La Feria Festival Launch
Unity Theatre, Liverpool
Wednesday 20th September

Reviewed by Valeria Denegri
Photographs by Michelle Marshall

Commitment to Diversity

Victor Rios began the night with “How British Are you”, a TV-show-like test. Explored through the life journey of a migrant who came from the high altitude of the Andes (Bolivia) as a young person, embracing the cultural contrast of the UK, and is now conflicted by how to identify himself.

Thanks to Victor for the first time, I laughed thinking about pre-settle and settlement status: immigrants’ nightmare, mine included. He also explores the unfairness of citizenship exams where they asked questions that nor the British know! When he asked them to the public that was a palpable fright. With a witty humour he explored the experience of being a person that no longer lives in the country where they or their parents were born: the struggle with accents, the languages, cultures and, not less important, the existential crisis through the self-identity journey and the bias you must face in the public opinion when you meet new people. For example, I am Italian, people take for granted that I am an amazing cook. Sorry lads but no, not. I wouldn’t cook for my worst enemy for their own sake. And – take a seat – I drink Americano coffee. Same for him, he is Latin, and everybody is expecting from him to know Spanish, to move as a professional Latin dancer and so on. He showed that he tried to wear those clothes that people were trying to sew on him. No success. Same in trying to act as he was British, no success again. The result was the question: “Where I fit in?” At the end you will feel a foreigner in both countries, in both cultures, in both communities.

He also talked about the reasons why their parents leave the country, and he said something that really got me about his mother “she taught me a lesson without words.” Well, maybe he needed words, but his show taught a lesson too: identity struggle is international.

Just after having this lesson taught another artist kicked the stage for the second show: MC Millaray.

She is 16 years old, and she is a rap star from Chile. She uses her fierce lyrics to convey centuries of injustices against the country’s largest Indigenous group – called Mapuche – by the European coloniser. Her songs decry environmental, social and political injustices. She sang in Spanish and in her own indigenous language (Mapudungun). She sang with such a force in her voice that at some point – I swear to Neptune – I thought I could speak Mapudungun too.

It was interesting to hear from her, and Victor, their opinions and feelings about and within their arts at the end of the show in the Q&A section. Having their insight and time for self-reflection. This part is when I thought about the diversity of a huge region as Latin-America and about what is really important to take as commitments, some things that worth to work hard for, and most importantly to share it with everyone that wants to listen to it.

For more from the festival: https://harbourmagazine.co.uk/commitment-to-diversity