Home
Directory
Destinations
Maps
Reports
Bookings
Español Español
  You are from:  Estados Unidos de America(select your country)
        My account   
Search
Questions?
+1 (833) 685-0373
Toll-Free

Bookings
Lodging
Cars
Flights
Envíos de Paquetería a Cuba
Directory
Accommodation
Top list
Attractions
Where to shop
Embassies
General information
Marinas
Where to dine
Health
Transportation
Nightlife
TOOLS
Distancies calculator
Travelers' Tips


We accept
We accept VISA and MasterCard credit cards.

Weekly report on Cuba's tourism industry
Search in DTCNews 
  ReportsAttractions |  Services |  Destinations |  Culture |  Health |  General
  NewsTourism |  Business |  Health |  Sports |  Culture
Slave's Route: Musical Legacy

Cuba, a destination for African slaves during the Spanish colonial period, bears the imprint of their heritage and their influence on the development of society in the island nation.

Thousands of men, women and children, who were uprooted from the homeland, left their imprint throughout the Cuban archipelago, where the ruins of old estates are silent witnesses of the exploitation they had to endure.

For that reason, the initiative to create programs to spread the causes and consequences of slavery and the social influence of that phenomenon was the starting point of a project known as the Slave's Route in Cuba.

Many cultural institutions are contributing to that effort to promote the rich African heritage in Cuba.

Among the institutions that promote Cuba's culture is the Havana-based National Museum of Music, which is housed in a building from the early 20th century.

As a specialized center, the museum exhibits the historic development of music and musical instruments from the 6th to the 20th centuries in all Cuban regions.

Attributes of Orishas.
Eleguá dance.
Yemayá dance.

Precisely, the museum's most valuable collections include folkloric instruments, many of which are considered rare, as well as the scores of major Cuban songs, music-playing devices and works of art.

Since it was founded, the museum has boosted the rescue of musical assets, recordings and photos, as well as research on Cuban musicians and composers, education and promotion, through courses, seminars and lectures.

The imprint of slavery, on display at the Fernando Ortiz hall, includes elements from African culture that influenced the formation of Cuban nationality.

Among them are instruments from the Arara culture of former Dahomey, southeast of Nigeria, which were made by African slaves.

Experts highlight the hand-made carvings and the hollowing out of hard-timber trunks decorated with broken lines, vertical incisions and, in some cases, polychromatic ornaments.

The Bantu drums show the function of slaves of that origin, who did the hard work in the fields, so their songs reflect elements that are characteristics of the rural environment in which they lived.

The experts also note the Yoruba culture, brought by African slaves who practiced a religion that has spread throughout Cuba and is known as santeria.

The Yorubas brought the batá (the most sacred ones) and bembé drums, as well as the "güiros", also known as abwes or chekerés.

For that reason, the National Museum of Music promotes knowledge of a period that left a major cultural heritage in Cuba, despite the negative consequences of the scourge of slavery.

RELATED SERVICES
Attractions  Accommodation  
ATTRACTIONS
House of Africa
Museums

Calle Obrapía No. 157 e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio

La Habana
Municipal Museum of Guanabacoa
Museums

Calle Martí No. 108 e/ Versalles y San Antonio

La Habana
Municipal Museum of Regla
Museums

Calle Martí No. 158 e/ Facciolo y La Piedra

La Habana
Museo de los Orishas
Museums

Paseo del Prado No. 615 e/ Monte y Dragones

La Habana
ACCOMMODATION All services
Armadores de Santander
City

Calle Luz No. 4 esq. a San Pedro

La Habana
Beltrán de Santa Cruz
City

Calle San Ignacio No. 411 e/ Muralla y Sol

La Habana
El Comendador
City

Calle Obrapía No. 55 esq. a Baratillo

La Habana
Inglaterra
City

Paseo del Prado No. 416 e/ San Rafael y San Miguel

La Habana
Plaza
City

Calle Ignacio Agramonte No. 267

La Habana
Sevilla
City

Calle Trocadero No. 55 e/ Prado y Zulueta

La Habana
Tejadillo
City

Calle Tejadillo No. 12 esq. a San Ignacio

La Habana
Home | Directory | Destinations | Reports | Flights | Lodging | Cars
About us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
(c) 1997-2024 Vacacionar Travel, SA. All rights reserved.