MANANA

ARTIST PRESENTATION

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WE ARE

MANANA

Connecting Cuban Folkloric Music to the pioneers of the Electronic Music Community

MANANA is about hunger for knowledge and cultural development. It is based around community and friendship.

But most importantly it’s about making music.

MANANA (Ma’na’na) is a word that is deeply rooted in Cuban music. Put simply, it is the flow of an artist and the spiritual connection that opens between them and their audience.

 

DEFINING

MANANA

ABOUT US

MANANA is a non-profit organisation that grew out of a collaboration between Londoner, Harry Follett & renowned Cuban musician, Alain Garcia Artola.

 

Last November Harry moved to Santiago de Cuba with 120kg of studio equipment to record influential Folkloric musicians and work alongside Alain to produce and experiment with the local sound. The excitement, curiosity and passion with which the Folkloric community accepted the project was immediate proof that there was room to expand this collaboration into a wider conversation between their respective cultural groups; Cuban Folkloric and Electronic Music.

THE IDEA

In May 2016 we will be hosting Cuba's first International Folkloric and Electronic Music festival in Santiago de Cuba.

 

The festival will showcase Electronic Music to a young, musically and artistically connected Cuban audience - and in turn will invite Western audiences to experience first hand the vitality and energy of the Cuban Folkloric scene. 

 

From an artistic perspective it will be the catalyst that sparks to life an ongoing dialogue between both communities that will lead to the foundation of an ongoing musical legacy.

 

As the United States drop their embargo on Cuba the country is entering an exciting but incredibly fragile period in its history.

 

MANANA is a two way dialogue; Our goal is to provide Cubans with the necessary tools and technical knowledge to reconnect with the wider world on their own terms, whilst also giving the Electronic Music Community the opportunity to learn from Cuban Masters who have spent a lifetime refining their artistic skill.

 

OUR GOAL

MANANA is designed to create a musical legacy that lives long beyond the festival.

MANANA has been approved by the Cuban Government and we have secured five incredible venues in the heart of Santiago. 

MANANA

IN CUBA

Our team in Cuba have been working closely with musical institutions, securing a line up of some of the most respected Cuban Folkloric artists and Producers in the country (check out our overview of the music in Santiago in the 2nd half of this document)

 

We have also partnered with 'ethical travel company' CALEDONIA WORLDWIDE, who were founded in Santiago and have over 17 years experience dealing directly with the Cuban government. This will ensure that both artists and festival attendees will be in good, caring hands for the duration of their stay in Cuba.

MANANA has secured a selection of incredible partners who are supporting us throughout every stage of the project's development.

 

 

 

 

MANANA

BEYOND CUBA

These include the likes of NO NATION, who organised the Rift Valley festival in Kenya, programmed the Big Chill, and toured African Soul Rebels; HYDRA, one of the most important underground promoters in the UK; SOFRITO, masters of tropical parties and rare re-releases; seminal UK record label, SOUNDWAY; and cutting edge Mexican record label, COBRA VOYAGE.

 

We have used this rich network to source an incredible lineup from around the world, organise press in some of the most important publications in the industry and generate buzz for our KICKSTARTER campaign which is helping us fund this project.

OUR PARTNERS

OUR PRESS

OUR LINEUP

We are approaching ambassadors for the Electronic Music Community; artists, labels and partners that match our musical ethos and are excited about the potential of developing the MANANA community alongside us.

 

MANANA is about collaboration as much as anything. We want to ensure that everyone involved in the project enters with an open mind, and is excited about the possibility of both educating and learning from those around them. We hope that this dialogue will lead to world premier collaborations between Cuban musicians and the electronic music community.

WHY YOU

THE MUSIC

MANANA is about presenting the unknown, unrecorded music of Cuba. Music that lives deep within the black barrios of Santiago, high up in the Sierra Maestra Mountains & the rich communities of Matanzas, Camagüey and Guanatanamo.

 

We will be showcasing genres like Guaguanco, Tumba Francais, Abakua and the music of Santería.  These are just as important as the music of Son and Trova, but have remained hidden far from the established tourist trails. Santiago itself is a mixture or Haitian, Jamaican, Nigerian and Spanish culture, all of which will be represented at MANANA.

OUR GOAL
IN CUBA

This is a part of the modern identity of all Cubans - be it their connection to dance and their bodies, their religious beliefs or a way of strengthening bonds in the local community.

 

​We believe that Cuban Folkloric Music has a natural and exciting crossover with Electronic Music, ranging from its direct dialogue with the crowd; its syncopation & swing; its melody drawn from percussive detail and tone; right through to the 8 hour back-to-back sets. But above all they both have a deep love and respect for rhythm. 

CUBAN FOLKLORIC MUSIC

Obba Tuke Interviews: 5 Interviews with Santiago's Rumberos

CLAVE

CONSCIOUSNESS  

"Clave consciousness" is the ability to 'feel' the clave, enabling musicians to navigate the high degree of syncopation in Cuban music.

 

The clave defines the genre, sets the tempo, holds musicians together, makes the music danceable, and defines the tune as Cuban. It is vital to understand and breathe with the clave in order to interact with Cuban music.

 

THE LOCATION

Cuba is a jewel of the Caribbean - deserted white beaches, rugged mountains, urban metropolises, quaint Colonial villages and a wildly rich and diverse history and cultural heritage.

 

Located 90 miles off the coast of Florida, Cuba is divided into 15 provinces and one special municipality.  Our goal is to unlock the magic of the island for those involved in the MANANA project - we want to take you off the beaten trail and into the vibrant communities and hidden corners of the country before the modern world changes them forever.

 

 

THE ISLAND

OF CUBA  

The focus of this project is on the musical heartland of Santiago de Cuba in the east of the island; a city deeply rooted in its Afro-Caribbean heritage.

All of Cuba’s social, political and cultural revolutions originated here - music is part of people’s souls. Like the heydays of Berlin, Detroit and Manchester, Santiago de Cuba is an industrial city alive with a young, expressive and vocal artistic community who are hungry to engage with the wider world, but also share their city's incredible cultural heritage.

 

 

SANTIAGO

DE CUBA  

The festival will take place at Heredia in the heart of Santiago - a complex with an incredible array of venues & sonic spaces.

 

Arrangements have also been made with the wider Santiaguero community to ensure that there will be a wealth of cultural, artistic and musical events happening around the city in the lead up to the festival and during the event itself.

 

Keep scrolling to check out the venues >>

 

THE

VENUES  

AMPHITHEATRE

CAPACITY

15,000

 

1/6

THEATRE

CAPACITY

2,300

 

2/6

HALL 1

CAPACITY

1,200

 

3/6

HALL 2

CAPACITY

1,200

4/6

OUTDOOR STAGE

CAPACITY

1,500

 

5/6

WIDER COMMUNITY

CONGA SANTIAGUERA CARNIVALS

HAITIAN MOUNTAIN CEREMONIES

SANTERIA HOUSE PARTIES

 

 

 

6/6

RUMBA COURTYARDS

REGGAE STREET SHOWS

CONTEMPORARY CUBAN DANCE

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