Putting a modern spin on traditional folk songs of her native Panama is one of Mai-Elka Prado’s passions.

The loneliness of arriving in the city as a young immigrant 16 years ago led the singer and songwriter to try to build community.

“I was eager to connect with people that look like me, that were of African descent and that spoke Spanish,” explained Prado. “In that desire, I started to develop the concept of the Afro-Latino Festival.”

She says she created the annual Afro-Latino Festival as a place of gathering. The event marked its tenth year this past June, celebrating the culture, contributions and perspectives of Black Latinos.

“There are people who feel the same way that we feel, when we feel that representation is needed,” said Prado.

As an artist, she helps to give other creatives a platform of solidarity and a safe space.

“Conversations about hair. There’s conversations about colorism, and those, most times in my opinion, should be conversations that we have internally.”

Prado is also a program manager for the Brooklyn Arts Council, helping to nurture other artists and to connect them with funding for their projects.

As she looks to the future and to planning the next festival, she’s not sure which direction it will take.

“Maybe more helping people. Maybe pushing more artists. I don’t know, but what I do is that we’re always going to be listening,” said Prado.