Flags of many Latin American nations lined the walls of the Louis Room in Norris University Center on Saturday, as students and community members met to celebrate Latino culture with a night of dancing, music, comedy and food.
Festival LatiNU is an annual celebration and cultural showcase hosted by Northwestern’s Hispanic/Latino Student Alliance, also known as Alianza. The festival, which has attracted as many as 300 attendees in past years, drew large crowds to Norris on Saturday night. Highlights of the night were a buffet containing Mexican, Puerto Rican and Peruvian cuisine, an energetic Latin band and a unique performance of quebradita, a dance style with mixed Latin origins infused with complex gymnastics.
Such acts are very important to the nature of the festival, said Christian Yanez, director of Hispanic/Latino Student Affairs at NU.
“Music and dancing are a big part of being Latino. It’s about remembering who we are,” he said.
Yanez said events like LatiNU allow Latinos to showcase who they are to the community. McCormick senior Mayra Plascencia, co-president of Alianza, agreed.
“These are the chances to learn about other cultures and therefore learn about your own,” Plascencia said.
Event organizers said the point of Festival LatiNU was not only solidarity but also cultural awareness. Weinberg junior Luis Frausto, Alianza’s Associated Student Government senator, said cultural awareness results in “growth as a community and growth as a nation.”
People who attended Festival LatiNU also appreciated the opportunity to experience different cultures.
“It’s important to have these events,” McCormick freshman Michael Eby said. “In most places you don’t get to be exposed to other cultures.”
Even Latinos at NU said they had something to learn.
“I’m Hispanic, but I still don’t know about every culture,” said Laura Santamaria, a SESP sophomore from Colombia. “It’s not just a night to make Hispanics feel welcome; it’s about sharing our culture.”
Festival LatiNU is only the first of several other campus events related to Hispanic Heritage Month. In the next two weeks, Alianza will be sponsoring a documentary night, bonfire, game night and dance workshop with other Hispanic organizations on campus.
