Cultural Memory and Survival in Colombia - A work in progress

Title: Cultural Memory and Survival in Colombia - A work in progress

This presentation will come from my recent month in the Atlantic coast of Colombia of research under the Fulbright US Scholar program. I will be showing and discussing the community talks, interviews and cultural traditions observed. This will be placed in the context of survival in its many forms on a micro and macro level. As this is a work in progress, I will discuss what I plan to continue with for the remaining three months to close out the research grant.

Bio: Dr. Mesi Walton’s research intersects with Africana, Latin American and Cultural Studies. Her work explores how Afro-Diasporic cultures are employed as symbols of identity and tools of survival through cultural texts of music, song, dance, language, and other practices. Dr. Walton completed her Ph.D. in Afro-Latin Studies in the Department of African Studies at Howard University with a focus on Afro-Venezuelan Cultural survivals. Dr. Walton teaches Spanish language and cultures in Washington, DC and is published as a translator in Women’s Poems of Protest and Resistance: Honduras (2009-2014) and Women Poets of Costa Rica, 1980-2020: Bilingual Anthology. She also organizes cultural exchange tours throughout Latin America for youth and adults. Dr. Walton also holds a Master’s in Spanish Language, a Master’s in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Howard University.