Tag Archives: Cantante

Flora Santiago Sigue En La Lucha

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Record cover for Pepe y Flora’s “En la Lucha” album. Photo used with permission by Flora Santiago.

 

This month The Boricua en la Luna had a chance to catch up with Flora Santiago. Santiago is one of Puerto Rico’s first protest folk singers. She moved to the Bronx in New York City in the 1950s where her absence from Puerto Rico would inspire her love for the island.

Photo provided by Flora Santiago.

During her journey, she met many people that would join her on her voyage of self-discovery. One of these people was Pepe Sanchez with whom she would form the influential recording duo, Pepe y Flora.

 

 

 

 

 

Photo of Grupo Tahone. Photo provided by Flora Santiago.

 

Years later she after returning to Puerto Rico, she went on to form part of the famous music group Taone. Roy Brown, one of the members of this group, composed the music for the Song “Boricua en la Luna” which is the namesake of this blog.

Flora went on to take part in other music groups including Edgardo Delgado y Taller Criollo.

 

 

Flora Santiago performs a duet with her daughter Melisa Claudio. Photo provided by Flora Santiago.

 

Numerous albums, songs, poems, and books later, Flora continues to be an advocate for Puerto Rican independence. Her spirit continues to influence her compatriots through her talents in music and poetry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flora Santiago meets recently freed political activist Oscar Lopez. Photo provided by Flora Santiago.

Dance Fever Grips Crowds At Amway Center During Puerto Rican Festival

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The pandemic shut down many activities, concerts, and festivals this year. For Puerto Ricans, even the New York City Puerto Rican Day Parade was canceled this year.  

This year the city of Orlando put on a successful show of culture during its own 5th Annual Florida Puerto Rican Parade and Festival. Last year this activity was cancelled, but organizers decided to go ahead with the festivities this year, and to dedicate them to first responders as a way of thanking them for their service during the pandemic. The parade and festival were also dedicated to the Puerto Rican towns of Cabo Rojo and Moca.

The festival included prominent figures of Puerto Rican music and sport including Olympic Gold Medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn who made her appearance on one of the parade floats.

As always, music was a prominent part of this year’s festivities. Crowds gathered at the Orlando Magic’s Amway center to continue the party atmosphere. Performers included trovador Andres Jimenez, merengue band Limi-T 21, salsero Frankie Negron, and rock band Algarete.

Besides providing a great atmosphere for dancing, the festival also gave vendors an opportunity to interact with the public. There were artworks of all sorts, most of which included the Puerto Rican flag the unifying symbol of this festival.

One improvement festival organizers should address was a shortage of typical Puerto Rican food. There were only a few kiosks that served Puerto Rican favorites such as alcapurrias, bacalaitos, and empanadillas. Next year it would be nice to see a few more food vendors catering to everyone’s appetite.

It was a hot and humid day on the festival grounds but there were plenty of kiosks set up to quench the thirst of festival-goers. Whether you wanted to partake in a mixed drink, a piña colada, or a tropical fruit juice, there was something for everyone to wet their whistle.

If the dancing and singing were any indications, this year’s festival was an outstanding success.  

Pay attention to Florida Puerto Rican Parade & Festival Inc’s website for next year’s festival dates and participants.  

Also, make sure to subscribe to the Boricua en la Luna blog for the low-down information on this and other Puerto Rican community events.