London, July 12, 2025 - The First Secretary for Consular Affairs, Carlos Rafael Rodríguez and the Attaché for Cultural and Academic Affairs, Adislenes Ruenes, of the Cuban Embassy in the United Kingdom, visited the prestigious Acosta Dance Centre, in the Royal Arsenal district of London, on the occasion of the start of the "Alafia" 2025 Festival, the most important Afro-Cuban dance event in the United Kingdom.
During the tour of the facilities, they had a cordial exchange with the organisers and participating artists, and were able to appreciate first-hand the cultural impact of the festival, which this year celebrates its second edition from 11 to 13 July.
This edition of the Festival includes a programme with practical classes, workshops in singing, percussion, Yoruba, Arará, Abakuá, Bríkamo, Makuta, rumba, son and timba dance techniques.
The classes are taught by renowned Cuban guest artists, among them the legendary master Domingo Pau, who was for 35 years the first dancer of the National Folkloric Company of Cuba and winner of the Distinction for National Culture, among other awards, which endorse the intense artistic work of this renowned dancer and choreographer.
Other participating artists are Luanda Pau, Lázaro López, Maikel Mota, Niurka Agüero, Damaris Hechavarría and Ariel Ríos, who share with the audience not only their technical knowledge, but also the spiritual and cultural depth that characterises Afro-Cuban traditions.
In addition, special workshops are held for children under the guidance of the outstanding instructor Luanda Pau, thus contributing to fostering love for Cuban culture from an early age and promoting generational change in the knowledge of Afro-Cuban folklore.
Initiatives such as "Alafia" contribute to strengthening cultural ties between Cuba and the United Kingdom, as well as making visible the richness and diversity of Cuban artistic expressions, and constitutes an important platform for the dissemination of the African roots present in Cuban culture.
