In 2005, hundreds of urban artists transformed a 9 square kilometer wasteland of asphalt in a working class Caracas neighborhood into a space that challenges traditional and elitist forms of cultural production and consumption, while emphasizing social change and youth empowerment to overcome the inequalities which lead to poverty and exclusion. This space, Tiuna El Fuerte Cultural Park, has won international awards and serves as a model for urban transformation through the creativity and talent of the community.

Join IPS for a talk and Q&A with Bituaya, an Afro-Venezuelan band that has played an integral part in the advancement of urban artistic movements in Caracas through their leadership and involvement in Tiuna el Fuerte. Bituaya will follow up their performance at SXSW 2015 in Austin with a concert in DC, but this will be an opportunity to listen and interact with a band whose commitment to social justice is evident in their lyrics and activism.