dvd description
80 minutes
filmed in Matanzas, Cuba
genres presented: Congo, Lukumi, Carabali, Arara

"50 Years On" has been produced to showcase the work of one of Cuba's most famous music and dance groups - Afrocuba de Matanzas. Nine of the group's major works are presented in this superb, visually stunning, 80 minute performance, filmed and recorded live in highly dramatic locations around Matanzas.

The nine performance pieces on this DVD provide an overall view of the pantheon of Afro-Cuban cultures maintained in Matanzas province, located in the western end of the island of Cuba. These ritual dances, with their accompanying music and song, represent the cultural heritage of many of the vast numbers of African slaves who were brought to Cuba over the long and painful history of transatlantic slavery.

In Cuba, these ideas and traditions have been guarded, maintained, reconstructed and developed by both the descendents of their original carriers and the many sectors of Cuban society into which they have fed. They are by no means museum pieces. They are a vibrant, living element in contemporary Cuban culture, presented here in celebration of the 50th anniversary of this renowned group (1957-2007).

This DVD includes a twenty page booklet containing background information and details about the pieces.

DVD chapters
Palo (Congo) 13:39
Ochún with Oggún (Lukumí) 6:57
Abakúa (Carabalí) 11:40
San Lázaro (Arara) 11:21
Yemayá (Lukumí) 9:25
Oggún (Lukumí) 3:36
Brícamo (Carabalí) 9:48
Changó (Lukumí) 5:09
Makuta (Congo) 8:07

artists
lead vocals, director - Francisco Zamora Chirino

vocalists - Sara Gobel Villamil, Miguel Ángel Dreke Reyes, Laureano Alfonso Arzuaga, Bertina Aranda Villamil

percussionists - Pedro Aballí Torriente, Reynaldo Garcia Alfonso, Reynaldo Gobel Villamil, Ignacio Calderon Osborni, Dunieske Isassi Yano, Diosvani Saldado Junco, Ramses Zamora Molina

dancers - Yesniel Pérez Domenesch, Antonio Figuroa Gazmuris, Juan Carlos Gobel Pelladito, Omar Alfonso Oña, Zulima Echevarrea Rodriguez, Lisbeth Estacholi Alfonso, Maria Victoria Fleita Gonzales, Osiris Hernandez Sejas, Yordanka Cancino Lamart