The Colombian artist Mauro Castillo will be in charge this Thursday of giving a voice to Afro-Latinos in the celebration of African American Heritage Month at the White House, where he will once again bring “the flavor†of salsa, a rhythm that is not heard in that facility since 2009.
“This time there will be recognition of the contribution of Afro-Latinos within the arts and other disciplines,†the Colombian, who said he was “very excited,†anticipated in an interview with EFE.
With this participation, Castillo becomes the first Afro-Colombian artist to be received at the White House and will be the first Latino to participate in the celebration of the black community, according to the officials who invited him to the celebration.
In his speech, the 45-year-old artist will perform several songs from his album ‘Artificial Intelligence’.
Iâll be performing at the White House in four days. An honor for me #BlackHistoryMonth an honor for me to sing at the White House next Thursday. Salsa with marimba my combo in Washington! An honor for me. â ¤ï¸ â ¤ï¸ pic.twitter.com/Zyh8aDyxTq
— Mauro Castillo (@maurocastillo) February 20, 2024
It was precisely at a presentation of his album, released in May 2023, in Colorado, where an official from President Joe Biden’s government became interested in his music.
“It will be the first time since 2009, when Marc Antony sang, that salsa will be heard in the White House,” said Castillo, who, in addition to singing, composes, produces music and acts.
In the show he will be accompanied by several Afro-Latin artists and ‘the jungle piano’, as the chonta marimba is known, will be heard for the first time in the venue, an ancient percussion instrument that will be played by Colombian musician César Marquinez.
“All the invited musicians represent ‘Afro-Latinidad’ very well… and all the musicians who are going to play are migrants,†Castillo emphasizes.
Among the musicians accompanying the Colombian are the Cuban bassist Yorgis Goiricelaya and the Venezuelan percussionist Luisito Quintero.
In addition to bringing “black music” to the White House, the Colombian will also present in a panel the challenges faced by Afro-Latin artists in the world of US entertainment. “It is a market in which “that little is thought about minorities,” he emphasizes.
His opinion is forged in his own experience to make his way in music and acting in Colombia and later when he emigrated to the United States.
He recognizes that it has not been easy to build the path that led him to success with the song ‘We don’t talk about Bruno’, which he sings with Carolina Gaitán, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and part of the cast of the movie “Encanto”.
Castillo also gave voice to the character of Félix Madrigal in the Disney film ‘Encanto’, winner of the 2022 Oscar for best animated film.
His music has led him to sing on stages as important as the Oscars, at the Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl, among others. That is why he does not want to waste the opportunity to put the challenges faced by Afro-Latinos in the United States at the center of the debate.
“We can talk about a different present of people who have wanted to divide us and keep us relegated between the arts, technology and science,†he said.
Graduated in Classical Music from the Universidad Valle del Cauca, in Colombia, the artist also wants to carry a message about the contribution of immigrants to the construction of the country.
Castillo applies a kind of ‘mantra’ about the need to work and prepare for things to happen, something he learned in his childhood in his neighborhood of Cali, in Colombia, where he was born and saw how his parents and neighbors built a community. “I saw how they raised the walls of that place with their hands and that marks you,” he said.
“You always have to be proud of who you are and where you come from; that is also part of success,” and part of the message that the Colombian singer brings to the White House.
Since 1976, every United States president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also dedicate a month to celebrating black heritage.
