Voces y Ritmos celebrates Latin culture at Lehigh

What began last spring as a discussion between professor Eunice Cortez and Natalie DeRosa, the associate director for the Center for Cultural Engagement, about the richness of Latin culture in music and poetry came to life Thursday night as a collaborative event. 

About 40 people gathered for Voces y Ritmos, translated to Voices and Rhythms in English, which was held in the Health, Science & Technology building. Featured author Jose Eduardo Cornelio shared one of his poems, along with student and community participants who signed up to present their own creative works. 

DeRosa said Voces y Ritmos celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, which lasts from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and allowed students and community members to mingle and have conversations that typically wouldn’t be fostered without a designated environment for them. 

Traditional foods, including empanadas, tres leches cake and flan, were served for members to enjoy while listening to poetry and music from presenters. 

Each of the 12 poem presentations was met with applause from the audience, with Cornelio’s poem from his book “Musica Concretta” opening the readings. 

Cornelio said he began writing poems when he was around 20-years-old while he was pursuing undergraduate studies in Peru. 

Many of his poems were only thoughts or unfinished pieces, but Cornelio said during the pandemic, he decided to complete many of them and eventually published them in a book toward the end of 2022. 

The specific poem Cornelio chose, “Variacones Sobre Una Canción

de Luis Alberto Spinetta,” was picked because of its connection to Túpac Amaru II. 

According to UC Berkeley, Túpac Amaru II was known for leading the largest uprising in colonial Spanish-American history. Up to 100,000 people died in the ultimately unsuccessful rebellion that reshaped colonial Peru.

In his poem, Cornelio used terms he learned from reading traditional Spanish stories about Amaru II. He repeatedly used the word “ay” throughout his poem to illustrate adversity, just as the term did in his readings. 

“I read books about Túpac Amaru II, and I remember those references to the ‘ay’ — this expression of pain, of grief, of suffering,” Cornelio said. 

DeRosa said it’s important to host guest speakers to share Latin culture with the campus community. 

“(Cornelio’s) poem came with a lot of history,” DeRosa said. “Of course, it’s not comfortable history, but it’s important that we examine all parts of history, even when they may be uncomfortable.” 

She said hosting an event that’s open to the campus community to share poems creates a better understanding of diverse groups, giving the audience an opportunity to hear stories from communities they themselves are not a part of. 

While the event attendees ranged from community members, like DeRosa’s parents who each presented a poem, to students who wrote original works to present, there were also students there from Cortez’s Intermediate Spanish class, hoping to immerse themselves more in Latin culture. 

One of those students was Matthew Teitelbaum, ‘27, a finance major taking Cortez’s class because he is interested in the Spanish language and culture. 

“I really came because I enjoy hearing poems, especially in Spanish, and wanted to see what everyone has to share tonight,” Teitelbaum said. “These poems reinforce my Spanish knowledge and let me learn more about where people come from and what they’re interested in.” 

The event concluded with a presentation from “Fuerza Mexicana,” a student-led Mexican culture club at Lehigh. 

Club members showed the audience a poster board that featured images of Mexico’s 31 states, Chichén Itzá, which is one of the seven wonders of the world, and other aspects that illustrated Mexico’s diverse culture. 

“We’re proud to be doing this to work together,” DeRosa said.