(mp3)
Set to an Afro-Peruvian festejo beat from that country's desert coast, this local color from the streets of Lima sets the scene for longer portraits of its people. My affection for Peru is deep, and during one extensive visit, I edited Between Fire and Love: Contemporary Peruvian Writing, a collection of poems and stories in English translation. Internationally known guitarist Alfredo Muro was born in Peru and came to Portland in 1989.
Skins (mp3)
The border -- between life and death, us and them, dream and reality -- is a site of transformation. Relief workers told me their stories, and I once followed the trail from Mexico up the San Pedro River. In keeping with the subject, Alfredo has set this to a more contemporary beat.
Parakeets (mp3)
From the series, "Stories of Immigrant Children," this recollection of her grandfather was told to my friend, her fifth-grade teacher, by Nayara Tolentino, a 12-year-old immigrant from Brazil. The song we use is a samba called "Gostazinho."
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