SOFRITO 2/27 will carry on. I was going to cancel this online event due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine because I didn’t want to “be entertaining” while the world watches in horror Putin’s brutal display of force, killing Ukrainians and possibly dragging the world down a dangerous path through escalation.
But I have reconsidered… My guest DJ (Atsushi A-Chango) and I will play music as planned; however, we will be mindful of appearances and intentions.
Let me be clear, then. I condemn Putin’s invasion and all acts of aggression—including the underreported conflict in Yemen—but, in my current capacity, I choose to demonstrate some effort in the promotion of cross-cultural understanding, namely through the sharing of music (as trivial as that may sound) and thus be doing something, rather than nothing.
And so SOFRITO 2/27 is a small, if trifling, contribution towards the desire for worldwide unity and peace. We don’t have tanks, guns, and spite. All we have are music and some resolve to share it. We do this in order to celebrate humanity, certainly not the opposite. In light of recent events, I think this is warranted; thus, I do not want to give up, show despair, or seem to be ignoring what’s going on.
I will add that my original plan for this SOFRITO was to include a small tribute to KONISHI Eri, pianist for Copa Salvo, who recently passed away. I now also include the border guards on Snake island whose demise should never be forgotten.
Event info: https://fb.me/e/3fWv2YtH7