Havana World Music Festival HWM
The first edition of Havana World Music ( HWM ) was held in February 2014. Cuba’s first ever music festival featuring international artists is already being planned for the 2015 edition. The festival takes place at the old baseball field José Antonio Echevarría (old Vedado tennis Club), between the Pier and the downtown main street called Calzada .
The whole event was conceived under a nonprofit scenario, led by young Cuban singer and composer Eme Alfonso, the 1st Havana World Music Festival took place in February 2014 and sought to open a window from Cuba onto the world and from the world onto Cuba.
“The focus of HWM is to give the Cuban people the chance to become acquainted with the musical diversity of Cuba and the world, as well as to encourage exchanges among international and Cuban bands. This can be very beneficial to the musicians, producers and musical promoters in Cuba.” Eme Alfonso.
The festival focuses on different genres and styles that work from the roots but aim to reach a wide audience. Therefore, alternative music, which merges popular genres like rock, reggae, salsa or electronic music, is predominant in Havana World Music. The HWM program is rounded off by folk groups that participated in Eme Alfonso’s Para Mestizar Project, a documentary music video that shows the cultural heritage of Cuba.
Young Cuban singer and composer Eme Alfonso had the idea of merging sonic identities of various regions of the planet at HWM, a project with novel features which was extremely successful, bringing thousands of Cubans and international tourists to the stadium. Eme Alfonso says his concept for the event came from from a video clip made by the controversial Cuban singer Pedro Luis Ferrer, whose work has always been linked to social and political changes in Cuba.
This initial edition featured keynote presentations by groups like Déjà Vu ( Cuba ) and based on the pop -reggae ; Eme Alfonso; Janfree (Spain); William Vivanco (Cuba); La Máquina del Caribe (Colombia); Proyecto Para Mestizar, DJoy de Cuba; Pauza; Van Van; Síntesis; X Alfonso; Fuel Fandango (Spain); Auntie Flo (UK).
HWM was attended by thousands of young viewers the Superior Institute of Art (ISA) and other schools of art from Cuba’s education system.
The festival was sponsored in part by the British Embassy in Havana.
Admission fee was set at 25 pesos CUP which was a limiting factor for many young families. The 2015 event is hoping to be free entrance if enough sponsorship can be acquired.