From Lima to Tulsa for the love of Hispanic culture
Renato Bonifaz feels Tulsa as a second home. Though he lives in Lima, Peru, the actor and singer who has been in the city for almost four months is sure he could change the state of the arts in Oklahoma and dreams about making theater pieces both for Anglos and Latinos.
Renato came to Tulsa after months of quarantine in Peru, to finally visit his mother and sister, both residents of the city. After reflecting on the growth of the Hispanic community in the area, the performer is now trying to develop an artistic project that may deepen the Hispanic roots of Tulsa.
“I’ve never considered staying in the US because I was doing well in Peru. But now I am open to the idea of starting my papers to be able to offer unique shows to the local community. This is a huge market that can be profited massively,” said the singer who has singles on Spotify and itunes.
The pandemic affected the world of actors heavily; for months all projects were put on hold, and the arts were resigned to anonymity.
“We were lucky to survive,” Renato acknowledged. Still, the performer did his best and used the trouble waters to create a show of his own that sold to Movistar, a communications company based in Latin America that commercializes digital content.
He also used Covid as an inspiration and wrote a song that mobilized showbiz stars from Peru and was sung by 21 artists to collect money for those in greater need.
“The song is called Canta Fuerte and speaks about hope and resilience. What we fundraised was given to Caritas, a catholic organization that helps the poor of Peru,” he said.
The performer gave a show in Tulsa on July 23rd and sang the national anthem of Peru at an event that commemorated the independence of his country and was hosted by the local consulate.
“From the first time I came to the city I have noticed more and more Latin artists. We are really growing. There are even Peruvian stores in the most important malls,” he said with pride.
“I would like to organize a covers show, to be able to foster Latin music, and maybe a play in Spanish so that our community can have access to things they are not used to,” the artist and empresario dreamt out loud.
Soon Renato will be back in Lima to work on more projects for digital platforms, but deep inside he knows he will be back in Tulsa to improve the state of Hispanic Arts. able to make a show here, initially for Hispanics, but I also want to think big and say: Why not Anglos too? Their culture is part of ours, just like ours is part of theirs. I would love to share with everyone here what I have learned along the years in the many countries I have visited,” he concluded. (La Semana)