Imagining the Fire: Conversations on the African-American | EP#4: Velia Vidal
The next destination for Imagining Fire is Colombia, where at least 11% of the population is self-recognized as Afro-descendant, black, Raizal, or Palenquero. There are regions where this population reaches almost 100%. However, this is not matched in how it is represented in the arts, the media, and advertising.
Why is it so important to think about more inclusive and, above all, dignified representations? To discuss these and other issues, in this episode of our interview program ‘Imagining Fire: Conversations on the African American’, we invited writer, cultural manager, and reading promoter Velia Vidal.
Velia wrote ‘Aguas de Estuario,’ which is being translated into English and Portuguese. She is co-author of ‘Entre Páramo y Estuario’ with Laura Acero (La Diligencia Libros, 2021) and ‘Oír Somos Río’ with Godula Buchols (Al otro lado del Istmo, 2019), which was also published in Germany in a bilingual edition. She is a columnist for the magazine Cambio. She was part of the Volver a Contar anthology (Anagrama, 2022). She founded and directed the Corporación Educativa y Cultural Motete @nuestromot and the Fiesta de la Lectura y Escritura del Chocó @flecho.co.
Much of Velia’s work is about awakening and nurturing the imagination; without it, we cannot transform anything. She assures that “The guarantee of rights goes through imagination. We have to create them. Changes, in reality, go through imagination. So, we need to awaken and feed the imagination. It is a trigger for mobilization.”
‘Imagining Fire’ is hosted by Marcela Vallejo.
