The Spoken Word, closely associated with hip hop culture, being one of its 4 elements, is a contemporary form of writing, speaking and acting oral poetry. With little room for development, spoken poetry in Cuba has been gaining followers. Even though it lacks information and sometimes a sense of ownership of those who do Hip Hop for the Spoken Word, we can now speak of a small movement of urban poets.
Under the overall coordination of Elier A. Arcia Alvarez (El Brujo) , cultural promoter and Word Roads project leader, there was a concert with outstanding urban poets hosted by Dj Etian BJoyce and Etian “Brebaje” Man. This event was professionally filmed and aims to be the first visual memory of the Spoken Word in Cuba.
The concert opened with Amehel Incera , pioneer of the genre in Cuba and founder of the Con las Manos project . With different style, barefoot and a capella, Edier, UNEAC member and storyteller, spewed its wind energy through an Abbakúa poem.
The first woman poet of those attending took the stage. Afivola , with her dreadlocks and mic in hand began her challenge. Retorno, Paren and Libérate made her presentation a strong racial and feminist discourse.
With the skill of a professional, El brujo, known to many as the master of the Spoken Word, invaded the stage starting his performance with Exile. A table, a chair and a laptop became complicit in its second issue, Al dialogo Nicolas.
Another woman climbed the stage with a sweet voice and a shy projection. Susana offered these three poems, Crucible, Words to the cry and Cook on Strike.
A word of thanks for having united poets was the prelude to the presentation of El Fígaro. A question turned into poem, what is poetry? was a loving introduction that preceded Latino soy. Roly Ávalos made a special performance of Rafter or August Rhapsody that drew applause from the audience.
Accompanied by Manolito on guitar, Alex Diaz declaimed Decima Underground, a jocular panoramic of urban Havana that he concluded by saying: “Havana is holy ground and God is poor and communist.”
A luxury guest made all present to pay close attention: Alexis Díaz Pimienta, an important exponent of repentismo in Cuba. Grateful for the invitation and the opportunity to create alliances among poets, he displayed his talent with Comprehensive inventory of my childhood and masterful improvisation using 12 words proposed by the public to create an instant poem.
Karel the Indomitable could not miss this. With a play on words in Yoruba he proposed a free style
The cycle of poets closed with Luz de Cuba. All in one body and Identity took the show to new heights and more than one person danced with a mix of electronic, afro and conga music. It was a proposal that reveals how contemporary Cuban Spoken Word is
Etian closed the concert with a reggae rhythm. Sincere thanks were the last words uttered by this artist, “This DVD has made through a lot of effort, so we can forget to thank everyone who helped us, Punta Pie, Jose Robaina, Boris Cuba Moscú, OnCuba, Jaime Canfux Pérez, Ariel Camejo, Casa de la Poesía, Cuarto de Mala Música and Alexis Díaz Pimienta”.
While it is true that much remains to be done, is a good opportunity for watering a seed that tries to grow. The Spoken Word is alive, hopefully this audiovisual made by Dx Studio Zero Productions, not remains only as a historical memory of what it once was, but also, to add followers and encourage poets to continue their current struggle.
