of it is to see the beauty of suffering and in balance to act in opposition.

EK – Your album “Fandango at the Wall” transcends and transforms political realities into one of unity. What will this project become and how will it evolve apart from the upcoming documentary?

AOF – We’d like to take the Fandango at the wall project to walls throughout the world, the demilitarized zone, the Palestinian/Israeli border, the wall in Guantánamo Bay. We’d like to bring the message of Fandango worldwide.

EK – What does your recent project, “Songs of Love and Resistance” represent? How long is the performance? Will it tour this year? Plans for 2020?

AOF – Songs of love and resistance is our attempt to speak truth in song and verse and let the chips fall where they may. The artists involved in this project are all social/political warriors and creative artistic guides as well. I’d love to see this tour throughout the world next year.

EK – How did your “pueblo” concept come about for your Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (ALJA)? Is it a guiding principle for your organization as well as personally?

AOF – The pueblo concept is the same as the “it takes a village” idea in that we’re all responsible for raising one anothers children and in very much the same spirit we are all responsible for raising one another and caring for each other. If you see yourself as isolated from your neighbor (whether across the hall or across an ocean) you live in a private ghetto but if you see your life as interconnected to those directly around you and they see themselves as directly connected to those around them, then we truly are connected to vastness and to one another and to the most global concept of pueblo. I myself, see myself as part and parcel of the farthest reaches of the globe and so my concept of the pueblo connects me to all of humanity.

EK – What other parts of Latin America — and the world — would you like to visit and explore to expand the mission of ALJA?

AOF – I can’t wait to really explore the music of Venezuela, the Venezuelan merengue and the joropo are musics that fascinate me. I have done little to understand the music of Morocco and the shaabi rhythms. India is the source for so much of what we call middle Eastern music, which is the source of so much of what we call Flamenco and Spanish music, which feeds so much of the music of Northern and Western Africa which in turn is directly responsible for so much of what we call jazz, and Afro Cuban music. There are so many ways in which music is the true cultural migratory passageway that I wish I had thirteen lifetimes in which to discover the music that runs through my soul.

EK – What do you hope will be your legacy?

AOF – I hope people will remember my work as the kind of work that affirms each human being’s uniqueness through acceptance of the others. That we are not diluted when we give up the idea that this music or that was invented here or there, or at that point in time by such and such a person. We are all inheritors of a global reality that is bigger than every one of us and does not diminish us when we embrace others.

EK – Thank you, Arturo!

With enormous gratitude to all four interviewees!