Manuel Viveros was born in Cali, Colombia. His single mother worked as a teacher in a rural school for over 25 years. His family was part of the Afro-Colombian migration to the cities in search of better living conditions. He grew up dreaming of being a professional soccer player, but theater was the space where he found himself. He studied theater at the Universidad Del Valle, where he was the first Afro-Colombian to star at the Teatro Colón de Bogotá, Colombia’s National Theater. Within seven years, he oversaw the program Jóvenes Creadores del Litoral, through which he opened the first university theater program at the Universidad Del Valle in Buenaventura. He later became the director of that theater program where he promoted the arts in the community and helped young people out of violent communities. He served as the Artistic Director of Corporacion Telon de Chonta in Buenaventura, a space for community leaders to transform the reality of the Afro-Colombian community. He has a Master’s degree in Government from ICESI University, and a specialization in Arts Education (Culture and Citizenship) from the Organization of Ibero-American States.
Read Manuel’s latest Medium Blog post @TheLabGU
