The exhibit, entitled “Malembe y Mondongo,” includes photographs by Heather Hodges, a Washington-based human rights lawyer. The accompanying lecture will be given by Howard University researcher Mesi Walton. She will share her experiences learning about the history and traditions of Afro-Venezuelan communities, their cultural contributions, and links with the larger the African diaspora.

Immediately following her presentation, Walton will offer an Afro-Venezuelan dance workshop.

About the Presenters

The photographer Heather Hodges graduated from the Tulane Law School with a specialization in human rights. In 2010 and 2011, she was a member of “Women’s Rights and Public Policy” at Georgetown University Law School, where she researched the challenges of access to justice among Central American women and did fieldwork in Belize and Washington, DC. Her documentary photography was a central part of her research.

Researcher Mesi Walton has a master’s degree from Howard University’s Department of World Languages and Cultures. Her research is focused on African peoples in the diaspora and their cultural retention, particularly as it relates to dance, music, and songs. In 2008, she embarked on a year-long anthropological study in Venezuela and Colombia. While in Venezuela, she studied dance and music theory at Fundación Bigott, an institution that specializes in traditional theater arts in Venezuela. She makes frequent research trips to Venezuela and Colombia.

In 2005, the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela the month of May as Afro-Descendent Month, and May 10 as Afro-Venezuelan Day. In honor of these events, the country has organized events at home and abroad to continue supporting policies implemented by President Hugo Chávez that promote the inclusion and recognition of the Afro-Venezuelan population.

What: Photo Exhibit and Lecture on Afro-Venezuelan Culture

Where: Bolivarian Hall (2443 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC 20008)

When: Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 7pm

Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 17, 2012

]]> http://venezuela-us.org/2012/05/18/photo-exhibit-on-afro-venezuelan-culture-at-the-bolivarian-hall/feed/ 0 http://venezuela-us.org/2012/05/09/cd-release-concert-of-venezuelan-violinist-at-the-bolivarian-hall/ http://venezuela-us.org/2012/05/09/cd-release-concert-of-venezuelan-violinist-at-the-bolivarian-hall/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 21:04:27 +0000 admin http://venezuela-us.org/?p=23713 Vanessa Perez,  Chopin: The complete preludes. The event will be held on Thursday May 17 at 7 pm…]]> The Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United States invite you to the CD release concert of Venezuelan pianist Vanessa Perez,  Chopin: The complete preludes. The event will be held on Thursday May 17 at 7 pm in the Bolivarian Hall, the cultural space of this Diplomatic Mission. 

Perez debuted at age 11 playing Norwegian Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto with Orquesta Sinfonica Municipal under the direction of Carlos Riazuelo in Caracas, Venezuela in front of an audience of 2,500.

Perez has developed an international profile, playing prestigious venues across the United States, Latin America and Europe. The pianist has performed not only with Dudamel and Montero, but also with such top musicians as pianist Ingrid Fliter, cellist Jan Vogler, violinist Colin Jacobsen and conductors John Axelrod, Enrique Batiz, David Gimenez Carreras, Karel Mark Chichon and Diego Matheuz. Reviewing a Perez performance of Mozart’s D Minor Concerto in Germany, the German Newspapaper Dortmunder Zeitung called her “a virtuosa wild at heart and with a gentle touch,” combining “spontaneous freshness and poetic expression.” The Miami Herald, witnessing Perez in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, marveled at her “youthful fire” and “rapt lyricism.”

In spring 2012, Perez will make her Telarc/Concord debut with the release of an all-Chopin studio recording that features the 24 Preludes Op. 28, Fantasie in F minor Op. 49, Barcarolle Op. 60 and two Preludes from Op. 25. Even with influences in Chopin that range from Alfred Cortot to Claudio Arrau to Martha Argerich, Perez has made the music very much her own. She says: “The way I play this music may not be stereotypically `beautiful’ – it may be more raw than some. But I wanted the music to sound organic and real, above all. I didn’t want pretty. I wanted honest.

This concert is possible thanks to the generous support of Chevron Corporation.

When: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Time: 7:00 pm
Where: Bolivarian Hall. 2443 Massachusetts Ave NW,Washington D.C. 20008

PleaseRSVP to: cultura@venezuela-us.org.

Press-Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S./ May 9, 2012

Check out our section on cultural events to stay posted on the activities hosted by the Venezuelan diplomatic mission. You can also “like” the Embassy on Facebook to interact with us, see photos and learn more about Venezuela.

Should you wish to receive invitations to our events, please write to cultura@venezuela-us.org

Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / May 7, 2012

What: Passport DC’s “Around the World Embassy Tour”

Where: Venezuelan Ambassador’s Residence (2443 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington DC 20008)

When: May 5, 2012 from 10am to 4pm

For further information, please click here.

Press – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / April 20, 2012

About “Miranda”

The film depicts the amazing life of a man whom biographers have compared to Don Juan and Don Quixote: Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda.

A work of historical fiction, the film chronicles the life of Francisco de Miranda beginning with his decision to embark for Spain in 1771 to serve in the Royal Army. The Venezuelan hero is characterized by his constant role in great historical moments and the most passionate love stories. Miranda was the only man who fought in the three most important revolutions of his time: American, French and Latin American. Miranda was undoubtedly the most universal Venezuelan of his day, helping design his country’s flag and write its first constitution. He was appointed Generalissimo, but in his later years, faced intense treachery.

Directed by Diego Rísquez

2006 / 105 min.

In Spanish with English subtitles

WHEN: Thursday, April 19 at 6:30 PM

WHERE: Bolivarian Hall

2443 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008

Please RSVP to: cultura@venezuela-us.org

This documentary film carefully analyzes the events of the attempted coup d’état in Venezuela in April 2002, arguing that “an anti-Chávez opposition alliance manipulated coverage… to make it look like the government used gunmen to shoot and kill opposition demonstrators.”

Director Ángel Palacios is described as a “staunch supporter of President Hugo Chávez who is nevertheless frequently critical of stances taken by the government.”

 The film (2004, 105 min.) will be screened in English. Please note that it contains images of violence and is therefore not suitable for children.

 When:  Friday, April 13, at 6:30 pm

Where: Bolivarian Hall. 2443 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20008

Please RSVP to: cultura@venezuela-us.org

]]> http://venezuela-us.org/2012/04/04/documentary-on-the-restoration-of-democracy-in-venezuela-to-be-shown-at-the-bolivarian-hall/feed/ 0 http://venezuela-us.org/2012/03/23/screening-of-argentinean-documentary-%e2%80%9cthe-war-for-other-media%e2%80%9d-at-bolivarian-hall/ http://venezuela-us.org/2012/03/23/screening-of-argentinean-documentary-%e2%80%9cthe-war-for-other-media%e2%80%9d-at-bolivarian-hall/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:59:56 +0000 Vale http://venezuela-us.org/?p=23032 As part of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital, the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the U.S. will offer a screening of the Argentinean documentary “The War for Other Media” on Saturday, March 24, at 6:30 pm at the Bolivarian Hall.

Directed by Cartoy Díaz and Cristian Jure, the documentary shows how Indigenous people are using their own media to resist the invasion of their territories and the looting of their resources. It delves into four specific examples: Francisca, of the Aymara Network in Bolivia; Almir’s use of the internet in the Amazonia; Matias of Radio Mapuche in the Patagonia region of Argentina; and Ariel, who creates video in villages in Brazil.

Using laptops, speakers, radios, newspapers, video cameras, and cell phones, indigenous people have been creating mass media to strengthen their causes and defend their rights. Paradoxically, their media productions are practically unknown outside the limits of the indigenous world.

“The War for Other Media” is being screened as part of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/. It was founded in 1993 and is considered one of the world’s largest and most influential showcases of environmental films. According to the festival’s website, each March, the festival presents a diverse selection of environmental films from all over the world.

What: Screening of “The War for Other Media” (Argentina, 2010)
Where: Bolivarian Hall, 2443 Massachusetts Ave., NW, 20008
When: Saturday, March, 24th, 2012 at 6:30PM
RSVP: rsvp@venezuela-us.org (first come first served)
Free admission.

Prenss Office –Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / March 23, 2012

The event, to be held at the Bolivarian Hall, cultural space of the Embassy of Venezuela, will be presided over by Deisi Pereira, First Secretary at the Venezuelan diplomatic mission, who will discuss the role of women and their process of inclusion under the Bolivarian Revolution. The editor of the book “Women in Cuba,” Mary-Alice Waters, who is also president of Pathfinder Press and a member of the National Committee of the Socialist Workers Party, will also be present to speak about the unprecedented integration of women in the Cuban Revolution.

What: Conference in honor of International Women’s Day
When: Thursday, March 8, 2012, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Bolivarian Hall, 2443 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington D.C. 20008
Light refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to: cultura@venezuela-us.org

Press Office / Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S. / March 2, 2012

The Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Washington, DC, will screen six films in its cultural space, the Bolivarian Hall, during the festival. These include the Venezuelan selections: “Dudamel: Let the Children Play” (2010), a documentary by Alberto Arvelo; Roman Chabaud’s “Zamora, Free Land and Men” (2009); Luis Alberto Lamata’s “Taita Boves” (2010); and “Water Drums, an ancestral encounter” (2009), a documentary by Clarissa Duque. The Bolivarian Hall is located at 2443 Massachusetts Ave. NW in Washington, DC. All screenings begin at 6:30 pm.

Three more films presented by the Cuban Interest Section in Washington, DC, will also be screened at the Bolivarian Hall: Ian Padrón’s “Van Van Fever” (2010), on February 2; Roberto Chile’s  “I am Tata Naganga” (2011), on February 9; and “Habanastation” (2011), also by Padron, on February 17.

The series is organized by the Association of Ibero-American Cultural Attaches in Washington, DC, and also includes films from Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Spain, Guatemala, Mexico, Portugal, and El Salvador.

For details on the screenings and venues, see the program here.

All films have English subtitles and admission is free. Please RSVP to cultura@venezuela-us.org.

–

Thur. Feb. 2: “Van Van Fever” (Cuba, 2010)

Fri. Feb. 3: “Zamora, Free Land and Men” (Venezuela, 2009)

Thur. Feb. 9: “I am Tata Nagana” (Cuba, 2011)

Thur. Feb. 16: “Water Drums, an Ancestral Encounter” (Venezuela, 2009)

Fri. Feb. 17: “Habanastation” (Cuba, 2011)

Thur. Feb. 23: “Taita Boves” (Venezuela, 2010)

Fri. Feb. 24: “Dudamel, Let the Children Play” (Venezuela, 2010)

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Press Office – Venezuelan Embassy to the U.S./ February 1, 2012

Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Washington, DC