Videos of The Culture of Cuba, Cuba

Music is everywhere in Cuba, on the street, in cafés and roadside restaurants. Havana has lively scenes of street theatre, with stilt walkers, music and demonstrations of Capoeira, Brazilian martial arts on the various squares in the city, while in Callejón de Hamel, with its shrine to Afro-Cuban religions, Rumba groups play every Sunday.

Although many Afro Cubans adhere to the Catholic faith, it is often practised together with Santería, an Afro-American religion that developed here among the descendants of slaves, brought from West Africa. Its sacred language is Lucumí, a creolised remnant of the Yoruba language, a West African language spoken mainly in Nigeria and Benin. There are regular ceremonies, like in the Casa Templo de Santería Yemayá in Trinidad.

Santiago de Cuba is considered the place where African rhythm first encountered Spanish tradition to produce the island’s perfect music, and it can also be enjoyed on the street, like on the Plaza de Dolores. It also has numerous music halls, but there are now also Trova halls in most Cuban cities, like the Casa de Trova in Baracoa, where local musicians perform daily for an appreciative audience.