Radio Bilingue, WPFW covering Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Radio Bilingue is producing special coverage of Las Americas, the Latino musical component of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival that began this week on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Today's webcast, streaming here, features Maestros del Joropo Oriental, masters of a distinct musical tradition from Venezuela's Caribbean coast, and Arpex, whose "big harp" music is an influential predecessor of the Mexican mariachi tradition. Linea Abierta, Radio Bilingue's Spanish-language call-in show, is also producing daily coverage of the festival. Radio Bilingue's coverage continues through June 29; podcasts of performances and talk programs from earlier this week are here. This year's festival also explores the African American oral tradition and features daily events examining the role that black radio has played in reinforcing and promoting black culture. WPFW, D.C.'s Pacifica station, is producing and broadcasting several of these events. For a schedule, click here.