Music

• Coro Acardenchado was born in 2016 as an homage to the cardenche song, a traditional a capella chant from Northern Mexico usually sung by three voices. The term cardenche originates from cardo (thistle), a plant full of thorns that are more painful to remove than being pricked by them — an allegory of love. The group collaborates with cardencheros and infuses the traditional songs with freestyle improvisation, body percussion and other contemporary arrangements. Coro Acardenchado has performed across different theatres and forums across Mexico, including the renowned Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City. For their Celebrate Mexico Now debut, Coro Acardenchado presents a multimedia landscape that will take us on a journey from an urban and industrial context all the way to the stillness of natural spaces. Filmed in Mexico City at Seminario 12.

Film

• 68 Voices, 68 Hearts (68 voces, 68 corazones): is a series of animated short films that retell indigenous stories narrated in their native tongues. Created by Gabriela Badillo under the premise that no one can love that which they do not know, 68 Voices seeks to strengthen bonds between indigenous and non-indigenous language speakers, fostering pride in the indigenous communities that make up Mexico’s cultural richness. Celebrate Mexico Now is proud to present the series for the third consecutive year as the project grows and gets closer to finishing the 68 shorts that represent each of Mexico’s indigenous linguistic groups.

Documentary

• ¿QUÉ LES PASÓ A LAS ABEJAS? • WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BEES?: What Happened to the Bees? (¿Qué les pasó a las abejas?, 2020) is a documentary that exposes the deadly effects of regularly used agrochemicals — currently legal in countries like Mexico and the United States — on millions of bees. The film explores how the planting of monocultures threatens the health and environment of Mayan beekeeping communities in southeastern Mexico and portrays their fight to protect their land from massive deforestation, groundwater table pollution and climate change.

Panel

• RACISM: CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION. This year has marked a significant turning point in the fight against systemic racism in the United States. As part of the ongoing conversation, Celebrate Mexico Now presented a panel to discuss and reflect on predominant racist behaviors and their ideological foundations, especially within the United States-Mexico dynamic. The dialogue led by The New York Times journalist Eduardo Porter, author and racism researcher Federico Navarrete, and filmmaker and Convoy Network radio show host Tatiana García.

Spoken Word

• A CELEBRATION OF INDIGENOUS POETS: In partnership with the Harbourfront Centre, Museo Universitario del Chopo, and New York University’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Celebrate Mexico Now is proud to present a conversation with indigenous poets Irma Pineda, Celerina Sánchez, Enriqueta Lunez and Mikeas Sánchez. For this event, the poets shared some of their most meaningful work and shared their experience as activists in their local communities.