Afro-Cuban Film Festival in Bronx NY

7/31/2019 Afro-Cuban Film Festival in Bronx NY

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Har l em News Gr ou p B R O N XHARLEM . QUEENS . BROOKLYN . BRONX

AFRO-CUBAN FESTIVAL AT JOYCE KILM ER PARKBy Howard Giske 

Alarge crowd gathered at Joyce

Kilmer Park Friday night, July

6th, by the Grand Concourse

and 161st Street in the Bronx, to enjoy

an Afro-Cuban film festival and live

music.

The event was opened by

music spun by DJ Asho, followed by

the group, the Cimarron Project, led by

musical director, Roman Diaz. The

Cimarron Project comprises a bass

player, a keyboard player, a singer, a

flute/sax player, plus four or more

drummers. The multitude of drums

used, including two-sided “bomba”

drums, and a gourd-like drum that was

shaken with beads inside, gave the

music its characteristic contagious

rhythm. Music ranged from primitive

chants with only drumming, to melodic

salsa, son and rhumba dance music.

Before the film showing, the

event was enlivened by greetings from

Bronx Museum director Holly Block.

Holly then danced with a man wearing

a Puerto Rican flag shirt, and they made

a friendly dance competition against

another couple.

The first film “Freddy Ilanga:

Che’s Swahili Translator,” was about a

Congolese man who helped Che Gue-

vara. In September 1960, General

Mobutu made a coup in the Congo. In

April 1965, 100 Cuban troops led by

Che Guevara arrived to try to spark a

rebellion. It was a secret that Che was

in Africa, where he was under the code

name “Tatu.” Freddy Ilanga at the age

of 15 became Che’s translator from

Spanish to Swahili. Freddy lived and

worked with Che, eating with him and

sleeping by him. After 7 months, Che

declared the mission a failure and

returned to Cuba. Freddy went to Cuba

too, and lost all contact with his family.

He became a neurosurgeon, married and

had a family. In 2003, Freddy was

tracked down through the Internet by

his sister-in-law in Bukavu, Congo and

she was able to telephone him. Unfor-

tunately, Freddy contracted meningitis

and died shortly before he was to return

to the Congo.

In the second film “Young

Rebels,” the audience got a rare look at

the hip hop music scene in Cuba. The

film shows Cuban hip hop groups from

2003, such as Hermanos de Causa

(Brothers of the Cause), Anonimo Con-

sejo (Anonymous Advice), and Krudas

(Raw Girls) rehearse and perform. The

hip hop music by U.S. groups like Dead

Prez influenced the Cubans, but the

Cubans had a more pungent political

side. The Cubans were proud to be part

of independent Cuba, but also resented

the political control of the Cuban gov-

ernment, which itself was changing

away from strict Communism to a more

mixed economy. Race was also an

issue, with black Cubans predominating

in hip hop, and seeing resurgent capital-

ism and class structure as threatening

their status. Cuban women joined rap

groups with messages against male

dominance, and in some cases for les-

bian rights. All these social issues gave

Cuban hip hop groups their message

and drive, as they struggled to perform

in Havana, Cuba. Eventually, the

Cuban government sponsored some hip

hop groups, but naturally excluded oth-

ers. Some artists continued to perform

in Cuba, while others found regular

 jobs, or moved to the United States.

The Bronx Museum is sponsor-

ing another Afro-Cuban film event on

August 3rd, featuring a film about the

famous South African singer, Miriam

Makeba, also called Mama Africa.

For more information, please

see www.bronxmuseum .org or call

(718) 681-6000.

Cimarron Project  Audience dancingFilm showing of 

“Young Rebels”

Partnerships for Parks and

Friends of Soundview Park 

are excited to announce the

first annual Summer Festival at

Soundview Park, an all-day, all-

ages festival taking place in

Soundview Park—an expansive

200-acre waterfront park located

in the Bronx. Supported by Part-

nerships for Park’s Catalyst pro-

gram—whose focus is on

reclaiming and promoting the

vitality of waterfront parks—this

day of free activities is sure to

offer families a fun-filled day by

the beautiful Bronx waterfront.The event includes a line-

up of fun activities that the whole

family can enjoy, including:

* Live local musicians and

performers

* 3K walk/run by Zodiacs

Track Foundation

* Environmental and Com-

posting Education by Leave it

Better Foundation

* Soccer Clinics and Tour-

naments for kids and teens by

South Bronx United

* “Street Cartographies”

by Boogie Down Rides increases

awareness of cycling as a mode of 

transportation and recreation

* Health and Nutrition

Education by St. Raymond Com-

munity Outreach

Summer Festival 2012 willfamiliarize Bronx residents with

Soundview Park and encourage

adults and children to take part in

a range of fun and healthy sports

and games. By taking part in arts

& crafts activities, an interactive

mapping process and a survey,

festival participants will be able to

share their hopes and wishes for

the park. Friends of Soundview

Park will use that information to

plan future park activities for chil-

dren, adults and families.

The festival is part of City

of Water Day, a citywide celebra-

tion organized by the Metropoli-

tan Waterfront Alliance. The City

of Water Day event celebrates the

beauty of the New York and New

Jersey waterfront by engaging

children and families through funoutdoor activities right by the

water.

Note: In event of 

inclement weather, the event will

be moved to July 21, 2012.

 Ev ent s are lo ca te d at 

Soundview Park at the park 

entrance at Morrison and 

 La faye tt e Aven ues, Bronx, NY 

10472

Signs, tables and tents will

line the shaded path where visitors

can pick up a map and schedule of 

activities and register for certain

activities on a first come first

served basis.

For more information on

Soundview Park and this event,

 pl ea se vi sit NY C’s So un dv iew

Park page at: http://www.nycgov- parks.org/parks/soundviewpark 

and the Friends of Soundview

Park’s Facebook page at:

www.facebook.com/soundview-

 park 

SUMM ER FESTIVAL 2 01 2 : CITY OF WATER DAY AT SOUNDVIEW PAR K ON JULY 14 FROM 10 - 6