Tlalli

It’s a bit of a trek to reach Plan B Organic Farms – about an hour from Toronto – but Tlalli Festival (September 21) is worth the journey. Founded by Quique Escamilla, a Juno award-winning Mayan Zapotec singer-songwriter from Mexico, the festival is a wonderful lesson in the art of slow living.

Tlalli, which means ‘earth’ in the Nahuatl language of the ancient Mexicas, is a one-day celebration now in its third iteration. The festival presents music, dance and culinary traditions celebrating ancestral connections between Indigenous Peoples from across the Americas.

The line-up includes XOCÔ, a descendant of the Xukurú, Pataxó and Pankararún nations of northeastern Brazil, who shares raucously joyful Afro-Indigenous Brazilian percussion, chants and dance. Anahi Mariluan, from Argentina, sings in Mapudungun, the language of the Mapuche people, to the deep beats of the kultrun, a ceremonial Mapuche hand drum. Akawui, also of Mapuche background but hailing from Chile, amps up those beats into hip-hop chants to celebrate pan-Indigenous unity.

Throughout the day, guest chefs from Mexico serve traditional, artisanal dishes. The dinner meal, courtesy of Miguel Bravo, is mole, a special-occasion dish requiring a true alchemy of ingredients, all of which were ground by hand over 12 hours.

Halfway through the afternoon, the schedule is interrupted by ominous clouds which quickly flourish into a full storm. We take shelter, and when the rain clears to reveal vibrant blue skies, the music, dancing and eating continue, culminating in a special day connecting to our ancestral roots and our earth.

¡Globalquerque!

¡Globalquerque! 2024 (September 26-28) reemerged in downtown Albuquerque, revitalised and re-envisioned in its 19th edition, having skipped a year due to a venue change. For two evenings, thousands of music lovers experienced artists from the Balkans to Mexico to Africa and beyond at the Civic Plaza, the city’s largest civic space, and feasted on global-local treats.

The Plaza, outlined by imposing government buildings and the luminous Sandía Mountains in the distance, is a concrete quadrilateral boasting green spaces, a splash pool and a children’s play area. Roofs with intricate geometric cutouts shelter a large central stage, which is a curved performance space with a surprisingly intimate feeling, gently sloped stairs leading the audience up close to the musicians.

Some of my favourite moments came from experiencing ¡Globalquerque!’s attendees on those stairs. At one point, a group of half a dozen or so tween girls took them over, jumping and shrieking in ecstasy, utterly captivated by Taiwanese virtuoso Nini. The girls had attended a school performance by Nini (part of the festival’s ¡Globalquerquito! educational program) and had become instant super fans of Nini’s unique punk-infused blend of folk-metal with traditional chants and Chinese folk instrumentation. At another point, dozens of dancers boogied up and down the stairs to the sweet African-infused cajón and flamenco guitar grooves of Senegal’s Sidy Samb and his ensemble of dancers and musicians.

The main stage at the Civic Plaza bears the name of Al Hurricane, a local music legend. Born Alberto Nelson Sanchez, Al Hurricane shared the bouncing, joyful grooves of Hispano New Mexican music with audiences worldwide. No doubt, he would’ve been proud to see his stage welcoming musicians from around the globe, all as part of a reimagined ¡Globalquerque!

This article originally appeared in the December 2024 issue of Songlines. Never miss an issue – subscribe today