# Conversation with Nani Noam Vazana

Noam "Nani" Vazana is one of the only artists in the world who writes and composes new songs in the endangered Ladino (or Judeo-Spanish) language, a very archaic form of Castilian Spanish spoken by Sephardic Jews living mostly in Israel, the Balkans, North Africa, Greece and Turkey. Ladino, which traveled to these areas with Jewish communities expelled from Spain in 1492, is very nearly extinct in many places. Nani's work captures the spirit of this ancient, matriarchal language and culture and propels it into the 21st century with socially pertinent lyrics addressing themes such as migration, gender, and female empowerment. Nani's soundscape is a bridge between tradition and modern life, capturing the sounds and smells of the marketplace and fusing them with surprising instrumentation and raw vocals reminiscent of flamenco.

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2023
- By: American Folklife Center
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2025661428/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/2025661428?play=1)