Stage lights flicker on and the chatter of the audience fades to silence. Anticipation fills the auditorium as the crowd prepares for a night of dance, music and Central American culture.
Founded by Salvadoran singer-songwriter Mauricio Callejas in 2005, the Centroamericanto Fest originally started as a regional gathering. It later made its official premiere at UT Austin’s Cactus Cafe in 2011. The festival has since evolved into a two-day event highlighting Central American filmmakers and musicians, with this year’s festival taking place at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center and featuring artists from Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Honduras.
“Centroamericanto is a singer-songwriter festival at heart,” said Callejas. “It’s about the author, the one that wrote the song and that connects directly with the people. That’s the goal of the festival.”
The festival brought together artists who represented their home countries, and each musician gave the audience a glimpse into their own culture and story through songwriting.
Gricelda Padilla, a Honduran singer-songwriter, said she encourages everyone to pursue their dreams and tell their story, even if those dreams don’t make sense to others.
“I believe that joy is an act of resistance,” said Padilla. “I see everyone who is paving that way and setting that time aside as incredible agents of change. They’re the ones who are creating the chapters of cultural history in their country, and that is a profound responsibility.”
For Padilla, sharing her music is a way of preserving her Honduran roots. She said she hopes her music reminds listeners to humanize one another and remember everything that unites people.
Nicaraguan singer-songwriter Ceci Ceci said she wants people to know how varied and full of talent and color Central America is.
“We come from countries that are beautiful and we want our music to translate just that,” said Ceci, who considers herself an ambassador of Nicaragua when she’s playing on stage.
While the Centroamericanto Fest has evolved since its debut at the Cactus Cafe, the mission behind the festival remains. Callejas said the goal was always to expose Austin audiences to Central American-made music, and since Central America is so small, music from that region is often overlooked.
“At the end (of the festival) we do a survey and one of the comments that makes us continue and fuel the energy is that (members of the audience) didn’t know anything about Central America, and they are now in love with that music, with that author,” Callejas said. “That’s the mission accomplished. If we can do that, if we can touch somebody that is completely foreign to our countries, that’s the goal.”
