Three days of immersion in African heritage will be offered at the First International Meeting on Ancestry in Cuba: “Turban: Heritage and Identity,” to be held from November 7 to 9 at the Casa de Cultura (Cultural Center) on Calzada and 8th Streets in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución municipality.
Organizer Maritza Donatién Texidor, who heads the Afro-aesthetic project Todo Turbante (All About Turbans), stated at a press conference that the event’s program will include concerts, lectures, dance workshops, art exhibitions, Afro-fairs, and discussion panels.
Among the topics to be addressed during those days are the use of turbans and African hairstyles, the legacy of our ancestors in culture and communication, the work of Afro-Cuban businesses, and other related subjects, explained Donatién Texidor.
He also emphasized that under the motto “From Resistance to Existence: Carlota’s Legacy Endures,” this space invites artists, academics, community leaders, and tradition bearers to engage in dialogue about Afro-descendant roots, recognizing the historical richness and strength of contemporary culture.
The intellectual Rolando Rensoli Medina, president of the Aponte Commission of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, and secretary of the Executive Coordinating Group of the National Program Against Racism and Racial Discrimination “Cuban Color,” detailed the historical basis of the event, which will pay tribute to the heroine Carlota, a Black woman who led an uprising 163 years ago at the former Triunvirato sugar mill, freeing her fellow countrymen.
Rensoli Medina also recalled the Cuban operation that bore the name of this warrior of Lucumí origin who was enslaved in Matanzas, an internationalist feat that changed the course of history in Africa and decisively contributed to consolidating the independence of the peoples of Angola and Namibia, and to the elimination of the racist apartheid regime in South Africa.
These events inspired the idea that is now about to materialize and become a long-term endeavor, and which also has the collaboration of the Municipal Directorate of Culture of Plaza de la Revolución, the Afro-descendant Neighborhood Network, the Ministry of Culture, and the Cuban Association of the United Nations, among other groups and institutions related to the theme. The event will bring together 60 speakers from across the country and 46 from abroad.
Donatién Texidor confirmed that a second edition is planned, given that this will be a very beneficial event for acquiring historical knowledge, raising awareness of the fight against racism, and exploring how African heritage is becoming increasingly integrated into contemporary aesthetics and culture.
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
