Sep 27
Emilio Alvarez Quioto | Garífuna People and Culture
Join us in welcoming Emilio Moises Alvarez Quioto to our campus! Emilio comes from a Garífuna family that has stood out in the artistic world for its love and commitment to art and culture, with more than 43 continuous years in the music scene, actively participating in the various stages of the development of Honduran musical culture.
He is recognized for being a versatile musician, passionate about the various forms and genres of music, blues, jazz, soul, rock, and traditional Honduran music, and his fundamental passion is the Garífuna musical culture. Throughout his artistic career he has represented Honduras on various stages worldwide: Mexico (International Cervantino Festival), Costa Rica (FIA, International Festival of the Arts), England (BT River Festival, Olympic Games, London 2012), England (WOMAD Festival 2015), Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Norway, People's Republic of China, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Spain (Santiago Compostela WOMEX festival 2014), USA, Australia, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Greece (Rolex Arts Festival 2023). In 2022 he received the appointment of Ambassador of Education and Culture by the Ministry of Education of Honduras. Furthermore, in 2024 he received the Appointment of Honorary Ambassador of Art and Culture of Honduras by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Honduras for more than 43 years of being a benchmark of Honduran musical culture and exalting Honduran music outside our borders.
Emilio's visit is part of the Global Blackness in the 21st Century conference, but this event is open to the campus community. Registration is not required.
Presentation | 4 p.m. | Great Hall
"Garífuna People and Culture," a World Heritage by Emilio Alvarez Quioto
A talk about the fascinating Garífuna culture, its history, and its diaspora—from its land of origin (Saint Vincent) to its current settlements (Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and the USA). We will explore Garífuna customs, their present reality, and some significant musical aspects of their culture.
Performance | 5 p.m. | Great Hall
In this performance, Emilio will present songs with a traditional Garífuna musical base, today popularly known as “Parranda.” In its original traditional format, this performance was performed in local festivities, while visiting friends, or for those who wanted to share with the “ Parranderos Musicians” making tours from house to house, especially on important festivities. The songs were accompanied by guitar, donkey's jaw, and snail. In its modern form, the bands added other elements, such as the bass and the electric guitar, giving a particular unique color to this Garífuna form of performance. The Parranda lyrics deal with themes linked to daily life, love, heartbreak, complaints, memories, life and death, and other topics linked to our vision of the world as Garífunas.