New Mural to be Painted by the Artist Himself

Carlos Paez Vilaro, the artist and sculptor, will be in Palermo on Friday to present a sketch of a mural to be done on the Medio Mundo tenement, a place rich in Afro-Uruguayan culture. This old boarding house was the site of cultural movements in the 70's until it was destroyed by the city in 1978 during the tumultuous dictatorial period because of its said precarious structure. Could it have been because this house was a politically active place? Maybe, not to mention that blacks living in the center of the city were thought to have a bad effect on real estate and tourism by the authorities. The Medio Mundo boarding house is located on Cuareim 1080 and used to house 54 families. Ironically, the next year it was declared a national monument. The house may have been destroyed, but the candombe thunder could not be silenced. Every drum "call" (a small drum parade is called a "call") symbolized resistence, strength and memory of a difficult past. Go see the unveiling of the outline of the mural at Zelmar Michelini 1080 at 7 o'clock on Friday.