Ruben Blades to visit

Ruben Blades, a Panamanian activist, actor and Grammy award-winning musician, will speak and perform next month on campus.

Two events are planned Saturday, April 8, in Music Hall, 925 Bascom Mall.

• 2:30 p.m., a lecture, “The Future of the Panama Canal.”
• 4:15 p.m., a musical workshop, “The Music of Ruben Blades.”

Each event is free, but will require separate tickets. Tickets will be available at the Wisconsin Union Theater Box Office Wednesday, March 29, to UW students, faculty, staff and Union members, and to the general public April 3.

Blades, a three-time Grammy Award winner, movie star and former-Panamanian presidential candidate, will cap Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Week as proclaimed by Mayor Sue Bauman for April 1-8.

With more than 20 albums, Blades’ music taps into the rich folkloric traditions of Latin America and beyond. Blades has starred in more than 20 feature films including the recent “Cradle Will Rock.”

A graduate of Harvard University in International Law, Blades formed the Mother Earth political party and finished third in the 1994 presidential race. His most recent recording, “Tiempos,” was called the best Latin music album of the year for 1999 by Rolling Stone magazine.

Blades’ performance is sponsored by Latin American and Iberian Studies Program, PANA Productions, and the Wisconsin Union Directorate.