Biografía de un Cimarrón at Timbalaye 2026
The presentation of the book Biografía de un Cimarrón (Biography of a Maroon) by National Literature Prize winner Miguel Barnet constituted the central moment of the eighteenth edition of Timbalaye; The Rumba Route, an annual celebration that on this occasion took place in Matanzas.
The volume portrays the life of Esteban Montejo, a 108-year-old Cuban slave who traveled a path of rebellion, resistance, and identity.
The most relevant point of the event featured a first-rate panel with the interventions of the festival’s president, Ulises Mora; Doctor Ercilio Vento Canosa, Historian of the City of Matanzas; and Doctor Isabel Hernández Campos, director of the San Severino Museum.
This moment took place in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first edition of this testimonial novel, led by Doctor Hernández Campos.
«Whenever I come to Matanzas I feel at home, and I always accompany Timbalaye because it is a project that represents Cubanness in all its splendor,» expressed the central figure of the gathering.
The maestro describes the territory hosting this festivity as a place where traditions are respected and safeguarded through the different artistic manifestations.
For Barnet, Matanzas is that town of reaffirmation with our roots, where the ideologies and customs of our ancestors are not a pile of ashes that go with the wind, but a fire to be constantly stoked.
During the day, other activities were carried out as a way of approaching maroon heritage and Afro-Cuban culture, with performances by dance groups and visual artists from the territory.
On this occasion, the Callejón de las Tradiciones community cultural center, located in the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood, constituted the epicenter of the event.
Other personalities from the sociocultural and environmental sector in the province attended, such as Licentiate Esteban Grau, president of the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation of Nature and Humanity; and Annia Árboles Sansaric, coordinator of the Sociocultural Project Por Amor a mi Raíz.
Matanzas, the setting of the current edition of Timbalaye; The Rumba Route, constitutes one of the Cuban provinces with the deepest roots of Afro-Cuban culture.
