el CafeciTO

For this episode, Sarah talks to Roberto Cayuqueo, a Mapuche playwright and actor from Santiago Warria (City), Chile. Roberto tells el CafeciTO about his theater company, Collectivo Epew, which works interdisciplinarily with children and the urban Mapuche diaspora, bringing Indigenous cosmologies and dramaturgy into Chilean theater. The actor also tells us about the collective’s use of site-specific is a means to visibilise Mapuche urban histories and to co-create local stories with Mapuche children who attend rural schools. Lastly, Roberto calls for future Latin American Studies graduates to embrace interdisciplinary projects that look beyond academia and dialogue with other knowledges. We hope you enjoy the episode! This Episode has been recorded in Spanish

For Season 12’s premiere, Sarah has the pleasure to talk to Ivet Salazar, a visual artist and performer from Lima, Perú. Ivet tells el CafeciTO how her personal experiences with maternity have shaped her artistic work, which combines textiles and ceramics with performances that bring the private into public spaces. The artist also tells us about how her work seeks to think through subordinated corporalities to generate reflections on our connections with each other and the more-than-human other. Lastly, Ivet recounts her participation in Art Toronto and shares some Latin American artists that we need to look out for. We hope you enjoy the episode! This Episode has been recorded in Spanish

For Season 11’s summer finale, Sarah has the pleasure to sit down with Peruvian writer Romina Paredes, author of Famulus (2020) and Monstruos (2022). Romina reflects on how her early career as a professional swimmer led to certain corporalities that shaped her endearing literary voice. Moreover, the writer talks about how Lima, a city that she deems as violent, is the perfect scenario to narrate stories that weave through painful but more than common experiences of athlete burnout, domestic violence, gender-based violence, and intergenerational trauma. Lastly, within the context of La Feria Internacional del Libro de Lima, Romina tells el CafeciTO about the contemporary female Peruvian authors that have influenced her latest literary work. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In Episode 3, we throw it back to our beloved mini series Reporting from LASA 2024, from Season 9. We welcome back Johann Kirchenbauer, a graduate student from the Spanish and Portuguese department, who sits down with fellow PhD candidate, Waleska Solorzano, to talk about her experience in LASA 2024. Specifically, they discuss her ongoing research on what she terms as the “Venespora,” which she uses to think through the Venezuelan diaspora and its subversive artistic genealogy. Finally, Waleska discusses one of her many projects, the Venesporan Artists Project, a digital directory of contemporary Venezuelan artists from all over the world. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Episode 2 celebrates Pride Month by recognizing the work of LGBTQ+ members of our LAS community. This time Sarah chats with Kaina Mendoza Price, a recent LAS alumna whose ethnographic research sheds light to the experiences of trans Afro-Cubans who engage in Lukumí and Kongo religious networks in Havana. Kaina tells us about how her experiences as a trans-woman and her close relationship with her grandmother led to her enrollment in the Latin American Studies program and her current research interests on Afro-indigenous theologies in the Caribbean. She also tells us about the challenges of doing ethnographic research in territories that are characterized by intimate spiritual connections among minoritized groups. Lastly, the recent grad shares her experiences in LAS and gives undergraduate students some tips on how to take advantage of the program’s interdisciplinary nature. We hope you enjoy the episode!

For Season 11’s season premiere, Sarah sits down with Gabriela Piña, an assistant professor in the Universidad Mayor. Gabi reflects on her doctoral research in which she conducted ethnographic fieldwork with a pehuenche community in Southern Chile. The anthropologist also tells us about how her research led to her current engagement with collaborative methodologies with children and the youth. In particular, she focuses on her work with UNESCO, which sought to consider children’s voices within political processes such as the drafting of Chile’s new constitution. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Sarah and Luísa reunite to reflect on this past season. We share our thoughts, feelings, and favorite moments — from standout episodes and special guests to fun behind-the-scenes stories. We also open up about what it's been like working together and how much has changed since we first kicked off the season. We hope you enjoy this episode!

In this episode, Sarah sits down with Peruvian archeologist, Dr. Solsiré Cusicanqui Marsano from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Solsiré reminisces on her initial interest in archeology and her current engagement with more community-based methodologies that seek to democratize the field through the consideration of local and Indigenous perspectives. She also shares with us her more recent field projects in two emblematic sites in Cajamarca: Colina Santa Apolonia and el Cuarto de Rescate. Lastly, the archeologist reflects on the future of archeology as a field that is becoming more interdisciplinary and collaborative. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Luísa had the pleasure to sit down and chat with returning guests, Helen Batchoun and Juanita Arango! This time around, they share about Vivir Sin Miedo, a collective based on the University of Toronto, which aims to create spaces where all women and girls feel supported and understood. Our guests share about how the collective actively creates spaces where women are allowed to express themselves freely, the importance of those spaces, and how being in safer environments has allowed them to build community with other self-identifying girls and women. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Sarah talks to Ximena Morillas Altamirano, an up-and-coming writer and educator from Cajamarca, Perú. She shares with us her personal journey with creative writing–from writing poems to her middle school crush, creating fanfiction on wattpad, to publishing her first poetry book Viaje Hacia El Mar. Xime also tells us about her current project Menú Literatrio, a creative workshop that seeks to teach and promote the writing craft in the Andean town. Lastly, the emerging artist shares with us some tips on how to start our own creative writing journey and recommends some Latin American writers that can serve us as inspiration. El CafeciTO is extremely grateful to Ximena for agreeing to sit with us and have a pleasant conversation. If you are interested in supporting more of her work, you can follow her creative writing instagram @cimenaescribe or her personal one @cimestelar. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Luísa sits down with Dr. Andrea Allen, an assistant professor at the Anthropology Department and Centre Diaspora and Transnational Studies at UofT. She talks about her research on Afro-Brazilian Lesbian relationships, with a particular focus on how those women both perform and deny Brazilian citizenship. Our guest also talks about Candomblé, its importance as one of the most popular Afro-Religions in Brazil, and the role it plays in the lives of lesbian initiated women. We hope you enjoy this episode!

In this episode, Sarah talks to Gabriel Tejada, professional photographer and documentarian from Cajamarca, Perú. He talks about how his experience with photography and cultural management led to his involvement in the documentary Carnaval La Fiesta Entre Carne y Espíritu. Gabriel also reflects on the creative process behind documenting Cajamarca’s carnival and the festivity’s importance for the cultural identity of Cajamarquinos. Lastly, the documentarian shares some encouraging words for students and the difficulties of finding a vocation. If you are interested in learning more about the history behind Cajamarca’s carnival you can visit the webpage: https://www.museodelcarnaval.org/. To support more of Gabriel’s work you can follow his personal instagram @gabrieltejadas or his collaborative’s project @laoficina.lab. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Luísa talks to Vanessa, Daniel and Homere, three undergrad students at the LAS program. They share some interesting thoughts about the program, how their perspectives about Latin America have changed, as well as some fun anecdotes about their experience in the program so far. Finally, our guests also give precious advice to students who are considering joining the Latin American Studies Program. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Sarah sits down with Seba Mena, our former Season 6 and 7 host, to talk about his current project: Lina’s Stories. He also tells us about the importance of learning about renowned theatre teacher and performer Lina de Guevara for archiving Latinx live here in Canada. The LAS alumni also reflects on how his career as a performer and his undergraduate degree in Latin American studies equipped him with the interest of finding out more about his culture and family history through this upcoming documentary. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Luísa talks to Paula Karger, an assistant professor in the teaching stream of Latin American Studies and Spanish at the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Our guest talks about her fascinating research on "La Doncella Teodor," exploring how the story traveled across the globe and evolved through cultural exchanges and translations. Additionally, she discusses the newly discovered ruins of Valeriana, and what this exciting discovery means for scholars, archeologists, tourists and citizens as more information comes out. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Sarah talks to Samantha Hare and Matias Recharte. Together, with Roxana Escobar, they run Manchita Productions, a management group that seeks to promote Peruvian culture through musical events here in the city. Sami and Matias share insights behind the organization of Peñas Criollas abroad. They also reflect on the importance of these entertainment instances for the creation of intergenerational spaces that support community making among the Peruvian diaspora in Canada. Lastly, Sami and Matias give us a glimpse into Manchita Productions’ future. Unfortunately, Roxana Escobar was not available for the interview but I invite everyone to listen to our Black History Month episode on Season 06 to learn more about her research on the role of Afro-Peruvian women in the sustenance of Peñas Criollas in Lima, Perú. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Sarah and Luísa talk to LAS students Elle Gilbert and Diego Brizuela-Crespo about their learning abroad experiences in Argentina and Puerto Rico, respectively. They share their contrasting experiences and insights, what knowledge and skills they have gained, and unexpected issues and moments they lived while being abroad. Finally, our guests offer precious advice, tips, and resources to LAS students who wish to go abroad, as well as pointing out how the Spanish and Portuguese Department can support them in their journeys.

In this first episode, Sarah introduces el CafeciTO’s new co-host, Luísa Melchert. Luísa is a second-year undergraduate student who is doing a major in Public Policy and two minors in Latin American Studies and Political Science. In this episode, she tells us about her experience at UofT so far, and about her interesting extracurriculars. Finally, our new co-host also tells us about her experience with podcasting and shares a sneak peek of what you can expect from Season 10. We are so excited for this season, and we hope you are too. Do not forget to follow us on instagram @podcastelcafecito to keep up with our episode releases and our online content. We hope you enjoy the episode!

For season 9’s finale, Sarah talks to Manuela Mora Castillo and Natalia Peña, the co-editors in chief of @el.paradigmasur , University of Toronto’s Undergraduate Journal of Interdisciplinary Latin American Studies. We get to know more about Manuela and Natalia as they tell us about their degrees and their varied extracurriculars. They also reflect on the process behind starting the journal. Finally, the co-editors give us an exciting sneak peek into what is coming in Paradigma’s first edition. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Sarah talks to Luisa Duarte Milani, a Brazilian PhD candidate from the Geography and Planning Department. Luisa tells us about how her background in architecture and planning inspired her research on informal housing and environmental risk. She also reflects on the experiences of conducting academic research in her home city, São Paulo, Brazil. Finally, Luisa talks about the importance of engaging with Latin American geographies when studying instances of environmental justice! We hope you enjoy the episode! 🌊