Portsmouth Hispanic Society

April's presentation was the next installment of Andres's father's story. In Part I we followed Andres's father from rural poverty in Spain to the French Foreign Legion before ending up in World War II England. Part II of Andres's family history picks up at the blind date where his parents were immediately smitten and then married. Fortunately Andres had a wealth of images from old photo albums to illustrate his family tree. In later life Andres re-connected with his Spanish ancestry, leading us through that journey of discovery.

Society members can watch a recording of March's meeting by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

April's News Item revealed the legal and social machinations surrounding the euthanasia of Noelia Catillo. Noelia was severely injured whilst escaping from a seriously abusive situation. The resultant injuries were sufficient for her to apply to end her life in a dignified manner in accordance with the Law of the Regulation of Euthanasia. However, the case was far from straightforward or timely, as Mike explains in this very sad news item.

Society members can watch a recording of March's meeting by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

For March's meeting well travelled bird watcher Keith Betton delivered a specially created presentation describing the bird species he has seen on over 30 trips to South America. Drawing on his huge experience Kieth provided information about a range of native birds including where to see them, their biology, their behaviour, and, of course, some wonderful pictures.

Society members can watch a recording of March's meeting by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

In Mike's absence March's News Item was delivered by Jerry White. It featured El Helicoide, the hated Venezuelan prison. Originally conceived as the Police headquarters and built on the site of a shopping centre in the 1980's the building became known as Hell on Earth after it was used as a jail where prisoners were routinely abused. The future of the building is now under doubt after the recent political developments in Venezuela.

Society members can watch a recording of March's meeting by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

February's meeting was once again delivered over Zoom. The topic this month was Bilingualism. In 2022 Angele de Bruin, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of York, contacted the society to recruit members to participate in a study of bilingualism. Angela had kindly agreed to share the outcome of that study alongside the science of being able to speak more than one language.

Society members can watch a recording of February's meeting by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here. Note that Mike's News Item exploring how Spanish society has changed since the death of Spanish dictator Franco 50 years ago precedes Angela's presentation.

The first meeting of 2026 was delivered via Zoom. The society was very fortunate to have Lidia Valverde, Director of Communications, to deliver a talk about the project to re-wild Spain, which is a sub-project of a global push to protect the environment. The main tenets of the project is to meld together the need to repopulate areas of Spain alongside the responsibility to protect, nurture and re-introduce wildlife. It was interesting to learn how this was being achieved with some success where entrepreneurs were establishing environmentally friendly and sustainable businesses alongside the push to increase environmental diversity.

Society members can watch a recording of January's meeting by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here. Note that Mike's News Item reviewing how the death of Spanish dictator Franco 50 years ago impacted the life of comedian Paco Roca as a child precedes Lidia's presentation.

November's meeting introduced Cuban national Boris Sanchez to the society who gave a presentation exploring and explaining the history of a country that may appear difficult to understand to the casual observer. Boris took the audience back to pre-historical times, prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus, then proceeded through the Conquistadors, war, political interference from the United States, revolution and the present day. The details surrounding the political machinations that led to the revolution clarified a little known process that led to the modern state.

Society members can watch a recording of Boris's presentation by logging into the Member's Only page and selecting the video. To access the Member's Area click here.

October's meeting introduced traditional Colombian music to the society. Yamir is an accomplished musician with more than 20 year's experience in the interpretation and composition of Afro-Caribbean music, especially in the Gaitas and drum format of the Colombian Atlantic coast. The Gaita is a traditional wind instrument that has been played in Colombia for centuries. Originating from Caribbean indigenous communities, it has evolved through cultural exchanges, particularly with African influences, to become a defining element of Colombian folk music.

Yamir expertly combined the sounds of traditional Colombian instruments with a fluid electric guitar backing all to the backdrop of a rolling video depicting scenes of landscapes and life in his native Colombia. The evening included introductions to a range of traditional instruments in Yamir's collection via demonstrations and hands on experience.

The evening's finale was a short dance workshop led by Janneth Rey, a Latin American dance teacher. Attendees learned some basic steps in the rhythms of Cumbia, Puya, and Colombian Salsa.

A short video of the evening's entertainment can be seen on YouTube and you can visit Yamir's YouTube channel to see clips of his performances at festivals including Victorious and Escape to the Farm.