“When will we start learning and caring about places before disasters?” someone wrote on Twitter this weekend in response to the news about the earthquake in Chile.
I understand the impetus of the question, but there’s something naive about it as well.
There are so many places to learn and care about, so many people to know.
That’s one of the reasons why I travel. Though I know plenty about lots of places, I find that I only really begin to understand them when I’m there. And once I’ve visited, I become invested in these places in a way that doesn’t happen to me with those places I still don’t know with my feet or my eyes or my ears or nose… yet.
*
That’s what I thought about after news of the quake.
I visited Chile in late 2008, and was moved by this sliver of a country. For one thing, it’s beauty exemplified: flawless blue sky stretching out over glacier-fed water in Torres del Paine, the view around each switchback of trail more beautiful than the one before it.
It’s a true beauty, but not an easy one. Standing here, almost as far south as one can be, the wind blows straight through you with an impersonal, punishing persistence. You learn to accept that what is beautiful must often be appreciated not unadulterated, but in its natural, wild, often messy state.
There were other reasons I was moved by Chile. Its recent history was palpable without being oppressive, its past real and present without having a stranglehold on its sense of now or possibilities for the future. The people I met were ambitious and creative; they were also honest about themselves and their country. “We don’t know how to market ourselves,” one tourism industry professional told me. “We have everything, but you can’t say that in an advertisement.”
*Matt Scott, one of Matador’s extraordinary and efficient interns, put together our Chile Focus Page today, which is an archive of all the articles we’ve published about Chile since we launched in 2006.
*For more Chile before the quake photos, check out my Chile set on Flickr.
Text: Julie Schwietert Collazo
Photos: Francisco Collazo
For an island that’s 31 square miles, St. Thomas sure does have a lot of churches. There’s the Dutch Reformed Church, the Lutheran Church, two Catholic churches, and a synagogue… and those are just the ones we saw.
The diversity of churches and faith traditions can be attributed to St. Thomas’ colonial history; the Dutch established their Reformed Church here in 1660, and a string of missionaries–Moravians among them– influenced religious beliefs and institutions here, too.
The story of the Jews, though, and their synagogue, Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim, is the most fascinating of the religious histories. The congregation was established in 1796 by Sephardic Jews who came to the Caribbean as financiers of the trade boom.
The present synagogue, a modest structure, was built in 1883 and was the third structure built; the first two were destroyed by fires. Though the congregation is perhaps smaller than it has ever been in its history, it remains vital within the island community and is historically important: it has been offering services since 1833 and as such, is the oldest synagogue in continuous use under the American flag.
The synagogue is small and simple. Apart from the 11th century menorah on the wall and some French lighting fixtures, decorations are minimal. The benches are handmade mahogany (currently being restored by craftsmen). The floor has a fine layer of sand covering it; according to the rabbi, the sand is “most likely derived from a practice… during the Spanish Inquisition….During that time, many Jews were forced to convert to Christianity but secretly continued to practice Judaism.” The Jews would gather in cellars with sand floors; the sand muffled the sounds of their religious rituals.
If you’re in St. Thomas, make it a point to visit the St. Thomas Synagogue. Services are held each Friday at 6:30 PM and Saturday at 10 AM, and the public is invited. Visitors who just want to see the synagogue can visit Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM until 4 PM.
Text & Photos: Francisco Collazo
Translation: Julie Schwietert Collazo
[vease abajo para la version en espanol]
**
“Every time we go out, you act like you’ve just gotten off the boat like a refugee,” my wife jokes.
But really, I think she’s right.
It’s hard to go out in New York City without finding something new or interesting. It doesn’t matter how much time you’ve lived here. When we come home from traveling, we always have to familiarize ourselves with the city again. It’s strange; I suppose you don’t have to do the same thing in most other places.
It was only recently that I learned about the New York City Police Museum. During a tour of the city in a double-decker bus, our tour guide mentioned the museum and pointed out its location.
Today, we decided to visit it. Though relatively small, the museum could expand its existing collection with even more interesting objects. It’s a place that’s likely to be very interesting for anyone who wants to know about the history and evolution of the NYPD. Nevertheless, the museum has also been under heavy criticism from city historians, who accuse curators of avoiding the exhibition of items that might be controversial, yet which are also part of the city’s police history.
The museum is housed inside the building that served as the city’s First Precinct, which is located in lower Manhattan near Wall Street. The building itself is a testament to the NYPD’s history. And today, the area is convenient to several subway lines and other services, including banks, restaurants, and shops.
Among the items displayed is a collection of police uniforms from the 1800s to the present day. There’s a replica of a prison cell, an extensive arms collection (including a pistol used by Al Capone), a wall of accused criminals’ photos, taken around the turn of the century, and a collection of items salvaged from the debris of the September 11 attacks.
The museum offers a quick glance inside the department and is a great place to visit with kids during downtime. You can see the entire museum in just over an hour. It’s an ideal place to escape the intense summer heat, the winter’s cold, or to take part in the lectures and family programs the museum offers.
I’ve lived in this city more than eight years and I can’t stay that I know it top to bottom. Everything here happens quickly and without notice. Every summer is like arriving to the city for the first time. I still have the same curiosity about New York that I felt the first day. Lectures, open air concerns, and activities of every type cover the city, from north to south and east to west. The faltering economy has hit the city hard, causing it to scale back the activities it’s offered in the past, but there’s still life pulsing in this city that never sleeps.
**
Cada salida a la ciudad de Nueva York es como si acabara de llegar en un bote como refugiado-me dice mi esposa.
Y creo que es verdad.
Es difícil pasear la ciudad y no encontrar nada nuevo o de interés. No importa cuanto tiempo vivas aquí.
Cuando viajamos fuera de Nueva York por unos días, al regresar tenemos que familiarizarnos de nuevo con esta ciudad. Cosa esta muy extraña y que no sucede con muchas ciudades en el mundo o mejor dicho en muchas otras ciudades.
Hasta hace muy poco no conocía de la existencia del Museo de la Policía de Nueva York. Fue durante un recorrido por la ciudad en esos buses de dos pisos que escuchamos al guía de turismo mencionarlo y señalar el edificio donde se encontraba.
Hoy hemos decididos visitarlo. Este museo aunque relativamente muy pequeño, podría en mi opinión agrupar aun mas cosas interesantes. Es un sitio que puede ser de mucho interés para todo aquel que quiera saber sobre la historia y evolución del departamento de la policía en esta ciudad. Sin embargo, este museo esta bajo fuerte criticismo por parte de los historiadores de la ciudad, quienes lo acusan de no exhibir hechos de naturaleza mas controversiales que también son parte de la historia de este departamento policial.
El museo se encuentra localizado en el edificio que sirvió de Precinto Numero #1 en la parte baja de Manhattan cerca de la Calle Wall. Lugar muy conveniente por su transportación y servicios: bancos comerciales, café, restaurantes, tiendas y librerías de todo tipo.
Este pequeño lugar es un eslabón clave con el pasado de este departamento. Aquí se exhibe una colección de uniformes de la policía desde el 1800s hasta el presente. También muestra una replica de una celda para prisioneros, una colección de armas, incluso una pistola usada por Al Capone y fotos de detenidos con su fichas y cargos criminales, videos y objetos recuperados después del ataque del 11 de Septiembre del 2001 en las ruinas de los gemelos en el bajo Manhattan.
Este museo es una pequeña mirada dentro de este departamento y un buen lugar para visitarlo con niños durante tiempo de oseo. La visita en su totalidad se puede hacer en un poco mas de una hora. Un buen sitio para escapar el fuerte calor del verano, el frío del invierno o para participar en las lecturas y programas que allí se ofrecen.
Han pasado mas de 8 años que vivo en esta ciudad y no puedo decir con toda seguridad que la conozco de arriba abajo. Todo aquí sucede tan rápido y sin aviso. Cada verano es como si arribara a una ciudad nueva por primera vez. Me siento con la curiosidad del primer día. Lecturas, música al aire libre y actividades de todo tipo cubren la ciudad de norte a sur y de este a oeste. La decadente economía le ha dado un golpe fuerte en comparación a lo que ella ha ofrecido en el pasado, pero todavía le queda vida a la ciudad que nunca duerme.
Text & Photos: Francisco Collazo
Translation: Julie Schwietert Collazo
[vease abajo para la version en espanol]
**
She lives in Spain, she’s black, young, from a poor neighborhood, born to immigrants, a woman. An absent father. African. Her stage name is Buika.
María Concepción Balboa Buika performed at New York City’s Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival last week, gifting the crowd with talent, feeling, joy, profundity, and simple human sensibility in her songs. Almost shy before and after singing, she transformed before our eyes while offering an exquisite demonstration of her range of ability: flamenco, jazz, and soul. Her style evokes Susana Baca, Lila Downs, Tina Turner, and Roberta Flack, all in one.
Buika’s personality elevates the emotional temperature of the crowd. Her Spanish accent provokes curiosity; her voice is a siren song. We travel musically from Africa to the Americas and back to Europe. As I look around me, the crowd is listening with their eyes closed, in silence, almost hypnotized in ecstasy.
Her group is comprised of two other musicians, Melon, a Cuban pianist, and a percussionist who plays the cajón (a wooden box). But their sounds fill the plaza as if they were an enormous band, holding long notes, driving into passionate choruses, improvising melodies with influences from here and there, transporting us to far-flung corners of the world. We float on these sounds, we remember past experiences, and we sing along with the chorus of ballads and boleros that are universally known. It’s beautiful music. Period.
Buika’s performance was impressive not only for its musical acuity, but also for the marked, deep silences that comprise part of her repertoire, silences which paradoxically leave the audience breathless.
New York’s Lincoln Center is host to hundreds of world renowned artists and lesser known performers each year. For the past 13 years, its annual summertime Out of Doors Festival has presented world class artists on its open air stage at the Damrosch Bandshell, free of cost. Dance groups, soloists, and groups from around the world converge here and find an audience eager to know their music, an audience that explores new sounds and new talents fearlessly. It’s New York! It’s art in this steamy summer!
**
Vive en España, de raza negra, joven, residente de barrio pobre, nacida de inmigrantes, mujer. Padre ausente, africana. Su nombre en el escenario es Buika.
María Concepción Balboa Buika llego al Centro Lincoln de Nueva York y lo entrego todo: talento, nostalgia, alegría, profundidad y sencillez humana en su canto. Casi avergonzada por elevar a su publico de la manera que lo hizo y dándonos a todos una demostración exquisita de canto flamenco, jazz, y soul. Su estilo me trajo a la memoria a Susana Baca, Lila Downs, Tina Turner, y Roberta Flack. Todas ellas atrapadas en una sola persona.
Su personalidad excita una presencia emocional tremenda. Su acento español nos llena de curiosidad, mientra su voz melódica nos atrapa. Viajamos musicalmente desde Africa hasta las Américas y nos regresa a Europa. El publico, me doy cuenta que escucha con sus ojos cerrados, en silencio, estáticos y casi hipnotizado.
El grupo que la acompaña, esta compuesto por dos, un pianista: Melón (de origen cubano) y un percusionista que toca el cajón (caja de madera). Sin embargo, su música llena toda la plaza como si fuera la de una banda enorme, prolongando las notas, haciendo coros, improvisando las melodías con notas de aquí y de alla que nos mantienen vivos y transportados musicalmente a otros rincones del mundo. Flotamos con su musica, soñamos con sus temas y luego repetimos los coros y a todo pulmón los estribillos inmemorables de boleros y baladas universalmente conocidas. Es simplemente musica buena y punto.
Sus interpretaciones no solo fueron impresionantes por su sonoridad, sino también por sus marcados y profundos silencios que formaban parte de su repertorio y te dejaba sin aire para respirar. Todo esto en conjunto los hacían simplemente maravillosos.
El Centro Lincoln de Nueva York pone sus escenarios para agrupar cada año artistas diversos y a la misma vez excelentes. Trece años consecutivos ofreciendo estas presentaciones al aire libre y libre de costo para el publico. Grupos de bailes, solistas y artistas de todos o casi todos los rincones de la tierra se agrupan aquí y encuentran un publico que conoce su música, que no tiene miedo explorar sonidos y talentos nuevos. Es Nueva York. Es arte en este caluroso verano!
Recent Comments: