Sort of a weird name but a fun experience. The National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque hosts a World Music Festival.  Performers, both instrumental and dance, from around the world entertain and educate.  We caught the music programs from Zanzibar, Argentina and Columbia made a quick check into the Afro-Cuban Mambo dance session.  There is nothing innocent about those moves!  It looked like a lot of fun.

Lunch included curried chicken, lentil stew (much tastier than I envisioned), delicious jerk chicken and interesting fried plantains. The mango, ginger, lemonade complimented all the spice but was a bit sweet for my taste.  We didn’t waste any though.

SEEDS: a collective voice. Murals created entirely with seeds lined the walls of the exhibit hall.  Some are amazingly intricate, others a bit more folk artsy.  All are an expression of community and a call for organic and natural farming techniques and living local.  I liked the series about bees.

Rows of shops offered a wide range of items from international artists and craft persons. There were many wonderful pieces and all were promoted as a means to develop worldwide markets for these artists and an income stream for them and their communities.  Here is hoping that the lion’s share of money from these sales actually makes it to those individuals.

There is a drum circle. As we entered the grounds we walked past a collection of percussion instruments setting in the main plaza.  As the day wore on, people just dropped in, played a bit then dropped out as the spirit moved them.  Sort of a jam session I guess.  The beat is infectious and one can’t help but move to the rhythm as we pass.