Brava Presents
Indómitas: Live Podcast with guest Esther Cruz Maranto
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 @6:00pm
Virtual
Indómitas is a live monthly podcast series hosted by Chelis López of KPOO and Radio Bilingüe, featuring untamable voices of fierce women artists and activists. For the August 26 podcast, Indómitas will interview Esther Cruz Maranto.
This August, Indómitas celebrates, Esther Cruz Maranto a renowned percussionist, dancer, cultural manager, and promoter of Afro-Mexican and Veracruz traditions.
Please note that the live podcast will be conducted in Spanish.
This is a FREE community event supported by donations. To make a donation to Brava/Indómitas, please click the button below.
ABOUT
Esther Cruz Maranto
Esther Cruz Maranto
Esther Cruz Maranto es una destacada percusionista, bailarina, gestora cultural y promotora de las tradiciones afromexicanas y veracruzanas, cuya trayectoria artística y comunitaria ha estado dedicada a preservar, compartir y fortalecer el patrimonio cultural de México.
Originaria de Veracruz, inició su formación en 1996 estudiando percusión y danzas tradicionales de Senegal, Congo, Guinea y Cuba. Tres años más tarde fundó Obiní Añá: Mujeres del Tambor, un proyecto pionero integrado por mujeres que fusiona ritmos africanos, afrocaribeños, son jarocho y composiciones originales.
A lo largo de su carrera ha colaborado con reconocidas agrupaciones como Afrojarocho de Patricio Hidalgo y Los Cojolites, participando activamente en fandangos y celebraciones tradicionales que mantienen viva la riqueza del son jarocho.
En 2010 se integró al colectivo Sonando Sur, iniciativa que posteriormente dirigiría y desde la cual ha impulsado proyectos de intercambio cultural en México, Estados Unidos y Colombia. Desde Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, ha construido puentes entre comunidades, fortaleciendo el diálogo entre las culturas afrodescendientes e indígenas y formando nuevas generaciones de músicos y bailarines.
Su labor la ha llevado a impartir talleres y desarrollar proyectos culturales en ciudades como Nueva York, Washington D.C., Filadelfia, Chicago, Boston, Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, San José, Los Ángeles y otras comunidades de California, contribuyendo a la preservación y difusión del son jarocho más allá de las fronteras mexicanas. También fue beneficiaria de una beca de la Fundación Akonadi para producir el Encuentro de Son Jarocho en Oakland, un proyecto que reunió a destacados artistas tradicionales veracruzanos y fortaleció la presencia de esta expresión cultural en la Costa Oeste de Estados Unidos.
Convencida de que el arte transforma vidas y fortalece comunidades, Esther Cruz Maranto ha dedicado su trabajo a crear espacios donde la música, la danza y la memoria colectiva se convierten en herramientas de identidad, inclusión y desarrollo social. En reconocimiento a su liderazgo y compromiso con la promoción de los derechos de las mujeres afromexicanas, el Gobierno de México la distinguió recientemente como una de las diez galardonadas del Premio Nacional a la Promoción de los Derechos de las Mujeres Afromexicanas, destacando su invaluable contribución a la preservación del patrimonio cultural, la defensa de los derechos humanos y el fortalecimiento de las comunidades afrodescendientes en México.
ENGLISH
Esther Cruz Maranto is a renowned percussionist, dancer, cultural manager, and promoter of Afro-Mexican and Veracruz traditions. Her artistic and community work has been dedicated to preserving, sharing, and strengthening Mexico's cultural heritage.
Originally from Veracruz, she began her training in 1996, studying percussion and traditional dances from Senegal, Congo, Guinea, and Cuba. Three years later, she founded Obiní Añá: Mujeres del Tambor (Women of the Drum), a pioneering all-female project that fuses African, Afro-Caribbean, and son jarocho rhythms with original compositions.
Throughout her career, she has collaborated with renowned groups such as Afrojarocho de Patricio Hidalgo and Los Cojolites, actively participating in fandangos and traditional celebrations that keep the richness of son jarocho alive.
In 2010, she joined the Sonando Sur collective, an initiative she would later lead and through which she has promoted cultural exchange projects in Mexico, the United States, and Colombia. From Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, she has built bridges between communities, strengthening dialogue between Afro-descendant and Indigenous cultures and training new generations of musicians and dancers.
Her work has led her to conduct workshops and develop cultural projects in cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, and other communities in California, contributing to the preservation and dissemination of son jarocho beyond Mexico's borders. She was also a recipient of an Akonadi Foundation grant to produce the Son Jarocho Encounter in Oakland, a project that brought together prominent traditional artists from Veracruz and strengthened the presence of this cultural expression on the West Coast of the United States.
Convinced that art transforms lives and strengthens communities, Esther Cruz Maranto has dedicated her work to creating spaces where music, dance, and collective memory become tools for identity, inclusion, and social development. In recognition of her leadership and commitment to promoting the rights of Afro-Mexican women, the Government of Mexico recently distinguished her as one of the ten recipients of the National Award for the Promotion of the Rights of Afro-Mexican Women, highlighting her invaluable contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage, the defense of human rights, and the strengthening of Afro-descendant communities in Mexico.
ABOUT INDÓMITAS
Indómitas is a live podcast series hosted by Chelis López of KPOO and Radio Bilingüe, featuring interviews with fierce women artists and activists
Each month in Brava’s Cabaret, Indómitas will interview female singers, writers, poets, activists, artists, journalists, filmmakers, and others – some well-known and some deserving to be – for live broadcast. These 60-minute conversations will cover the women’s stories of achievement, pitfalls, and hopes for their futures.
Be ready for open and honest conversations, where intimacy fosters the sharing of joy, fear, acceptance, and ultimately, the strength of women. It’s our time to be the ones who narrate our stories of who we are, what we do, what matters to us and how we organized and stand up for our rights.
Indómitas Podcast Series will be available through Chelis López’ website, and other platforms.