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Music and Dance in South Louisiana's Cuban Community By Tomás Montoya González with contributions from T. Ariana Hall. Translations by Lori N. Tyler, Guillermo Cabrera Rojo, and T. Ariana Hall Cuban Migration to Louisiana: Race, Identity, And Generation Creating Cuba In New Orleans Undeniably, this first wave of immigrants breathed new creative life into Louisiana. Major achievements from the 1960s and later left a Cuban imprint on the South Louisiana cultural landscape. These achievements reveal some of the strategies by Cubans in the greater New Orleans area to collectively represent themselves through music and festivity. Several organizations have played important roles in Louisiana's Cuban community. In 1954, Liceo Cubano José Martí was created to present music for its members every Sunday as part of its mission to preserve Cuban culture. In the 1960s, Club Cubano de Profesionales was founded, which sponsored a multitude of social gatherings and concerts. The club still exists, but is not as active as it was throughout the 1960s-1990s since the founding members are growing older. In 1973, Comité Organizador del Festival Latinoamericano (COFLA: Latin-American Festival Organizing Committee) was created. COFLA existed for ten years, and some of its principal producers included TV commentator Julio Guichard and music shop owner Juan Suaréz. COFLA produced many music festivals and concerts during its tenure. In 1969, La Tienda Música Latina was opened on Magazine Street by the influential Suaréz family who played an important role in supporting Cuban culture in South Louisiana. The shop, which is still open, features an extensive collection of Cuban music. The owner, Juan M. Suaréz, arrived in the United States with his family in the 1960s and has been involved in many high-profile Cuban public events. His wife, Yolanda Estrada, is from Honduras and has a radio program on WWOZ-FM 90.7 that features traditional and contemporary Cuban music.
In 1980, the Cervantes Fundación Hispano-Americana de Arte (Cervantes Hispanic-American Arts Foundation) opened in Kenner, Louisiana. The Foundation's mission is to teach modern and classical Hispanic arts and cultural traditions. The founder, Guillermo de Bango, is an artist, intellectual, and cultural producer. Born in Havana, Cuba, de Bango was a political prisoner in Cuba, serving ten years in prison and seven under house arrest after the Cuban Revolution. He arrived in the United States in 1979, joining his wife and children in Kenner. Eager to be active in the local cultural scene, he founded the Fundación Hispano-Americana de Arte Cervantes. The school teaches classical and modern Latin American art, music, dance and culture and has had a major impact in the Cuban community, for both its teachers and students. Carnaval Latino was a large Latin music festival throughout the 1980s and 1990s produced by Carlos Estévez and Romi González. Romi González recently resurrected the festival in 2006. ¿Qué pasa New Orleans? and Aquí New Orleans, the Spanish-language magazines from that time frequently feature references to Carnaval Latino and the general Cuban and Latino cultural scene. In 1996, the José Martí Monument was placed on the neutral ground at the intersection of Jefferson Davis Parkway and Banks Street by the organization Pro Monumento José Martí, formed specifically to create and erect the monument. This monument celebrates Cuba's national hero, José Martí, who was instrumental in Cuba's independence from Spain. Community organizer Bethsy Pizarro recalls that Cuban singer Celia Cruz contributed to the cause. The Pro Monumento José Martí group also placed a commemorative plaque at the corner of Poydras and Camp Streets in the New Orleans Central Business District, where the Cuban patriot Narciso López raised the Cuban flag for the very first time in 1850 before his expedition to liberate Cuba from Spanish rule.
Most recently, in 1999, artists, cultural promoters, and intellectuals formed the CubaNOLA Arts Collective, an organization led by Tasha Ariana Hall that seeks to explore and promote the historic and cultural connections between Cuba and New Orleans, Louisiana. |
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