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On the 1st of April 2007 I took a flight from Co. Kerry, Ireland to Paris and finally crossed the Atlantic to land in Havana, Cuba.
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I had never been to a Latin American country before and only partly knew what I was about to experience. African slaves had been brought over by the Spanish in 1552 and their culture influenced Cuban society on many different levels; music, visual arts, dance, religion and food. Cuba on its turn, had a major influence on the worldwide music scene, and some of its musical monuments got their well deserved fame after Ry Cooder and Wim Wenders made the well known CD and documentary 'Buena Vista Social Club'. My reasons for travelling this distance were to study this Afro-Cuban music (which has also been influenced by Haiti and the Spanish and French settlers), network with musicians, document my trip with photographs of the artists I would meet and set up an exhibition so as to share the experience with a wider audience. When the airplane hit the warm tarmac I felt butterflies in my stomach. Here I was, Havana, Cuba, on my own, with very little Spanish and knowing not a soul in this country. When I walked through the airport hall, I looked at all the flags hanging down from the ceiling; Japan, Sweden, UK, France, Ireland, Belgium. 'Welcome, welcome!' they seemed to say, 'welcome to Cuba!' That was not quite the impression I got shortly after, when passing through customs. Here, two people in camouflage outfit scanned my face with serious determination before asking me to take off my glasses, verified the address where I was going to stay for the first few days and looked at my passport. Only then one of them gestured to me that I could pass. I knew this was not going to be an easy trip, being that I was travelling on my own as a woman and did not know the Caribbean spirit that well. On the first day in Havana I had to get used to the staring looks of the men, the whistles and compliments. It took me a while to realise that this was all part of the game and Cuban women happily ignore most of these remarks and casually go on with their business. The Lonely Planet¹ I had bought in Ireland was my bible and only source of reading material for the entire month. Through the guide I found most of my accommodation except for the first place which I had booked beforehand over the internet. This 'casa particulares' was quite a distance from the centre near the Plaza de la Revolucion but its host was a gentle man who taught English at the University of Havana. Speaking to the owners of the casas particulares was to be one of the ways where I would find out about music and gigs. Over the course of the next few weeks I would meet several very interesting musicians and artists by going to music venues, passing by galleries and talking to the 'cultural promoter' and pass by a 'casa de la musica' or 'casa de la trova'. A 'casa de la musica' is a building divided into rehearsal rooms that is open to anyone who wants to dance, play music, sing or act. You do not have to pay to rehearse here but some of the casas come with extra guests such as the swallows in the 'casa de la musica' in Camaguey. 'Casas de la trova' are great places to hear some of the traditional Cuban sounds and every night there is a different band playing. Some days you find small and upcoming bands on the stage, on other days it is filled with ten piece bands playing the popular 'salsa'. I think I can say I was very lucky with the way it all worked out because I actually managed to attend a rehearsal of the professional dance group 'Kokoye' in Santiago de Cuba where I made some nice Photos of the dance they were rehearsing. In Santa Clara I met with 'Sexteto Pretexto' a nueva trova group who gave me a free history class on Afro-Cuban music and invited me to play with them at one of their gigs. I also attended a workshop for elderly people, facilitated by one of Cuba's great jazz legends Bobby Carcasses in Havana and was part of a studio recording with 'Interactivo'. Holguin was the place to visit the workshop of organ makers, in business since 1886, and the Malecon in Havana was a great place to attend some amazing jam sessions or 'penas'. But how did I land into a live recording in a music studio, you may ask? On one of my daily strolls I dropped into Julia Valdes' visual arts gallery in Old Havana. The man who was looking after the place asked me why I was visiting Cuba. He gave me his card and told me he was a cultural promoter, after which he picked up the phone and then gestured to me I needed to speak with this person. That person was no one less than Bobby Carcasses, a musician who, I found out later, had toured extensively in Europe over the last twenty years and was a great pianist, scatter and entertainer. He invited me to attend a workshop in Miramar and shortly after I found myself listening to old songs, drinking fresh mango juice and trying to answer questions about Riverdance. Bobby Carcasses then invited me to attend an exclusive studio recording session that was going to be held that evening in one of Cuba's famous studios of the EGREM label. Bobby told me it was his son's band that was going to be there and his son was very famous. It was only when I shook hands with Roberto Carcasses that I realised this was the leader of 'Interactivo', a young and upcoming exciting Cuban band of which I had just bought the CD the day before. It was events like these that made the project and trip so worthwhile and a lifetime experience. After a month touring Cuba by public transport which went from 'bici-taxi' to air conditioned Viazul buses, and listening to so many styles of Afro-Cuban music, I felt I had a better feel for my instrument. In Havana and Trinidad I took some private bongo lessons which helped me a bit although I felt that not being able to speak Spanish cut me short in trying to explain what I wanted to learn on the bongos. The best school was watching the men and women play live; in little cafes, on the street, on stage, it all helped me to understand the Afro-Cuban music better. When 'Sexteto Pretexto' invited me to play with them in 'La Marquesina' in Santa Clara I was thrilled! That evening the locals complimented me on my abilities on the bongos and the band felt a bit more 'special' I guess. I did quite a bit of travelling during the month of April; Havana, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus, Camaguey, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba, back to Santa Clara to end in Havana. Every place had its beautiful and charming people, its music, ice cream, cinema, street food and old cars. All so photogenic and curious to my foreign eye. Cuba is not an easy country to visit but a complex country with complex issues and intriguing people. Obviously I cannot say I understand Cuba fully after one visit. What I can tell you is that Cubans love talking and enjoy holding discussions where they often try to test your sense of humour. When my Spanish is much better I will return to Cuba, to share my opinions with the people, to laugh and play music with them, to eat and drink with them, because that's what life is all about after all. |
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