Page 14 - aruba-today-20201005

A14 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 5 october 2020
Black singer of regional Mexican music sparks buzz, emotion

ni Rivera's "Que Me Vas A backlash online over her to milk cows and care for
Dar" in perfect Spanish of love of Mexican music. A horses.
Mexico's Zacatecas. Insta- few Black social media us- When the family returned
gram users said the short ers accuse of her being to the U.S., kids in school
clip made them cry. Others ashamed of her Blackness. didn't know what to make
demanded more. Some Latino users sling rac- of Palafox, a Black girl
But most wondered: Who ist slurs and accused her of who spoke no English and
was this woman with a appropriation. The insults saw herself as Mexican.
voice like the late Tejano come in English and Span- Palafox, who began sing-
star Selena? And what's her ish. ing in church, threw herself
story? In an interview with The As- in music, specifically, the
Palafox, an African Ameri- sociated Press, Palafox said music of her parent's home-
can woman raised by a the scorn is similar to what land. "That kind of music just
Mexican immigrant family, she faced after her family brings back a lot of memo-
has generated excitement returned to Southern Cali- ries," said Palafox, of More-
online with her versions of fornia when she was in mid- no Valley, California.
regional Mexican music. dle school. That has led to Today, as a mother of two
Born in Southern Califor- bouts of depression and a and a recently signed art-
nia but raised in the Mexi- suicide attempt in 2018, she ist to California-based Si-
can state of Zacatecas, said. lent Giant Entertainment,
23-year-old Palafox, who "Just the fact of how I was Palafox is focusing on the
goes by the stage name brought up, and what I was positive responses to her
Sarah La Morena, has born into, and what I got music as the U.S. faces a
sparked emotions follow- raised in, I mean, I have like racial reckoning over po-
ing a series of viral videos the best of both worlds," lice shootings and systemic
on social media. The clip said Palafox, who sports a racism.
of Palafox singing with ma- Selena tattoo. For years, a few African
riachis spawned a half of On social media, Palafox American artists have tried
million views on Instagram has shared her story of be- to sing in Spanish to reach
and another 200,000 on ing born addicted to drugs Latino fans in the U.S. and
Twitter. Other videos of her and thrust into a foster care abroad. For example, Nat
Sarah Palafox, an African American woman who sings regional
Mexican music, poses in Moreno Valley, Calif., in this undated singing banda — another system after authorities King Cole recorded three
photo. form of regional music from took her away from her bi- Spanish-language studio
Associated Press Mexico's southwest coast ological mother, an African albums in the late 1950s
— also have been shared American woman. A de- and early 1960s. His Cole
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS an, held an iPhone while thousands of times. (She is vout Christian family from Español album used or-
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) standing in front of maria- working on an album.) Mexico offered to foster chestral music recorded in
— Before clicking the In- chis. When users turned on However, as Palafox has her but soon fell in love with Havana and he added his
stagram video, the sight the volume, they heard a been stroking a frenzy with her. They officially adopted vocals out of California, but
intrigued most. Sarah woman belting out a heart- her voice, she's also been her and moved to Zacate- it was clear that Spanish
Palafox, a Black wom- break interpretation of Jen- to the target of a racist cas, where Palafox learned wasn't his first language.q

Cineworld may close US and UK theaters after Bond film delay

LONDON (AP) — Cinema people out of work. a level that makes opening
chain Cineworld said Sun- The newspaper and other financially viable."
day it is considering closing outlets reported that Cine- Other major studios have
all its movie theaters in Brit- world plans to write to U.K. made similar decisions over
ain and the United States, Culture Secretary Oliver the past few weeks. Univer-
after the postponement of Dowden saying cinema sal has delayed "Candy-
the new James Bond film has become "unviable" be- man" to next year, and the
left a big hole in schedules. cause studios are postpon- Walt Disney Co. has post-
Cineworld Group PLC owns ing blockbuster releases poned a handful of major
543 Regal cinemas in the because of the coronavirus movies to 2021, including
U.S. and 128 Cineworld ven- pandemic. Staff said they Marvel's "Black Widow" and
ues in the U.K. and Ireland. had not been informed or Steven Spielberg's "West
It said it was "considering consulted about closures. Side Story."q
This June 18, 2020 file photo shows the logo of a Cineworld cin- the temporary closure of "If these reports are true,
ema in Northampton, England. our U.K. and U.S. cinemas, then the first people Cine- Solution Sudoku
Associated Press but a final decision has not world should be inform-
yet been reached." ing are their staff who will
"Once a decision has been suffer as a result -- not the
made we will update all Sunday newspapers," said
staff and customers as soon Philippa Childs, head of
as we can." the entertainment workers'
The statement came after union BECTU. British movie
the Sunday Times reported theaters began to reopen
that Cineworld's U.K. and in July, but Childs said "the
Ireland theaters will shut stark reality is that without
indefinitely in the coming new releases it is unlikely
weeks, putting up to 5,500 that footfall will increase to Puzzle on Page 13