A dimly lit stage, a cluster of oval tables and the aroma of Southern spices filled the air.

The setting is far from a haunted house or any other locale synonymous to a Halloween festivity, yet it was ideal for a showcase of Latino culture in the Schine Underground on Friday night.

The sixth annual ‘Caf Con Leche,’ sponsored by Latino Undergraduates Creating History in America, or La L.U.C.H.A., featured acts ranging from slam poetry to merengue dancing of the Latino culture.

‘It’s about Latino empowerment and unification, to understand we’re family and that we’re here for each other,’ said Zulay Olivo, a junior computer science major and education chair of La L.U.C.H.A.

La L.U.C.H.A., a Syracuse University student-run group that strives for the union of Latino culture through understanding and education, promotes its goals through multicultural events such as the caf and a spring event called ‘Quisqueya.’

At this year’s caf, a sold-out crowd of 170 people came to see SU students and professionals from New York City perform their acts of artistic gusto. The success of the event lends itself to the variety of entertainers who come from different areas of New York, as well as La L.U.C.H.A.’s ability to organize the event every fall.

‘I have come every year since I was a freshman,’ said Dayanna Torres, a junior communication and rhetorical studies major. ‘It’s an opportunity to get all different people together and to get us to appreciate our culture.’

The program opened with Bronx native Oscar Bermeo, a professional slam poet who read a series of journal entries about relationships, cultural identity and Hispanic pride. His candor and crowd routines, or what he called ‘energy checks,’ sparked eruptions of laughter from the audience throughout his performance.

More laughter escaped upon the description of an anecdote-turned-poem, entitled, ‘The New York Times finally got it right when they took the ‘r’ out of aight.’

The next string of performances came from two student dance troupes and slam poets, the first act being a step team from a fraternity. These students – Pedro Villanueva, Edwin Suarez, and Morgan Feliz – performed a series of steps called ‘stepping and strolling.’

Lauren William and Fabricio Caro, the only student writers who read their work during the show, each speedily recited a poetry piece that addressed issues in society.

‘Material world,’ was the title of Caro’s piece, which consisted of the reprise: ‘What will life bring? Material world, material things.’

Another student dance troupe, RAICES, turned up the heat in the cafe with an ensemble combining the bachata and the merengue. One member, Angelica Taveras, a senior finance major, said she enjoyed the opportunity to spread diversity on campus and familiarity with the Latino culture.

‘We wanted to let the audience get a familiar feeling with what they’re used to,’ Taveras said. ‘We want them to find comfort and something that belongs to them.’

The last part of the program featured Shaggy Flores, a Massachusetts native who used his poetry to provide insight on the history and current status of Latino discrimination. After reading works such as ‘negritude’ and ‘Latino kids,’ the guest speaker offered sage advice pertaining to college life.

‘Join an organization that’s not of your community,’ Flores said. ‘Try something different from other cultures.’

He also emphasized the importance of knowledge of self in addition to knowledge of one’s heritage.

This advice appealed to students such as Cathy Wong, a sophomore international relations major who experienced the event for a second time on Friday.

‘He was really motivating,’ Wong said. ‘When he brings up information about race and discrimination it’s good that they refer back to the past.’

In order to accommodate the high demand for tickets, Olivo hopes to move the event to Goldstein Auditorium next year. Otherwise, Olivo was pleased with how the cultural event ran.

‘It lets Latinos take a study break and eat food they can’t get anywhere else,’ Olivo said. ‘And people who aren’t Latino can come and get a taste of Latino culture, food and history.’

Published on October 31, 2004 at 12:00 pm