THE TALK
Manolo’s first speaking engagement was a flop. He was invited to speak at Dead Talks—an event during the Day of the Dead in Mexico. “When I got to the auditorium, guest speakers had keynotes, props, and jokes lined up with their stories. I was just going to speak from the heart and sometimes, definitely that time, it didn’t work”, Manolo recalls he ran out of time before really telling his story. So he decided that would never happen again. He hired a speaking coach and commissioned a keynote presentation designer. Soon after, he started traveling the world sharing Puerto Rico’s story and how he used food as a transformational tool to bring communities together.
A couple of years later, Manolo got the chance to be one of the main speakers at the Unfinished Festival in Bucharest, Romania. For him, it was an amazing opportunity to share his story with a crowd that had probably never heard of Puerto Rico. On the first night of the festival, Manolo was going to be the keynote speaker and cook for 2,000 attendees.
Workshop at the University of Texas
“Before I took the stage, I meditated, thought about my ancestors and all the people that had made so many sacrifices for me to be in that position and the responsibility that was in my hands to make sure I delivered a real and powerful message about Puerto Rico,” he recalls. He played “Hijos del Cañaveral” , a song about Puerto Rican strength. After the hour-long presentation, he witnessed a standing ovation. It didn’t matter if the crowd didn’t know much about Puerto Rico: “they felt the same pain, love and joy I did as I took them through that journey.” He ran off stage and finished the canoas rellenas de ropa vieja (roasted sweet plantains stuffed with braised beef).
Through emotional and captivating storytelling Manolo can connect anyone from around the world with the realities of Puerto Rico. He achieves this by talking about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, creating brands that tie back to your culture, and what happens when a natural event strikes home.
“Manolo is a shining, thriving example of someone who holds community, culture, family and service so close to his heart it’s palpable. In my opinion, he is the ultimate serial social entrepreneur who uses his personal experience, diverse skills, passion, and drive to make this world a better place, humbly inspiring others to do the same.
— Gayle Northrop. Professor of Social Entrepreneurship, UCLA
“Manolo is a storyteller who shares his passion for heritage, food and connecting with others. Manolo opened up peoples’ hearts and minds by sharing his story to an audience that may not have been as familiar with the Puerto Rican experience in America and we’re invested in learning more after.”
— Sounun Tek . Former Senior Manager of Vans Global Brand Communications
Sharing Puerto Rico’s Story With the World
MAYAGÜEZ, PUERTO RICO
Universidad Católica Mayagüez
PRTEC Mayagüez
SANTIAGO, CHILE
LATAM Universidad de Chile
SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, MÉXICO
Dead Talks
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
Unfinished Festival
AUSTIN, TEXAS
University of Texas and Red Bull’s Amaphiko
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
School of Visual Arts
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
UCLA
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA
VANS (Virtual)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA
University of North Carolina
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
UNC & Duke University for Red Bull’s Amaphiko
A Legacy of Storytelling
Puerto Rico has a rich oral history, but the reasons behind it are unfortunate. When Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony, the Metropolis held off as long as possible to bring a printing press. You see, in other colonies like Mexico, the printing press started to spread ideas and revolution. So Puerto Rico got its first printing press in 1806—over 350 years after Guttenberg invented it.
Once the printing press got to Puerto Rico, many people didn’t know how to read or write. However, information was still shared in creative ways such as plena y trova. Plena is Puerto Rican folk music that allows us to understand some of the news of the past. Catchy hooks were used to inform people from town to town. On the other hand, trova is more of an improvisation. The trovadores would sing about books they read, politics, or the love of Puerto Rico and spread ideas through their lyrics.
However, there have been points in history where Puerto Rico was ahead of the technology of the time. Puerto Rico was one of the first countries to have a radio station! The radio is still widely heard in Puerto Rico, especially in rural areas. Nowadays, we have a growing podcast scene that keeps these oral traditions alive.
Manolo’s speaking engagement honors this oral history and traditions. What started as speaking engagements has now turned into storytelling and multimedia production. Nowadays, Manolo is hosting Spotify’s podcast “Identity at Play”. This podcast interviews inspiring Latinx actors, comedians, artists, and more about how they embrace their identity.
Manolo moved to California in 2020 and collaborated with Listos California, an initiative of the government of California to inform undocumented farmers about COVID prevention. Manolo helped them create educational content and informative videos. He was able to travel through farms in California handing out supplies such as masks and sharing information. Through his world travels and this experience Manolo remembered an important truth: The struggle is not just in Puerto Rico. There are migrants in every country and our voices are more powerful when we understand each other’s challenges and advocate together.