Havana, Cuba. – The Wemilere Festival goes back to its original venue the Havanan municipality of Guanabacoa. The event, scheduled for next November 10 to 17, will evoke African culture since its arrival in these lands to the present time.
The opening gala of the XXIV edition of the event will feature songs, dances and other expressions of the heritage and miscegenation bequeathed by the so-called black continent, through its children, brought to our country as slaves several centuries ago.
The show will take place across from of the headquarters of Guanabacoa People’s Power and will cover different expressions of African sonority in America, such as Haitian music, conga, Yoruba music, and gospel among others.
As part of the gala, a piano student from Guillermo Tomas Conservatory will play two songs of maestro Ernesto Lecuona, vocal group Renacer will sing "Danza Ñañiga", by the same author and singer Henry Mendiz will perform the well-known piece "Chivo que rompe tambó", which the local star Bola de Nieve popularized.
In addition, the Company of Traditional Cuban Dances JJ, directed by the master and first dancer Johannes Garcia, will feature a conga scene and close the gala by dancing a rumba.
Likewise, in another moment of the opening gala of Wemilere African Roots Festival, actor Jorge Ryan will recite a poem dedicated to South African leader Nelson Mandela, who will be honored at the event on the occasion of his 100th birthday.
Representatives from 18 African countries, two from Caribbean countries, the Ambassador of South Africa to Cuba, and several Cuban personalities are expected to attend the celebration, which will bring together traditions and modernity in facilities and neighborhoods of the village of Guanabacoa.
Translated by Pedro A. Fanego
