Elisa Schmelkes is a composer, choir conductor, and activist based in Mexico City who has dedicated herself to building cultural bridges between Latin America and Ukraine. Since 2022, she has worked in humanitarian and cultural activism for Ukraine in Mexico, specializing in countering disinformation and strengthening soft power through the arts.
In her deep concern by the impact of Russian disinformation and propaganda in Mexico, Elisa uses cultural diplomacy as her weapon of choice. This marks her second visit to Ukraine—following her journey to Lviv and Kyiv in 2023. For Elisa, Ukraine is a source of endless strength and inspiration. “I’ve left a piece of my heart here,” she says. “I need to come back again and again to be complete.”
On Wednesday evening, armed with her ten-stringed Peruvian charango and her powerful voice, Elisa will share an intimate collection of songs of love and resistance from across Latin America, that speak of our shared experience of hope, struggle, and resilience, our siblinghood from across the ocean.