Celebrating Salvadorans and the ‘in-betweeners’

With a brutal civil war in the 1980s, he added that many Salvadorans coming to the United States around that time also harbored shame due to public perceptions of their country, and tension between Mexican-Americans and Salvadoran-Americans on the West Coast was growing.

“Growing up in L.A., we never had a Salvadoran to look up to and say, ‘That’s who I want to be,’” he said. “We didn’t have people in positions of power.”

A 24-year Bay Area resident, Archila started Cultura Fest last year, bringing in a variety of food, events and art displays showcasing not just Salvadoran culture but also how “in-betweeners” like him have bridged their American and Latino roots. 

“A lot of Latino events were always catered to Mexican culture, so we never had anything that was cultural outside of our households,” he said. “A lot of Salvadorans are reexploring what it means to be a Salvadoran-American.”

Though her parents are from Cambodia and Thailand, Archila’s wife and event co-founder Layla Ouk also faced a similar “in-betweener” struggle, prompting the duo to include a multicultural parade as part of the event as well. 

Hosted last year at Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company in San Carlos, this year it will take place Saturday, Aug. 23, in South San Francisco, attended by the city’s first Salvadoran mayor Eddie Flores. 

“Cultura Fest is really more than a festival. It’s a homecoming for our stories, our rhythms and our resilience,” Flores said. “I thought this was very important, especially with everything that’s  going on this year.”

The event will bring in numerous artists, including some who painted the famous Balmy Alley mural in San Francisco, as well as musicians, such as the popular Crooked Stilo band, and lots of Salvadoran fusion plates. Archila said chefs will create their own takes on pupusas, a Salvadoran staple, including a Korean-style version. Leading up to the event, there will be a discussion on the history of cumbia rap, a musical genre stemming from a blend of two distinct cultures. 

“I’ve never been around a lot of Salvadorans other than my family parties, and that led me to research people who are doing positive things in the community,” Archila said. “As I started finding them I thought it would be so cool to put them in one room and bring together what I would have liked to see growing up.”

The event will take place on Grand Avenue in South San Francisco between 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23.