Friday, 15 April 2011 13:39
Hamel Alley
Folklore exists in many parts of the city, as well as many folklore characters, who come from a magical and mysterious universe, Afro-Cuban religions.
One such place is an alley named after a Franco-German speculator's last name who settled there, Fernando Hamel. In recent years, the alley has become what many tourist guides consider to be Havana's African sector.
Located within a famous Havana slum, Cayo Hueso is a part of Central Havana, adjacent to the most touristically driven area Vedado. But its initial fame and merit is due to being the birthplace of Ángles Diaz, a singer who peculiarly preformed songs and boleros in the purest sense--singing in small groups, inner circles, preferably with a guitar's warm accompaniment, in which should not lack rum to better enjoy the chords and heartfelt vocals.
Today, Hamel Alley is seen as a community cultural project that seeks to claim Cuba's African roots. Expressionist murals, somewhat surrealist and dreamlike, in which a red color dominates, full of gods and abstract symbols, serving as a predominant and key visual reference. Herbal vendors, pirated CDs and all types of folkloric souvenirs are elements which stimulate curiosity within foreigners coming here.
Also in the alley, is a studio-gallery of painter and area promotor, Salvador González, along with the reproduction of a "hut," or a small shack used by our farmers. All of these things and a festive atmosphere, musical and pictorial, identifies Hamel Alley; many see it as an ancestral religious sanctuary, making it undoubtedly an unforgettable corner of Havana.
Dirección: Hamel Alley, between Espada y Aramburu, Central Havana.
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