Above: Carnival De Cuba Logo

Cuba is home to one of the richest cultures the world has ever seen. But you don’t have to go to the county to have a taste of the Cubana culture. Every year, a unique carnival brings the spirit of Cuba to the heart of the United Kingdom. Come celebrate in the 2-day festival of Cuban dance, music and food in this year’s Carnival de Cuba, happening on June 28 to 29.

Musical Acts

Above: The new La Charanga Habanera

The 4^th Carnival de Cuba at Southwark Park promises to be the biggest yet. The free festival will be showcasing all time Cuban great La Charanga Habanera. This London based Salsa and Timba band is lead by David Calzado. The original group was composed of ten fresh graduates of the Escuela Nacional de Arte. They got together in 1988, playing traditional Cuban music from earlier eras of the 40s and the 50s. Four years later, then group director David Calzado experimented with a new format. This experiment lead to a variety of instruments: piano, keyboard, pailas, congas, 2 violins, 2 trumpets, altosax, flute, and two singers. The end result was a more modern kind of music. And the band ultimately defined the new music genre called the Timba. The original group of La Charanga Habanera had four albums under its belt. And in 1997, after a series of slit ups and member substitutions, the group ended up getting distributed into three separate bands, with leader David Calzado remaining as head honcho of the new La Charanga Habanera. Still, the group remains as the greatest Timba band of all-time. They incorporate funk style beats and rap vocals to produce pumping Cuban Salsa and Timba music. The band alone is reason enough to come to the Carnival.

But it’s get better. Aside from the legendary band, the carnival will also feature one of the newest and hottest Cuban acts today – reggaeton sensation Eminencia Clasica. Reggaeton, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a new form of music that combines reggae beats with hip hop and R&B vocals. The genre originated in the country of Panama some decades ago, but has since busted out into the international mainstream due to the popularity of United States acts like Puerto Rican born Daddy Yankee whose worldwide hit single Gasolina won him the “Reggaeton Album of the Year” award in the 2005 Latin Billboards, Nina Sky, and Tego Calderon. Expect the same kind of reggaeton energy from Eminencia Clasica – the group is known to be a real crowd drawer for Cuban clubs and bars.

Also in the lineup is Cuban street poet Telmary, which also happens to be Cuba’s biggest female hip hop act. A jazz poet by nature, Telmary’s music is a fusion of jazz beats and rap – making her style unique from all other hip hop talents in Cuba, and probably the world.

Ricardo Levya, director and songwriter of the legendary Cuban orchestra Sur Caribe will be hosting the event. Ricardo, who is also considered a legend of Cuban music and culture, made a new track that will serve as the theme of the 4^th Carnival de Cuba.

Fun Filled Activities

As part of what is called the Big Dance 2008, the Carnival will offer free Cuban dance workshops for both adults and kids alike. Cuban dancers Homero Gonzales, Lazaro Lopez, Moe Flex and Cuban DJs Jose Luis, Javier la Rosa, Dr Jim and Sol will be there to provide the lesson and the music, respectively.

The great Guillermo Davis will also hold dance classes and will lead the Carnival’s much anticipated annual Conga procession. Guillermo Davis, who was born in Guantanamo, East Cuba, is more popularly known in the Cuban music scene as El Iyawo, which means “the son of a saint” – a title given to an initiate of the Cuban religion known as Yoruba. The legendary dancer has been based in London since the year 2001 – establishing himself as the leading proponent of Cuban dance in the whole United Kingdom. He serves as the teacher, choreographer and artistic director of the Cuban cabaret dance group Cabaret7potencias. He specializes in Afro-Cuban and Haitian Vodu dance and, of course, popular Cuban steps such as Salsa and Carnival. He is also one of the co-founders of the Danza Libre Company, together with other great Cuban artists Elfrieda Mahler, Ramiro Guerra and Alfredo Velazquez.

Above: Congas – a true Cuban original

The Carnival will also hold a conga workshop lead by the popular Cuban drum group Drumheads. The conga, a narrow and tall single-headed Cuban drum, was derived from the Congolese Makuta or Sikulu drums which were commonly played in Mbanza Ngungu, Congo. Congas were originally used both in Afro-Caribbean religious celebrations and as the main instrument in creating Rumba music. Since then, it has been widely used in creating Latin music, most especially Salsa. The conga is also obviously the main instrument in creating the infamous conga line. The conga line is actually a carnival march (although most people only see it done in weddings – which is sad). It was first developed in Cuba and became popular in the United States in the 30s and once more in the 50s. The dance is pretty simple, and most of you have probably seen it done in movies and on TV. All the dancers will form a single procession-like line. They all do the same move over and over again: three shuffle steps coinciding with the conga beat followed by a kick done slightly ahead of the fourth drum beat – all the time moving forward following the line’s leader. Conga drums and the conga line are central parts of the original carnival procession in Santiago de Cuba. Now it is one of the most anticipated events of the Carnival de Cuba.

The carnival is considered as one of London’s most child-friendly events. Aside from the free conga drumming and dance workshops, the Carnival will install a funfair area complete with smoothie bars and face painting booths for the kids to enjoy.

Cuban Food

Above: A classic Cuban Sandwich – ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on Cuban bread. Served with corn and banana chips.

Cuban cuisine is widely considered as a fusion of Spanish, African and Caribbean cooking. Authentic Cuban recipes use spices that are common in these areas – and the flavor of the dishes is pretty much the same. The carnival will let you taste all these flavors, together with more common South American dishes. Expect the usual tortilla and ensalada recipes. Of course, there will be hot tamales – an all time worldwide favorite. For dessert, there will be different flans made of fruits and veggies – all worth a taste! Loads of food stalls will be there, all serving the finest and most authentic Cuban dishes. Don’t forget to try the Cuban sandwich – to some of you this will probably the only time you will get to taste an authentic one!

The Carnival will also have its own fresh tropical smoothie bar – to be enjoyed by both the young and the old. And of course, a carnival is not complete without a cocktail bar. Cuban bars and restaurants are known for their Mojitos, Daiquiris and Cuba Libres – all of which will be overflowing in the Carnival de Cuba. If you’ve had too much of those then you can settle down with a sip of hot Cuban mountain coffee.

Tourist Info

The festival will be held at the southern part of Southwark Park. It will be best to travel using the Canada Water Tube. Here is a detailed map of the area:

Official festival times are midday to 9.00 in the evening on June 28 (Saturday) and midday to 8.00 in the evening on June 29 (Sunday).

People are not allowed to bring food and drinks, cans and glass bottles into the site. Only those for babies and young children will be allowed.