we are back as pirates, you will have read about or seen these costumes in 2004. rotc now play the rhythms of cuban carnival, aided and informed by ace dancer guillermo davis and with plenty of help from the community of cuban-informed percussionists of london. but why, you ask, are those brazilian drums? that is because congas are damn heavy to carry in procession, and don’t make as much noise as samba instruments. authenticity at the expense of back-pain does not make for an easy future. also, this is a reason why carnival in cuba is but once a year, and probably doesn’t last 5 nights as in rio de janeiro. carnival de cuba ambled around the south bank and also took to the stage in bernie spain gardens. see mandinga’s gallery of the event.
rotc with mandinga arts @ carnival de cuba 2005