When you do an internet search of Cuba many of your search results will surely be of beautiful, sunny beaches with azure waters that are unique the Caribbean. The flag of Cuba will also appear along with a sunburned old man rolling a cigar. Happy children in school uniforms running through the streets of Havana, Cuba’s national bird the tocororo, the royal palm, and scenes from Havana and Santiago de Cuba will round out the first pages of your search results.
Further research into the people of Cuba will show results related to dancing and music, from the traditional Cuban rhythms of Son and Rumba, to the modern urban sounds of reggaetón. But your results will not be complete, the photos and the descriptions that you discover on the internet will not reveal the real Cuba, which can only be discovered on the island. You must be physically present and interact with us to get the true feeling of Cuba. From chamber music interpreted by Camerata Romeu to popular music by Alain Perez, Alexander Abreu and Havana de Primera, to the legendary Van Van, to the current interpreters of funk and fusion.
Is it too much to take in at once? Then take a break! Have a mojito or a daiquiri! The long walk to understanding Cuba requires a slow pace, and Cuban music and culture is full of surprises.
Who knows! Maybe the next time you Google Cuba you’ll appear in one of the search result images, taking in a Jazz performance in Havana, dancing rumba in Matanzas, dancing in the streets of Santiago during carnaval.
By Dina GomGar