In the midst of a summer tinged by the incidence of new variants of the Sars-Cov-2 virus, the Provincial Directorate of Culture of the Cuban capital is promoting the celebration of the Havana Mambo Festival from July 15 to 18.

The event includes a plan of recreational activities that includes music and popular dances, as well as a tribute to the city's designation as Creative City of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) in 2020.

Arnaldo Rodriguez, director of Mambo (Artistic Productions Unit), as a cultural promoter and producer of events and shows, told the Cuban News Agency that the main purpose is to create a new event in the context of Antillean music.

He pointed out that 10 countries of the world will join the event virtually with artists who cultivate, update and promote our genres and culture from corners as diverse as China and Russia, he said.

The four music companies of Havana will have from this first edition the possibility of sharing with their audiences and full of joy for the arrival of the summer season, said Rodriguez, who clarified that Havana Mambo Festival is a unique party of its kind in the country.

Recognizing and promoting the huge catalog of underprivileged groups in this sense, these programs will be a natural showcase to make consumers of musical and dance manifestations dance, he added.

The tireless promoter and creator said that although the context is difficult for the birth of a festival of this nature, it is necessary and important to contribute to the enjoyment of a different summer, from home, and thus live the season without having to expose themselves in crowds.

Concerts, interviews, capsules and other audiovisual materials will make up a not inconsiderable number of streaming and television hours, even though the initiatives will span the four days of the event.

A 27-minute magazine (eight broadcasts) will arrive during July and August: Dale Mambo, directed by Alain Finalé. The purpose is, in addition to disseminating what the festival does, to tour Havana, its community projects, dance companies and emblematic sites, said the prominent musician.

Gustavo González and Neris González Bello (La Casa Producciones) will add their talent to the Havana Moves space, where popular music composers who have been inspired by this beloved city will play a leading role.

Arnaldo highlighted the immediate and unconditional response of Havana's groups, and although not all of them will be able to be present since the catalogs of each company are very numerous, they were happy to acknowledge that there is an event with this look that seeks to entertain the people and promote talent.

The official page of Mambo will generate contests and other contents that favor the interaction and participation of the public; in addition to the support of the provincial and national radio stations, which join with a special programming that will include reports, interviews and concerts around the theme of the Festival.

La Aragón, the centennial Septeto Habanero, Conjunto Arsenio Rodríguez, Orquesta Siglo XX, Haila María Mompié, Pupy y los que Son Son, Bamboleo, Will Campa, El Chispa y los Cómplices, and the Steel Band Habana will be part of the party.

There will also be young exponents such as El Noro y Primera Clase, El Niño y la Verdad, Leo Mesa, Manana Club, Maikel Blanco, La Papina, Iván el hijo de Teresa, and many other new and relevant projects.

As if that were not enough, Habana Mambo Festival will feature dance proposals thanks to the talent of the companies Revolution, Raíces Profundas, The Concept, along with Caruca, the 2017 National Dance Award, Manolo Micler, and Yolena Alonso.

Community initiatives that have been gaining recognition and prestige join the summer revelry with names like Quisicuaba, Hammel's Alley, Drums Cordoba and the Akokan Project.

Source: ACN