内容摘要：Rocky, a black, poodle-looking dog, came with owner Naydelin Aguilar. He was a gift from her mother during the pandemic, she said, and will forever feel grateful for the joy he’s brought into her life.

Rocky, a black, poodle-looking dog, came with owner Naydelin Aguilar. He was a gift from her mother during the pandemic, she said, and will forever feel grateful for the joy he’s brought into her life.

The theater company where Castorela and two dozen other artists collaborate was founded in the early 2000s by another Afro woman who struggled to excel as a Black actress in Mexico.Born in Colombia, a South American country where around 10% of the population is Black, Marisol Castillo said she had no clue her physical features would hinder her career. But after falling in love with Mexican playwright Jaime Chabaud and moving to his hometown, everything changed.

Colombian actress Marisol Castillo, a cast member of Mulato Teatro, poses for a photo during a break rehearsal in Ticumán, Mexico, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)Colombian actress Marisol Castillo, a cast member of Mulato Teatro, poses for a photo during a break rehearsal in Ticumán, Mexico, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)“Some want to force us to fit a mold, a white mold,” Castillo said. “And when we differ, we’re told: ‘You’re a bad actor, you’re out of tune.’ But we’re just different.”

Casting directors mostly offered Castillo roles as prostitute, exotic dancer, maid or slave. So she teamed up with Chabaud, and “Mulato Teatro” was born.“There was very little openness and awareness,” Chabaud said. “So I started writing plays for her.”

The themes of Chabaud’s plays are as diverse as the actors who bring his characters to life.

“African Erotic Tales of the Black Decameron” draws inspiration from oral traditions, fusing the worldview of African communities. ”Yanga” portrays a real-life 17th-century Black hero who is considered a liberator in the Mexican state of Veracruz.and capture more Ukrainian land.

Kyiv’s Western partners, including the U.S., are urging Moscow to agree to an unconditional ceasefire, something Kyiv has embracedUkraine’s top diplomat, Andrii Sybiha, also told reporters on Friday that Kyiv is waiting for Russia to clarify its proposals ahead of a next round of talks.

“We want to end this war this year. We are interested in establishing a ceasefire, whether it is for 30 days, 50 days, or 100 days. Ukraine is open to discussing this directly with Russia,” Sybiha said at a joint news conference in Kyiv with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.Sybiha and Fidan also held the door open to a future meeting between Presidents Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin of Russia, possibly also including U.S. President Donald Trump. Fidan said the ongoing peace push in Istanbul could be “crowned with” such a meeting.