Tito Medina & Amigos - Guatemalan Hurricane Relief Benefit in Perth, Friday, November 18
by Steev Morgan
For Immediate Release
The Guatemala Stove Project is pleased to present "Tito Medina and his Amigos", back by popular demand, at Code’s Mill in Perth. Come and dance while they blend vibrant indigenous-Maya sounds with contemporary Latin and Caribbean rhythms. At the same time you will be aiding the victims of Hurricane Stan in the Western Highlands of Guatemala.
Tito Medina makes his home in Ottawa, but he found his voice as a revolutionary singer/songwriter in the streets of Guatemala City during the turbulent national protests of the early ‘70s. His passionate songs cry out for justice in solidarity with the struggles of his countrymen and those of the peace movement world wide. He has toured Europe as well as Central and North America and was chosen to join the Central American All-Stars ensemble, which toured the U.S. from 1998 to 2001. Tito sings, plays and leads the “The Amigos”.
Aside from Margot Lange, who plays violin and shares the vocals with Tito, the other members of the band have also come to live in Canada from Latin American homelands. Salvadoran born Rudy Rivera is on bass and Lucho Avanto from Peru plays winds. The percussionists are Juan Luis Vasquez of Chile and Salomon Carrillo from El Salvador.
The evening will also include an auction of beautifully hand crafted items made by Canadian and Guatemalan artisans. The bar will be open and snacks and refreshments will be served. This will be an evening to remember and an opportunity to enjoy and celebrate Latin culture.
Tickets for Tito Medina can be purchased in Perth at Coutts and Co. or at Shadowfax, or Ottawa at the Little Latin America Store, 764 Somerset St. W. Prices are $15in advance or $20 at the door. Books of 8 may be bought in advance for $100 (that’s just $12.50 each!). Tables are first come first served. The show begins on Friday, November 18, at 8:00 P.M. Codes Mill is located at 53 Herriott St. in Perth.
The Guatemala Stove Project is a group of volunteers raising money to build masonry cooking stoves and help establish sustainable micro-enterprises for indigenous families in Guatemala. Since 1999 the Project volunteers and the Guatemalan masons who the Project hires have built more than three thousand stoves and aided sustainable development projects in over a dozen communities.
The stoves conserve precious firewood and, by eliminating indoor air pollution from the traditional “three stone” fire pits, they add as much as fifteen years to the life expectancy of each family member. The resources, energy and time freed up by these simple stoves are directed to small sustainable agricultural or marketing projects, thus bringing a degree of self-sufficiency, prosperity and hope for the future to these rural Mayan communities.
You will find information about the project at www.guatemalastoveproject.org . If you would like to contribute or volunteer to help out, you can contact Tom Clarke at (613) 267-5202. E-mail inquiries should go to info@guatemalastoveproject.org.