My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar challenging stereotypes of Latinx people

My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar is a new play with a full Latinx cast that promises to be as punchy as its title.

This production challenges toxic stereotypes of Latinx people with an all- woman cast.

Latin Americans make up the eighth largest ethnic community in the UK and one of the fastest growing, but it is still not recognised by the national census or other major bodies.

Inspired by the real-life story of a major multinational British high street bank laundering money for cartels, the show imagines how a powerful team of Latinx women could come together at great risk to themselves to expose the men profiting from crime in Latin America and seek justice.

Co-creator Valentina Andrade said: “If at the age of 15 you had told me when you are in your 20s you are going to be co-creating a play, I wouldn’t have believed you.

“This project is like a baby to me. It’s intertwined with my life, my campaigning.

“I never thought I would be able to do something like this, because I’ve never seen it happen to other people.”

My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar relishes in the seen and unseen of communities and systems and explores what it means to have a dual identity.

Four exciting young Latinx women have been announced as the cast in the world premiere.

Cecilia Alfonso-Eaton graduated from the University of Manchester last summer with a degree in drama and English literature.

This will be Cecilia’s debut performance on the stage.

She will be performing alongside Yanexi Enriquez, a London-based actor and dancer who trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, just off Peckham High Street in Peckham, graduating in 2020.

Then there is Pia Laborde-Noguez who has numerous credits on screen and stage.

She most recently shot the feature film La Cocina, playing Susan, which starred Rooney Mara and was directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios.

And finally, Nathaly Sabino, a Brazilian born English actor who grew up between Brazil and Manchester whose love of the theatre grew through attending workshops at her local theatre.

Drawing on extensive activism developed at The Advocacy Academy, the production has proven the capability of arts to enact social change, being the catalyst for Arts Council England to add Latin American as an ethnicity on their forms.

The team also has been working with King’s College London to give South American students better access to degree and postgraduate courses.

All performances will be subtitled in Spanish, English and Portuguese.

My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar is presented in association with Latin and Brixton Festival.

It will be shown at Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton between June 7 and 24.

Website: https://brixtonhouse.co.uk/shows/my-uncle-is-not-pablo-escobar/

 

Picture:  Cecilia Alfonso-Eaton, Nathaly Sabino, Pia Laborde-Noguez and Yanexi Enriquez Pictures: My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar