The Official* Website of
Carmen Tafolla has impacted audiences throughout the world with her special messages of individual and cultural affirmation. This one-woman theatrical show,
My Heart Speaks a Different Language, has been performed widely in the U.S., as well as in England, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway. Tafolla makes you laugh, cry, celebrate, and dream of a world where we all wear our names and experiences proudly, with human dignity.
"(Tafolla is...) a mirror of understanding, providing rich insights, not only to Hispanics in the reflection of the intricate tapestry that they are as a people, but to all people -- about the nature of diversity, the face of prejudice, and the strength of human promise."
— Dr. Gene Chávez, Director of the Center for Intercultural Communications
As the keynoting Dr. Tafolla is being formally introduced, a stooped bag lady in ragged house slippers and a Mexican shawl interrupts the program. With simple prop changes, Tafolla transforms from a shabby vieja loca to a first-grader, from a chola to a college student, and from a retired G.I. to an outspoken black woman janitor - each emphasizing in their own way the strength and beauty of individual and cultural diversity.
"With a clear, bursting, boundless cry, you speak the unspoken memories of mine.... You regress me - unmistakeable guide - to my ancestors, to my roots, to my past... You have been spelling me again with all the authentic names of my reality."
— Efraín Palacios, editor of Etc. Magazine
While every performance is unique and tailored to the audience, whether professional
or conference, student or community, you can get a sample of the full performance of
My Heart Speaks a Different Language, performed in Bordeaux France (March 2013, while Carmen was on chemo) in this video on YouTube: