Puerto Rico Launches Campaign to Save Hurricane-Damaged Recordings. Some more good news.

If Cuba is the key creative source of Latin Caribbean music, Puerto Rico is its equal as a supplier of performers and it was the great Puerto Rican immigrant community in New York (the Nuyoricans) that was largely responsible for turning Cuban son into salsa. www.worldmusic.net/...

Puerto Rico has suffered for 3 months now. The island certainly has not deserved the abandonment by the United States government. This neglect would never be tolerated on the mainland even considering all of the logistical problems.

Puerto Rican’s have endured a stream of negative cascading events ever since 155 mph winds barreled over the American territory. One of these cascading and overlooked events is the threat to the islands cultural heritage, particularly their recorded music. The recordings were damaged by flood waters and high humidity from the wrath of Hurricane Maria. A plan is in progress to save these treasures.

Good news

A collection of 30,000 albums and other testaments to Puerto Rico’s cultural heritage are at risk, and La Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular has launched a campaign to insure its survival.

The holdings of the Foundation (in English, the National Foundation for Popular Culture), located in a building in Old San Juan, suffered water damage in Hurricane Maria -- particularly, a cache of records by singers of the “nueva canción” movement. The administrators are working to remove mold from some of the albums. At the same time, they’ve launched a campaign to fund digitizing the collection to save it from future harm.

“The Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular suffered significant losses,” reads a text on a youcaring.com page where the public can make donations to the private foundation founded by journalist Javier Santiago, who oversees the collection and donated the building it is in housed in. “Due to the great crisis around the island, aid for cultural organizations are scarce. Currently the organization does not have any financial support from private or governmental institutions, that is why we are appealing to the help of our friends and followers around the world to continue the work of saving our Puerto Rican popular culture.”