Santo Domingo, 24 July 2023. The cultural centre Casa de Teatro in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, hosted today the presentation of the book The Faces of Salsa (Los rostros de la salsa) by renowned Cuban writer Leonardo Padura. Through 14 interviews with prominent musicians, including the Dominican Juan Luis Guerra, Johnny Ventura, Johnny Pacheco and Wilfredo Vargas, the author traces the history of a genre that has defined the identity of the Hispanic Caribbean.
First published in Cuba in 1997, the book has been reprinted for educational purposes by the UNESCO programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity, funded by the European Union, which aims to strengthen cultural links in the Caribbean and with Europe and to promote culture and creativity as drivers of sustainable development in the region.
To this end, the reprinting of this volume seeks to contribute to the dissemination of knowledge of salsa in the Caribbean, particularly among young people. The book will be distributed as educational material to support the music courses that will be delivered in October and November by the University of the Arts of Cuba in the framework of the training activities promoted by the Transcultura programme and aimed at students from the Caribbean.
Music is the most important cultural manifestation of the Caribbean and for centuries has had a great development in this region. Salsa represents a moment of culmination of this evolution in which traditional genres and national manifestations are transcended and a much broader and more diverse music is created. I believe that this is the great merit of salsa and of the salsa musicians who, in addition, gave a social meaning to this music.Leonardo Padura (Cuba)Writer and journalist
The presentation of the book was led by the director of Casa de Teatro, Freddy Ginebra, and was also attended by the Secretary General of the Dominican National Commission for UNESCO, Jesús Paniagua, and European and Caribbean diplomats in the country.
This book is an example of how journalistic research can enrich a literary text with facts and information that help us understand the salsa's historical context and evolution. I believe that this new edition is important in preserving among young Caribbean people part of that memory.Jesús PaniaguaSecretary General of the Dominican National Commission for UNESCO
During the day, the Cuban writer also gave a master class on "Journalism and Literature. The characters and the stories", in which 70 young students, writers and music professionals.
These training experiences enable young writers from the Caribbean to create alliances and discover what the region has to offer the world in terms of literature and art. Writing brings us together and with this programme I have realised that it will continue to bring us together.Patricia Rosado (Dominican Republic)Writer
About the Transcultura programme
With 15 million in funding from the European Union, the UNESCO programme Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity harnesses the rich cultural diversity of the Caribbean to become a driver for sustainable development. It is based on capacity building and the creation of opportunities for young cultural professionals from 17 Caribbean States: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. To date, more than 1,000 young people aged 18-35 from the region have benefited from training opportunities, entrepreneurship support, exchanges and access to new markets.
