I International Concert Against Racism

The First International Concert Against Systemic Racism took place March 8th, 2023 in Cahuita, Limón, gathering over 5,000 attendees. The concert aimed to create space for recognizing the contributions of Afrodescendants and promote their human rights through culture, music, dance, and other artistic expressions.

Moreover, it served to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21, providing a space free from all forms of racism and racial discrimination. The event was also framed within the context of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade which is observed March 25.

The International Concert Against Racism represents an innovative communication and engagement strategy which places culture as a central element to vindicate the contributions of the Afrodescendant population to the development of our societies. The Coalition, in partnership with other entities, successfully convened thousands of people to raise awareness among a larger number of civil society members, national authorities, international cooperation agencies, and the community at large about the importance of recognizing the human rights of the tribal Afro-Costa Rican people.

The first edition of the Concert featured performances by international artists such as:

Rocky Dawuni, a Ghanaian singer, songwriter, and record producer who performs his distinctive "Afro Roots" sound and is a three-time Grammy nominee; William Cepeda, a Puerto Rican, four-time Grammy nominee and Latin Grammy Award winner; Masauko Chipembere, a singer-songwriter, music producer, video editor, sound engineer, and podcast producer/editor who is an activist for the rights of the African descent population; Kawe Calypso, a Calypso group from the tribal community of Cahuita in Limón, Costa Rica; Shirley Campbell Barr, an Afrodescendant poet and activist; Jorge Montenegro, a young Afro-Panamanian percussionist who accompanied Shirley Campbell during her poetry performance and played with Kawe Calypso and William Cepeda; Sasha Campbell, an Afro-Costa Rican singer, journalist, broadcaster, and TV host.