Welcome! You’ve Arrived in…
Havana
Cuba
Where African memory, Caribbean rhythm and Cuban ingenuity meet in a city that seems to move to its own soundtrack.
The Soul of Afro-Cuba
THE CONNECTION
Why This Stop Matters
DIASPORIC THREAD
African traditions survived enslavement in Cuba, shaping the island’s religion, music, dance, food and cultural identity.
CULTURAL SIGNATURE
Havana blends Afro-Cuban traditions with Spanish and Caribbean influences into a culture distinctly its own.
HOW IT MOVES
Havana moves through clave – rhythm carried in percussion, dance and the musical conversation between Africa and Cuba.
LEGACY & INFLUENCE
Afro-Cuban rhythms helped transform global music, influencing jazz, salsa and popular music throughout the Diaspora.
While You’re Here
CALLEJÓN DE HAMEL
Enter a vibrant Afro-Cuban arts corridor filled with murals, sculpture, rumba and Santería-inspired imagery.
GUANABACOA
Explore a historic center of Afro-Cuban religious and musical traditions just beyond central Havana.
MUSEO CASA DE ÁFRICA
Discover the African cultures, histories and spiritual traditions that helped shape Cuban identity.
HABANA VIEJA
Walk Old Havana’s plazas and streets, where centuries of Cuban history, architecture and everyday life converge.
Taste of Havana
ROPA VIEJA
Slow-cooked shredded beef in a rich tomato-based sauce—a Cuban classic.
MOROS Y CRISTIANOS
Black beans and white rice cooked together into one of Cuba’s signature sides.
MADUROS
Sweet ripe plantains fried until caramelized and golden.
Signature Vibe
Rumba
Born in Afro-Cuban communities, rumba brings percussion, song and dance into conversation – African memory made movement.
Speak Like the City
Asere!
A distinctly Cuban way of addressing a friend—something like “buddy,” “bro,” or “my friend.”
¿Qué bolá, asere?
What’s up, my friend?
Let the Music Play
SOUND OF THE CITY
“RUMBA GUAJIRA”
by Putumayo (2023)
I chose “Rumba Guajira” because I could hear Africa in it. The percussion and rhythm pulled me directly toward the Afro-Cuban thread I wanted Havana to represent on this journey.
Africa crossed the Atlantic.
The rhythm remembers.
Continue the Journey
ONE STOP DOWN. THE DIASPORA AWAITS.
Your destination is only one stop on the journey. Keep exploring the places, rhythms, flavors and stories that connect us across the Diaspora.
Wheels Up! On to the next stop…
