Broadcast premiere of a documentary that captures the voices of Pleneros in San Mateo de Cangrejos (Santurce, PR). Puerto Rican plena has been a tool and vehicle in social movements on the island for over 100 years. Los Pleneros de la 23 Abajo and Los Sapos del Caño are just two examples of how the pandereta is a plenero’s weapon of choice. In this film and post screening discussion, practitioners from the island talk about their experiences and invite you to explore the plena in protest movements, from the historical plena song Tintorera del Mar to most recently the summer of 2019 challenging political injustices on the island. Following the film, the director is joined by elder voices of the Cangrejos community (Héctor “Tito” Matos, Roberto Cipreni, Juan Emilio “Llonsi” Martínez) for a frank conversation and discussion of the island’s current climate, after gentrification, discrimination and displacement.
