CUBA’S COFFEE WITH CHOCOLATE MUSIC FESTIVAL
BARACOA’S CHOCOLATE CON CAFÉ MUSIC FESTIVAL
My island is very musical, from tip to end, not a single corner is without music. Not a soul can resist to move along or dance to popular tunes, that reach Cubans through the radio, which has been around forever, and now music channel Clave. The Clave music channel has only been around a few years, but it is very popular with young Cubans. It brings fresh and current music videos into Cuban homes across the island, videos by Cuban singers, bands, and orchestras that play every genre of music. All of this music feeds and nourishes an audience that is more demanding every day, and which led to the creation of the Chocolate con Café, which last year became more than a drink. Sour, but delicious, that’s how most people describe it after a first taste it, and typical of the far eastern end of Cuba, where alongside loads of tradition and history, you can find the mountains where Cuban cacao is grown organically.
While only in its second year, Cuba’s Chocolate con Café music festival has become a source of pride for the Cuban musicians who participate in the event. Held in Baracoa, Cuba’s oldest city, and created by Cuban composer and musician Waldo Mendoza, like its namesake drink, it mixes two tastes loved by Cubans to create something unique, delicious, and energizing. The idea was for new sounds to be created by the fusion of traditional Cuban music and musical rhythms from around the world, and have it all take place in Baracoa, in the Cuban province of Guantanamo. The festival takes place over three days in October, and Baracoa becomes a twenty-four-hour party town. The event is a uniquely Cuban cultural experience, and a great addition to a people-to-people tour of Cuba.
By Luz Grajales