Mount Rainier, MD

A non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, preservation, education, and development of Latin American art and culture.

The Latin American Folk Institute (LAFI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, preservation, education, and development of Latin American art and culture.  In December 2000, LAFI relocated to Prince George’s County Gateway Arts District from Washington, DC with the help of grant assistance from the Prince George’s Commercial Area Revitalization Effort Program.  The new building accommodates a variety of LAFI initiatives, and includes soundproof classrooms, a recording studio, and a new dance floor.

Since its inception, LAFI has brought renowned Latin American artists to the area, including Guateque Folkloric Ballet of Puerto Rico and the all-women Cuban string ensemble Camerata Romeu.  In conjunction with the GALA Hispanic Theater, LAFI produced the musical “Raices Cubanas I” in 1998, featuring local and Cuban artists in fifteen shows.  LAFI directed the music for “La Quimbamba,” a production showcasing Latin American poetry, dance, and music.  The show was performed at the Artspace in Silver Spring, Maryland and at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington in 2001.  Also, LAFI produced “Bata & Rumba – Sacred Music of Cuba,” “Sounds of Brazil,” “Butucada & Samba,” “Salsa & Son,” and “DC Divas,” for the July 2000 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall.

In addition to sponsoring folk festivals, concerts, and educational events in the Washington DC area LAFI offers music, percussion, and dance classes.  Some of these classes are offered through an after school program that LAFI operates for at-risk high school students.  The program, funded by the Texaco Foundation, currently features classes in percussion, dance, and song instruction, culminating with a student production at semester’s end.  Also, LAFI sent a group of eleven people to Cuba to study dance and percussion with the Cuban National Folkloric Ballet.  By fostering education and increasing awareness, LAFI’s programming exposes a wider audience to Latin American artistic traditions.  LAFI’s activities allow for greater integration among ethnic groups, thus reducing cultural divisions.

In 1998, LAFI began publishing Clave, a journal focusing on artistic contributions by    Latin American countries.  Currently, each issue focuses on a different country, and is a valuable source for information on these nation’s artistic contributions.

Since its founding in 1997, LAFI has used art for both education and community development.  Projects are funded primarily through grants and private donations. The metropolitan Washington, DC area has benefited greatly, as people have been introduced to new forms of art.  In addition, the organization is instrumental in the revitalization of its historic neighborhood, which benefits the area economically. LAFI is a prime example of how art can benefit communities in multiple ways.

For more information on this program: Coalition for Independence