el CafeciTO

Welcome to Episode 1 of Season 7! El CafeciTO (Summer Edition): Voices of Latin America. In this episode Sebas talks to Puerto Rican professor and media personality José Rivera González, who teaches International Studies and Global Communications at Universidad Sagrado Corazón. The Profe gives us his take on Puerto Rican politics and identity. He also reflects on his work in the media, and shares...

S06E21- Episode 21 is the last episode of Season 6. Sarah and Sebas reflect on the past season, give a little sneak peek of Season 7, and discuss their summer plans. We wanted to thank our listeners for tuning in every Tuesday! We hope you enjoy the episode ☕️🌎

S06E20- In this episode, Sarah and Sebas get to know Professor Luis Van Isschot, our program’s newly appointed Associate Chair. He talks about his trajectory as a historian and human rights observer, his work with Latin American human rights movements in Colombia, and his new role at the Latin American Studies program. Lastly, the chair tells us about the courses he is currently teaching. We hope...

S06E19- In this episode, Sebas sits down with graduating LAS undergrads Mateo Peña and Fabiola Cruz. The grads talk about their undergrad experience and share their course recommendations. They also give us some strategies that helped them get through their U of T journey. Fabiola and Mateo discuss their participation with RefugeAid U of T, a student-run organization that offers support and resour...

S06E18-In this episode, Sebas sits down with Mariana Medellin Canales, a Mexican born multi-disciplinary artist and undergraduate student at UofT. Mariana tells us about her philosophy and approach to art making. She also shares her perspectives on culture and identity, reflecting on art’s transformative potential. Listeners be on the lookout! If you are lucky, one day you will see one of Mariana’...

S06E17- In this episode, Sebas and Sarah talk to Christie Lazo, a Peruvian M.A. candidate at OISE. Christie also hosts and produces her own podcast: Vida with Christie. Today, we will talk about Chrities’s research in the pedagogies of decolonizing motherhood, her work with intergenerational trauma among first generation immigrant families, and her social media efforts to make academia more access...

S06E16-In this week’s episode, Rosy Cervantes lights up the Faculty of Music’s library by playing her songs to El CafeciTO. Rosy takes Seba through her musical journey from when she first discovered that she could sing to now where she is the vocalist of two local Toronto bands. The Mexican born/Toronto-based songwriter also introduces us to her longtime amiga, her guitarra, and describes the insp...

S06E15- For this week’s episode, Sebas and Sarah catch up with Victor Rivas, our beloved LAS professor. We learn about his professional trajectory as an anthropologist, journalist, and scholar, his work with the Latin American testimonios, and the courses he currently teaches. Lastly, the Venezuelan professor gives us a sneak peek on some opportunities that might be coming up for undergrad student...

S06E14- Episode 14 honours 8 de Marzo, also known as International Women's Day. In this episode, Sebas and Sarah sit down with Dr. Martha Balaguera, a Colombian professor at UofT’s Political Science Department. Professor Balaguera talks about her interests in topics of social movements and protests, and her trajectory as a Latina scholar. She also explains her work with Colectiva Protesta, an inte...

SO6E13- This week Sarah and Sebas visit the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library to sit down with Venezuelan librarian David Fernández. As part of the first cohort of LAS, David reminisces about his U of T experience, walking us through his journey from undergrad student to his current responsibilities as the first Latino department head of Rare Books and Special collections at UTL. In this episode we...

S06E12-In episode 12, el CafeciTO visits UofT’s Faculty of Music to sit down with Brazilian conductor and PhD student, Matheus Coehlo. Matheus breaks down what it means and takes to pursue a career in orchestral conducting. He also takes us on a journey through his career from Brazil to Winnipeg and Toronto. Throughout the episode, the Brazilian composer’s passion for conducting is palpable and wi...

S06E11- In this episode, Sarah and Sebas chat with Nathalia Santos Ocasio, a puertoriqueña PhD candidate at Queen's University. Nathalia reflects on how she recently became part of our Toronto Community as she is the curator of Sur Gallery’s latest exhibit: Hilos Conductores. Today, the bunch will talk about Nathalia’s journey to Kingston, Ontario, her interest in Human Geography, her doctoral res...

S06E10-In Episode 10, Sebas and Sarah chat with Dr. Jerry Flores, assistant professor at UTM’s Sociology Department. The professor reminisces about his journey from Los Angeles to Toronto, and shares his academic interests, which lie at the intersection of gender studies, criminology, and studies of race and ethnicity. The bunch discusses how his work moves beyond the classroom and seeks to consci...

S06E09-In Episode 9, Colombian visual artist Laura Alvarez Salinas, a UTM graduate student, sits down with Sebas to share some of her art work. She not only tells us about her craft but also about how art serves her as an escape from stress. Lastly, Laura talks about her research studying lake ice in Northern Ontario. We hope you enjoy this episode ☕️🌎. Laura’s social media: @aleja.draws, www.et...

*El Cafecito would like to express its solidarity with our Peruvian friends and colleagues during this moment of political turmoil. We stand against all forms of institutional violence and send our deepest condolences to the families of the 50+ victims of police repression.* S06E08- Episode 8 honours Black History Month, which is Afro-Latinx History Month for Latin America. In this episode, Sarah...

S06E07- In Episode 7, Mexican poet Victor Castillo gets personal with El CafeciTO and shares some of his poems. The wordsmith also talks about what inspires him to write and his UofT experience as a student, employee and leader— he is @olasstgeorge’s academic director. Finally, he offers some great recommendations for some of his favorite coffee spots on campus to write and socialize. We hope you...

S06E06- In Episode 6, Sebas and Sarah sit down with Dr. Berenice Villagomez, our wonderful departamental undergraduate coordinator who is also in charge of the department’s communications and outreach. They talk about Bere’s teaching career and her transition from academia to her current administrative role. She also gives students some tips to reconnect with the Spanish and Portuguese department...

*El Cafecito would like to express its solidarity with our Brazilian friends and colleagues during this moment of political unrest. We hope you and your families are safe. S06E05- In this episode, Sebas travels down memory lane with Brazilian artistic director and choreographer Newton Moraes. The Toronto-based artist reflects on the 25 year anniversary of his dance theater company @newtonmoraesdan...

S06E04- Already missing the World Cup? Do not worry! In this episode, Sarah and Mai join Dr. Berenice Villagomez to interview Fernando and Cullen, LAS alumni and hosts of Radio Free CONCACAF— a podcast about fútbol history with a strong Latin American perspective. The team walks down memory lane, gets to know Fernando and Cullen's exciting project, and asks for some recommendations about podcastin...

S0E03- Take a break from studying with Sebas and Sarah while they discuss the rise of Latin Music, (specifically, Bad Bunny)the Latin Grammys, and offer some tips for managing the end of semester. We hope you enjoy and best of luck with finals season!

S06E02- In Episode 2, Sebas interviews Christian Albarrán, theatre artist and current UofT graduate student. Tune in to listen how Christian’s experience with the arts informs his current academic research. Join Christian while he presents his research on December 7th, 2022 at 4p.m.(Northrop Frye Hall 008)

S06E01-Welcome to El Cafecito season 6!! This episode, season 5 host Anna Carneiro, says goodbye and passes the baton to the new hosts Mai, Sebas, and Sarah. While Anna reflects on the last season, her time at U of T, and what the future holds for her, the new team gives us a taste of the upcoming season. We hope you enjoy! ☕️

For episode 4, I spoke with Tamara Toledo, a Chilean-Canadian artist, curator and scholar. She is the director curator and co-founder of Sur Gallery, the first gallery space exclusively dedicated to showcasing the work of Latin American artists in Toronto. This episode was recorded on July 22nd 2022, online over Zoom. This sadly will be the last episode of our summer series. It’s been a pleasure t...

S05E03 - Graduate Profile: Roberta Pamplona and Van Araújo by el CafeciTO - Latin American Studies @ UofT

For episode 2, we will be talking with two members of our undergraduate community, Andrea Caceres and Boyuan Dong. Andrea is a fourth year student from Mexico and Peru, and Boyuan is a recent grad from China, who completed a specialist program in Spanish. We had a great chat about our undergrad experiences and our time as immigrants in Toronto. This episode was recorded on July 11th 2022, at the R...