BLOSSOMS OF FIRE. The award winning documentary Blossoms of Fire tells the story of the Zapotecs from Oaxaca, Mexico. The film describes how Zapotec culture has fostered a tradition of strong women and tolerance for homosexuality. This is a conversation with singer/photographer Martha Toledo, who appears in the documentary and is in California for the San Francisco Video Festival. Martha will also speak about controversial plans to develop a Wal Mart superstore in Juchitan, in the Zapotec heartlands.

Guest: Rosa Martha Toledo, Zapotec singer, Oaxaca City; Maureen Gosling, filmmaker, director, Intrepidas Productions, Oakland, CA., www.maureengosling.com

ARAU AND ARIZMENDI. A husband and wife duo, Sergio Arau and Yareli Arizmendi are the creators of the feature film A Day Without a Mexican, a political satire on the impact of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans on California. They visit Fresno to speak about what it means to be Latino in post-9/11 U.S.A. Sergio Arau is a well-known artist, musician and film director in Mexico City. Yareli Arizmendi is an acclaimed writer and actress.

JOAQUÍN MURRIETA DEMYSTIFYED. This is a conversation on the book Joaquín: demystifying the Murrieta legend. Its author Humberto Garza is a former university professor and community organizer born in Texas and living in California. Garza conducted extensive historic research to put to the test the mainstream notion of Joaquín Murrieta as a California bandit. Who was the real Joaquín? Was Joaquín a legend or a myth? Was he ever captured?

Guest: Humberto Garza, retired professor, California State University San Jose; professor, West Hills College, Coalinga, CA, sunhousepublishing@yahoo.com, www.joaquinmurrieta.net

THE TEQUILA WORM. The first novel of writer Viola Canales, The Tequila Worm tells the story of Sofia Casas, a young woman who leaves her barrio in McAllen, Texas to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer. When her homesickness becomes unbearable, Sofia learns to eat the tequila worm to cure her yearnings for home.

Guest:

MASTER OF PAPEL PICADO. Herminia Albarrán Romero, a master of Mexican paper cutting known as papel picado was awarded the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts. The art of papel picado is widely used for quinceañeras, weddings and holiday celebrations. Herminia lives in San Francisco, CA, where she is also known for her traditional altars, created with paper flowers, papel picado, and pan de muertos.

ARAU AND ARIZMENDI. A husband and wife duo, Sergio Arau and Yareli Arizmendi are the creators of the feature film A Day Without a Mexican, a political satire on the impact of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans on California. They visit Fresno to speak about what it means to be Latino in post-9/11 U.S.A. Sergio Arau is a well-known artist, musician and film director. Yareli Arizmendi is an acclaimed writer and actress. Arau and Arizmendi also comment on Hollywood, Gov. Schwarzenegger, and the immigrant citizen revolt. This is a pre-recorded edition.

DAY OF THE DEAD. On this day, the dead come to life in the old Mexican tradition. Mexicans honor their dead with personal altars, offerings at the cemetery, yellow marigolds and holiday bread at home. This is a conversation with an altar-maker from Central California.

Guest:

Jesús Ávila, Mixtec immigrant, organizer of community celebrations, San Luis Obispo, CA.

GREENING LATINO COMMUNITIES. Civic leaders meet in Los Angeles to discuss ways to engage Latinos on environmental issues and build a network of young Latino leaders interested in the environment. Topics include environmentalism in Latino heritage, the fight for a California park bond to develop green areas in urban barrios, the greening of Los Angeles River, the advocacy for urban gardens and the consequences of U.S. farm policy on Mexico's migration.

Guests: Irma Muñoz,. president and founder, Mujeres de la Tierra, Los Angeles; Ed Reyes, councilmember, Los Angeles City Council; Luis Hernandez Navarro, article writer, La Jornada, Mexico City; Tezozomoc, leader, Movimiento de Campesinos del Centro Sur, Los Angeles; Eleaquin Vaquero, Club Tehuitzingo and Federacion Poblana, Los Angeles.

ZACATECAN POWER. This pre-taped program features interviews gathered at the annual conference of the Zacatecan Federation of Southern California, a pioneering coalition of hometown associations from North Central Mexico. Governor Amalia García, migrant state congressman Manuel de la Cruz, and émigré leader Efraín Jiménez talk about the community-development program Tres por Uno, citizen philanthropy, binational citizenship, migrant vote and lobbying, binational health insurance, and the politics of California’s immigrant governor Schwarzenegger.

SMART HOLIDAY GIFTS. In this season of holiday gifts, what can parents do to help their family get equipped with computers and software to meet the basic needs of modern education? Experts on consumer affairs share tips on how to buy laptop and desktop computers and how to prevent being victim of fraud when buying online.

Guests: Alberto Rojas, Consumer Reports magazine, New York, NY; Alvaro Puig, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC.

ALSO, LOSS OF LATINO CLOUT IN TEXAS AND TOM DELAY'S CORRUPTION TRIAL. Attorney Carlos Spector-Calderon from El Paso comments on a Texas judge's decision to let Rep. Tom DeLay be tried on money-laundering charges. He also comments on a U.S. Department of Justice analysis calling illegal and anti-Latino voter the Congressional re-districting plan in Texas promoted by DeLay. Latinos and other minorities' voting strength was weakened by the Republican redistricting in Texas, concluded the report.

MIGRANT FARMING IN THE BIG CITY. Migrant farmers who are growing a plot of Native American fruits and vegetables amid the densely populated barrios of Los Angeles, are fighting the landowner’s plans to bulldoze the community garden and develop a warehouse. The farmers are challenging in court the decision of the city to sell the land to its current owner and are calling the plot a sanctuary for the neighborhood families and a source of clean air. This is a debate on the issue.

Guests: Tezozomoc, organizer, South Central Community Farmers, Los Angeles; Ralph Horowitz, attorney and developer, Los Angeles.

ALSO, NATURAL GAS PRICE HIKES. Natural gas prices are soaring amid one of the coldest winters in many areas of the U.S. Environmentalists fear that many low-income consumers will rely on fireplaces and less healthy fuels to heat their homes this season. The fuel emissions in turn threaten to take a costly toll in the health of working families.

HMONG NEW YEAR. On this day, Hmong people from all over the world begin five days of the most anticipated celebration of the year. This is a report on the largest event, Fresno’s International Hmong New Year Festival. Began in their native Laos as a time for self-renewal and family-bonding after the harvest season, the festivities in the U.S. are now huge gatherings that showcase folk music and dances, and introduce young girls and boys to society.

Guest: Vungping Yang, educator, Hmong culture promoter, artist, Fresno, CA; Alma Martínez, news reporter, Radio Bilingüe, Fresno, CA.

ALSO, ARPEX SONES. In this holiday season, a traditional harp group from the tropical lands of Michoacan is warming up New Year’s parties in Northern California. The innovative techniques of the festive music of Grupo Arpex caught the attention of Daniel Sheehy, director of Folkways Recordings at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, who is planning an album release for the summer.

VISIÓN DEL 2006. Colegas de la radio se suman a esta primera edición del año para comentar sobre sucesos que se preven para el 2006. Lucas Benítez, representante de WCIW Radio Conciencia en Immokalee, FL, habla acerca de la campaña pro comida justa que ahora se dispone a presionar al gigante corporativo McDonald’s. También habla acerca de las posibilidades de reforma migratoria. Ricardo García, director ejecutivo de KDNA en Granger, WA, comenta sobre las posibles restricciones a la importación de trabajadores agrícolas de Tailandia, las elecciones intermedias y la creciente influencia del voto latino, el histórico voto de los emigrados en la elección presidencial de México, las iniciativas anti-inmigrantes del Congreso y la nominación del directivo escolar Benjamín Soria como Superintendente del Año para el estado de Washington en el 2006.

BORDER TOWN LIFE. A conversation with neighbors of Del Rio, Texas in the oldest restaurant in town. Locals comment on life in this small border town, including the use of the Spanish language, federal plans for a border barrier, and more. Topics also include bilingualism in local radio, the flash floods that devastated the old barrio, the restaurant that gained historic landmark status and the story of the late piano player who achieved national acclaim.

Guests:

Damaris Carrasco, member of the civilian personnel, Laughlin Air Force Base, Del Rio, TX; Dolly Calderón, owner, Memo's Restaurant, the oldest in town; Diana Abrego, Chair, Casa de la Cultura; Javier Martínez, radio personality, KWMC, Del Rio, XHPL Ciudad Acuna.

THE WAR IN SMALL TOWN USA . Línea Abierta visits Del Río, a border town in Texas home to a large air force base, to hear feelings of local residents about the war in Iraq. As the war's deadly toll grows, the voices of those calling for the U.S. troops withdrawal also grow. What do local Del Rioans think about President Bush' war plan? This is a LIVE broadcast from old town Del Rio.

Guests:

Fred García, Chair, Local chapter, American G.I. Forum, Del Rio, TX; Simón Gonzalez, Vietnam Veteran, American G.I. Forum, Del Rio, TX; Jose Martínez, Vietnam Veteran, American G.I. Forum, Del Rio, TX; Ernestina Martínez, City Councilmember, Volunteer for Operation Family Support, Del Rio.

TEXAS EDITION – GLORY ROAD. This movie, with a strong early box office showing, tells the story of the underdog Texas Western College basketball team. The first basketball team starting with a line up of all African-American players, TWC rose to win the 1966 NCAA Tournament. Veteran journalist and author Ray Sanchez joins Carlos Spector-Calderon to talk about how this team changed history, changed the face of college basketball and why was it that the team could thrive in El Paso, home of the then-Texas Western College. Mr. Sanchez is the author of the book "Basketball Biggest Upset" and a key consultant for the movie "Glory Road."

MARIACHERAS! - A conversation with members of the groups Mariachi Mujer 2000 and Mariachi Divas from Los Angeles, headliners of Radio Bilingüe’s traditional Viva el Mariachi! Festival. Mariachi Mujer 2000 is an all-female group, led and musically directed by women, including highly-talented musicians that opened doors for mariacheras in the nation. Mariachi Divas is a multicultural all-female ensemble from Los Angeles. Nationally acclaimed, Divas is particularly proud of their musical style called ranchengue, a blend of Mexican ranchera and Caribbean merengue rhythms. The Viva el Mariachi Festival takes place on Sunday March 26 in downtown Fresno, CA.

Guests:

Marisa Orduno, founder, director and guitarron player, and Carla Diaz, violin player and singer, Mariachi Mujer 2000, Los Angeles; Lorraine Feesago, founder, violin player, and Lorena Panella, violin player and singer, Mariachi Divas de Los Angeles.

MARIACHI PIONEERS. Pioneering groups Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán and Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano are back in Fresno, CA for Radio Bilingüe’s 24th Viva el Mariachi! Festival. This year, the festival will also pay tribute to three accomplished artists from the valley: singer and songwriter Carmencristina Moreno, a recipient of the NEA’s National Heritage Award; and Agustín Lira, co-founder of El Teatro Campesino in 1965 and director of Chicano music ensemble Grupo Alma. This program features conversations with some of the artists.

Guests:

Carmencristina Moreno, interpreter and composer of the cancion Chicana genre, Fresno, CA; Natividad "Nati" Cano, founder and director, Mariachi Los Camperos, Los Angeles, CA; Pepe Martinez, director, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, Mexico City.

IMMIGRANT TROUBADEUR. Nazaria Vizcaino, a singer from Oakland and immigrant from central Mexico, is also a composer inspired by the plight and struggles of her immigrant community. More than a decade ago she wrote a ballad on Proposition 187 in California and more recently she expressed the anxieties and anger of her undocumented paisanos in the ballad Corrido de la HR4437. She performs live two of her creations.

JULIAN GONZALEZ, MARIACHERO CAMPESINO. A conversation with Julian Gonzalez, practitioner of the traditional mariachi music and mentor to new generations in the genres of son abajeño and canción ranchera. Julian also speaks about the film "Pasajero," which captures the images of a journey of young musicians from Northern California to the native land of their mentor in western Mexico.

THE OTHER 9/11.When the twin towers came down in New York, Chileans relived the nightmare of their own 9/11. Almost three decades earlier, they had seen in horror the bombing of a symbol of national pride, the President’s palace. Chilean innovative artist Quique Cruz joins this program to reflect on those memories. A survivor of Pinochet’s torture chambers, Cruz has prepared an art work entitled “Villa Grimaldi: Archeology of Memory,” which includes a musical suite, a book and a documentary film gathering experiences of artists who survived Villa Grimaldi, one of the most notorious torture center of the U.S.-sponsored dictatorship. The U.S. public television network is planning to distribute the film.

Guest:

Quique Cruz, Andean/jazz musician, writer and composer, www.quiquecruz.com

TEXAS EDITION – CONJUNTO FESTIVAL NARCISO MARTÍNEZ.Línea Abierta celebrates National Latino Heritage Month with a special broadcast from the Rio Grande Valley, home of the annual Narciso Martínez Conjunto Festival and one of the best musical traditions in the country. Alma Garza, host of Satélite Radio Bilingüe’s weekend Onda Tejana show and Carlos Spector Calderón, host of Línea Abierta’s weekly Edición Texas from El Paso, are in the valley to air three days of live programs from the studios of KMBH in Harlingen, TX. They begin the series interviewing veteran Eddie Lalo Torres and accomplished accordionist Juan Antonio Tapia.

Host:

Narciso Martínez Cultural Arts Center, San Benito, TX, www.geocities.com/nmcacsb/NMCACevents.html

CONJUNTO FESTIVAL CELEBRATION. Top representatives of South Texas Conjunto music gather this weekend in San Benito, TX, for the 15th edition of the Narciso Martínez Conjunto Festival. On Latino National Heritage Month, Línea Abierta celebrates the Texas-Mexican conjunto, one of the most powerful regional musical styles created by the Mexican people. Guests in this program include Cristina Balli, director, Rogelio Núñez, chair, and Ramón de León, founder, of Centro Cultural Narciso Martínez. In addition, Flavio Longoria and Oscar García, from Conjunto Kingz de Flavio Longoria, join this program.

CONJUNTO LEGENDS: LIVE FROM HARLINGEN. On the second day of San Benito’s Narciso Martínez Conjunto Festival, this program originates from neighboring Harlingen and features live conversations with leading performers and features music from the concert. Radio Bilingüe’s co-hosts Alma Garza and Carlos Spector Calderón talk with Juan Texeda, director of Conjunto Aztlán, a renowned ensemble of the Movimiento Chicano; and veteran accordionist Enrique Vela.

CONJUNTO LEGENDS: LIVE FROM HARLINGEN. Co-hosts Carlos Spector Calderón and Alma Garza continue interviewing leadings artists that have come together in the Río Grande valley for the XV edition of the Narciso Martínez Conjunto Festival. Aired from the studios of KMBH, Harlingen’s public radio, this program features maestro accordionist Oscar Hernández from the valley, Cristina Balli, organizer of the Festival; and San Antonio’s Eva Ybarra, one of the best contemporary accordion virtuosos.

CONJUNTO LEGENDS: LIVE TALKS. On the third and final day of the Narciso Martínez Conjunto Festival in San Benito, TX, this holiday edition provides conversations with headlining performers. Today, interviews include veteran Amadeo Flores, maestro of bajo-sexto and a Conjunto institution; Héctor Barrón, leader of Los Fantasmas del Valle; and Cristina Balli, organizer of the Festival. With this special broadcast from the Rio Grande valley, Línea Abierta culminates a two-year public radio series that addressed key issues relevant to Spanish-speaking audiences of the Texas borderlands. Línea Abierta, the talk show series, has been delivered to Texan Mexican audiences through the powerful signal of partner station XERF-AM, an Instituto Mexicano de la Radio station in Ciudad Acuña, Mexico.

TEXAS EDITION – CONJUNTO LEGENDS. This repeat program originally recorded in the Rio Grande valley features accomplished musicians who headlined the Narciso Martínez Conjunto Festival in San Benito. Guests include Eva Ybarra, from San Antonio, a renowned virtuoso of the Conjunto accordion; veteran accordionist Oscar Hernández from Pharr, TX, who has been working on a recording that pays tribute to pioneers Pedro Ayala, Narciso Martínez and Los Montañeses del Alamo; and Cristina Balli, organizer of the festival.

PUERTO RICO EDITION: PARRANDAS AND POSADAS. Puerto Ricans celebrate the holiday season with “parrandas” or “asaltos navideños,” the Puerto Rican version of the Christmas caroling. Mexican and Central American communities celebrate “Posadas,” a similar festivity of music and food. Wanda Colón Cortés from Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, Nivia Cervantes from Radio Universidad de Guadalajara – Lagos de Moreno, and Samuel Orozco from Satélite Radio Bilingüe, co-host this live edition inviting listeners to comment on these annual traditions and exchange season’s greetings and memories.

TEXAS EDITION – THE YEAR IN REVIEW. This is a review of some of the year’s most remarkable events as reported on Linea Abierta – Texas Edition. The program includes voices of the pro-immigrant student walkouts, the views of war veterans on the war in Iraq, and a report on the November election. It
also includes a tribute to the late Freddy Fender, Miguel Aceves Mejía and Ray Barreto, who died this year, as well as recognition to Elvira Arellano and LULAC’s Rosa Rosales. Listeners call in and submit their own story choices.

ABU GHRAIB. A conversation with renowned Colombian painter Fernando Botero on his exhibit Abu Ghraib. His paintings graphically depict the abuse and torture of Iraqi detainees by American prison guards. Shown first in Europe, Botero’s paintings were not welcomed by U.S. museums but are now on display at a prestigious college in Berkeley, CA.

ALSO, THE CLASH ON IRAQ. In this taped interview, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutiérrez comments on President Bush decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq’s war zone, and the plight of the two million refugees displaced by the war. This program also includes opinions from listeners on a report by the Pew Hispanic Center that found that Latinos’ opposition to the war in Iraq is stronger than the rest of the population.

FESTIVAL HONORS MARIACHI PIONEER. Radio Bilingüe’s ¡Viva el Mariachi! Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend. The festival is preparing a tribute for mariachi legend Miguel Martínez, a trumpet virtuoso who spearheaded the “Golden Age” of mariachi music in the 1940s as a trumpet player for the best mariachis and ranchera singers of the time. Martínez is credited with creating the two-trumpet style of the modern mariachi sound.

Guests:

Hugo Morales, executive director of Radio Bilingüe, Festival founder, Fresno, CA; Miguel Martínez, mariachi pioneer, San Francisco, CA; Dr. Jonathan Clark, ethnomusicologist, mariachi historian, professor at San José University, San Francisco, CA.

MASTERS OF MEXICAN SON. Three of the world’s best known mariachi groups return to Fresno to celebrate the silver anniversary of Radio Bilingüe’s ¡Viva el Mariachi! Festival this weekend. Veterans Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Los Camperos de Nati Cano and Mariachi México de Pepe Villa headline the celebration and are joined by José Gutiérrez, a son jarocho master from Veracruz, and Arpex, a Central California ensemble that plays traditional harp sones from the hotlands of Michoacán.

Guests:

Nati Cano, founding director, Los Camperos de Nati Cano, Los Angeles; Pepe Villa Jr., director, Mariachi México de Pepe Villa, Mexico City; José Gutiérrez, maestro, harp and jarana player, Veracruz, MX.

ALSO, IMPOUNDMENTS CHALLENGED. A class action suit in Los Angeles challenges the constitutionality of the impoundment of vehicles driven by unlicensed immigrants.

Guest:

Cynthia Anderson Barker, attorney, Los Angeles.

BORDER JEWS. Filmmaker Isaac Artenstein talks about his new project featuring Jewish communities along the border, including enclaves in El Paso, San Diego, Santa Fe and Tucson. A producer of The Day Without a Mexican, Artenstein also comments on the current season of pro immigrant rallies around the U.S. This program is hosted by Samuel Schmidt from El Paso.

Guest:

Isaac Artenstein, producer, director, screenwriter, San Diego, CA.

COLIBRÍ. On the eve of the Mexican celebration for the Children, Lichi Fuentes and Alisa Peres, Duo Colibrí, release a new CD entitled “Papaloapan, River of the Butterflies”, which includes a repertoire from many countries in the Spanish-speaking world. Fuentes and Peres are music educators and folk musicians who have performed in venues throughout the Americas. www.colibrimusic.com.

ALSO, THE STRIVE ACT. Rep. Hilda Solís, Democrat from Los Angeles, comments on The STRIVE Act and ongoing congressional hearings to discuss a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

FINALLY, MASS RAID IN CHICAGO. Gail Montenegro, spokesperson for ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, defends a widely condemned raid that netted 16 arrests in a crowded shopping mall in Chicago’s barrio of Little Village.

MEMORIAL DAY EDITION. This pre-taped program includes the following topics:

THE SHORT STORY OF JOSE ANTONIO GUTIERREZ. This documentary tells the story of an orphan Guatemalan immigrant who became the second U.S. marine to die in Iraq. Gutierrez, who had enlisted in the Marine Corps to help his citizenship application, received a posthumous citizenship. This is a conversation with Erika Harzer, director and screenwriter of the film, from Berlin, Germany. www.theshortlife-film.com

ALSO, THE ARREDONDO TRAGEDY. Marine Lance Corporal Alex Arredondo was killed in Iraq during combat in 2004. When three uniformed marines brought the news home, his father Carlos set the soldiers van on fire. Carlos suffered burns on much of his body. This is a recent interview with Carlos and wife Melida on their anti-war activism and their efforts to heal their emotional wounds.

TEXAS EDITION – THE WAR. Director Ken Burns documentary “The War,” on World War II is scheduled to broadcast in September on the public television network PBS. The absence of Latinos has generated a heated controversy among Latino veterans and civil-rights advocates. While the producer agreed to incorporate the voices of Latino WWII veterans, critics of the film series continue pressing for answers as to how and how much. Samuel Schmidt hosts this weekly segment from El Paso, TX.

Guest:

Gus Chávez, co-founder, Defend the Honor Campaign, Director Emeritus, EOP, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA; Eulalio Calderón, veteran of the Korean War, Del Río, TX.

BOOKS FOR HOLIDAY GIVING. Book authors join this edition to offer listeners special gift ideas for the Holiday season. Guests include Reyna Grande, author of “A través de Cien Montañas.” Winner of the American Book Award, this novel chronicles the wanderings of a Mexican girl who moves from a cardboard shack south of the border to Tijuana and California. Next, Lorena Drago talks about her book “Beyond Rice and Beans” (“Mas allá del arroz y las habichuelas”) a healthy-cooking book for diabetics who want to feast Latino dishes during the holidays; and Puerto Rican poet Dalia Nieves Albert, comments on “El alfabeto de hojalata,” a winner of the Latino Book Award in the category of Educational Children’s Books.

GUADALAJARA SIMULCAST: HOLIDAY VISITS. With cultural fairs and mariachi serenades, Mexican hometowns welcome émigrés who return for the Holiday season. What do these visits mean for hometowns and migrants in these times of hardship for cross-border traveling? This is a simulcast with the three-station network of Sistema Jalisciense de Radio y Televisión in Guadalajara.

Guests:

Antonio Zubieta, President, Club de Oriundos de Guadalajara en Chicago – Guadalajara Hometown Association, Chicago, IL; Arturo González, Deputy chief, Instituto Nacional de Migración de México, Jalisco delegation, Guadalajara.

CANCIÓN RANCHERA ICONS. This holiday edition features pre-taped conversations with best-selling ranchera music icons Yolanda del Río and Mercedes Castro, headlining singers for Radio Bilingüe’s 2008 Viva el Mariachi! Festival. Also world-renowned movie actresses, Del Río and Castro talk about their career mentors, cultural influences, cross-border success, and the challenges in the future of Mexican canción ranchera.

LAS AMERICAS FESTIVAL: LIVE. PT2. This is a live recording of the opening concert at the Las Americas Festival. This hour includes a performance by Viento de Agua, a group from Puerto Rico that celebrates Afro-Puertorican traditions of Bomba and Plena.

Guests:

Samuel Orozco, executive producer, Radio Bilingue, San Francisco, CA;

Max Baca and David Farias, Los Texmaniacs, San Antonio, TX;

Carlos Rojas, founding director and harp player, Grupo Cimarron de Colombia;

Paul Spring, Gary Spring, and Kathy Garcia, young students, visitors.

LAS AMERICAS FESTIVAL: LIVE. PT1. This program features interviews with renowned Latin American musicians. The radio conversations took place during the opening ceremony of the Las Americas Festival at the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Guests:

Jose Uribe, director; Francisco Lujano, cuatro player and vocals; Juan Pantoja, vocals; Atalia Uribe de Roman, vocals and dancer, Grupo CUMACO, Venezuela;

Roman Ramos and Miguel Prado, co-directors, Arpex, Atwater, CA;

Tito Matos, director, and Luis Figueroa, member, Viento de Agua, San Juan, P.R.;

Juan Epifanio Bazan Rodriguez and Gladys Beatriz Bazan Garcia, Currulao percussionist and singer, Cantadoras del Pacifico, Colombia.

ROOTS MUSICIANS: LIVE FROM WASHINGTON. This live broadcast kicks off Línea Abierta’s special coverage of the Las Americas Festival, as the folklife event culminates four seasons of celebrations of Latino music as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC. Hosted by Chelis López in the studios of Capitol News Connection, this roundtable features leaders of folk music groups that gather at the National Mall for a cultural dialogue. Organizers of the event talk about how music from the Latino grassroots helps bring this nation together.

Guests:

Daniel Sheehy, Director, Festival de las Americas, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC;

Juan Emilio Martinez and Noel Rosado, Viento de Agua, San Juan, PR.

LAS AMERICAS FESTIVAL: LIVE. PT2. Joropo musicians of Grupo Cimarrón de Colombia headline again this live recording from the National Mall. They are followed by Viento de Agua, a group Puerto Rico that celebrates Bomba and Plena.

Guests:

Isabel Torres, visitor to the festival, ecuatorian living in Washington, DC;

Darwin Medina, Cuatro player, Grupo Cimarron de Colombia.

LAS AMERICAS FESTIVAL: LIVE. PT 1. This is a live recording of the second day of concerts at the Las Americas Festival’s Folkways Salon at the National Mall. This segment includes a live performance by maestros Marcelo Rojas and Alvaro Marazzi, leading performers of the traditional Paraguayan harp. Also, Grupo Cimarron de Colombia begins a concert in this hour.

Guests:

Marcelo Rojas, harp player, Paraguay;

Alvaro Marazzi, guitar player, Washington, DC

LAS AMERICAS FESTIVAL: LIVE. PT 2. This segment begins with a concert by Arpex, a group of musicians from Central California that promotes the music of Arpa Grande, a harp popular in Mexican Western state of Michoacán. It also includes a fragment of the performance by maestros Paraguayan harp maestros Marcelo Rojas and Alvaro Marazzi.

Guests:

Monico Marquez, director, Maestros del Joropo Oriental, Venezuela;

Eduardo Diaz, director, Smithsonian Latino Center, Washington, DC.

LAS AMERICAS FESTIVAL: LIVE. PT1. Maestros del Joropo Oriental, a group of leading performers of Joropo, the national music of Venezuela, are showcased in a live concert in this special edition of Línea Abierta from Washington, DC. The concert is a production of the Smithsonian Institution.

Guest:

Monico Marquez, director, Maestros del Joropo Oriental, Venezuela.

ROOTS MUSICIANS. Legendary grassroots musicians who are gathered in Washington for the Las Americas Festival join this live roundtable to share stories about their unlikely journey from the barrios, mountains or plains around the Spanish-speaking world to the U.S. capital. In this program, members of three ensembles talk about the debate on the need to conserve or innovate musical traditions.

Guests:

Orangel "Pangue" Maestre, accordion player and director, Estrellas del Vallenato, Colombia;

Juan Pablo Garcia Ramos, singer, La India Canela, Dominican Republic;

Carlos Enrique Riascos, marimba player, Juan Epifanio Bazan, drummer, Cantadoras del Pacifico, Colombia.

ALSO, CALL FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM. Rep. Xavier Becerra and social organizer Frank Sharry comment on the naming of a group by President Obama to work with Congress on immigration reform. Reporter Marco Vinicio Gonzalez filed this report from the White House.

LAS AMERICAS FESTIVAL. This segment includes a live concert by the Colombian ensemble Estrellas del Vallenato, and concludes with a fragment of Viento de Agua, from Puerto Rico.

Guests:

Ana Francisca Hernandez, Maria Juana Angulo, Carlina Andrade, Cantadoras del Pacifico, Colombia.

LAS AMERICAS FESTIVAL. This concert recorded live at the National Mall headlines the music of traditional Afro-Venezuelan Grupo CUMACO (Cuero, Madera and Costa), a band from the Venezuelan coast region of Aragua that gets its name from a large drum that is traditional to this area. The hour culminates with Estrellas del Vallenato, maestros of the vallenato tradition from Colombia.

Guests:

Rene Lopez, academic researcher, producer and adviser, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC;

Atalia Uribe de Roman and Carmen Camacho Ferrer, Grupo CUMACO, Venezuela.

ROOTS MUSICIANS. In this pre-taped roundtable hosted by guest host Chelis López, folk musicians who headline the Latino music festival at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC, comment on the impact and future of their music. This program includes an interview with Lidia María Hernández López, a.k.a., La India Canela, an accordion player from the highlands of the Dominican Republic who has gained recognition as a top performer of meringue típico. The program culminates with a conversation with Ana Veydo, singer and dancer of Grupo Cimarron, who has gained international recognition as interpreter of canto recio from the plains of Colombia.

Guests:

La India Canela, accordion player and star singer, Republica Dominicana;

Ana Veydo, singer and dancer, Grupo Cimarron, Colombia.

EDUARDO GALEANO: MIRRORS. Acclaimed Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano talks about his latest book “Mirrors,” a collection of short stories about the history of the world. In this interview, Galeano discusses current topics, including Obama’s presidency, the growth of Latinos in the U.S., and his life-long work to celebrate unsung heroes. Galeano recently spoke at a sold-out event in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of a national tour to promote his book.

Guest:

Eduardo Galeano

CELIA THE QUEEN. This is the title of a TV documentary that pays tribute to world-renowned salsa singer Celia Cruz. Through interviews with fans like Andy Garcia and Quincy Jones, the film tells the story of a girl who started performing at an early age in Havana and rose to become an international diva. The film premieres on U.S. public television stations on September 1.

Sen. Edward Kennedy cut

President Barack Obama cut

Patricia Boero, Executive Director, Latino Public Broadcasting, Curator and Executive Producer, Voces Series, Miami, FL, www.lpbp.org, www.voces.tv

Joe Cardona, Film maker, Director, Celia the Queen
Miami, FL