Sembrando Herencia 2022 – Cangrejos y Café

Sembrando Herencia 2022 – Cangrejos y Café

Dec 10 (6:30pm) & 11 (3pm), 2022

She came from a long line of successful but struggling coffee growers in “las montañas.” He was an obrero from San Mateo de Cangrejos. Their friendship spanned lifetimes. In his ancestral past, she saved his life. He returned in this lifetime to repay the debt.

Join the performing company of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Austin for our 20th original, bilingual theater performance that brings light to important elements of Puerto Rican history at risk of being forgotten. Our annual stage production features an original story written by Tekina-eiru Maynard and original live music, dance, community theater, and cocobalé (stick & machete fighting) action that brings history to life to honor unsung heroes. This year’s music includes original Jíbaro, Bomba, Plena, and Taino compositions.

Throughout Puerto Rico (and much of the United States), the 1950’s was an era when grand “modernization” efforts were transforming society. The effects, though different, were felt from the coastal cities deep into the mountains. As the economy shifted, small coffee growers in the mountains faced recurring economic challenges and often had to give up their land. In the expansive area east of San Juan known as “Cangrejos“–a region rich in African heritage and culture–the government swept through, claiming land with little compensation, destroying homes and funneling the people into spartan housing projects where accessible jobs were sometimes hard to find. The region called “Cangrejos” eventually shrank to a fraction of its original size. To this day, developers are still fighting to acquire the last parcels of land close to Old San Juan that are linked to the historic community.

Many thanks to Professor Lester Nurse Allende for sharing the oral history of San Mateo de Cangrejos.

TICKET INFO:

Save 20% on adult tickets when you buy in advance!

– Adults, $20.00 in advance ($25.00 day of show).
– Children (ages 3-12) – $5.00.
– Lap children 2 & under – FREE!

Saturday, December 10 at 6:30pm
Sunday, December 11 at 3:00pm

Huston-Tillotson University
King-Seabrook Chapel
900 Chicon St, Austin, TX 78702

THANK YOU SPONSORS!

Sembrando Herencia 2022 is sponsored in part by Huston-Tillotson University and Humanities Texas, the State affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Our 2022/23 Season is sponsored in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts. Become a sponsor!

Invite your friends!
https://www.facebook.com/events/455025969801399

PHOTO CREDITS:
The Little Forest, by Tekina-eirú Maynard
Cangrejo – Keenan Adams (USFWS)