Afrocuba

Ciudad Juárez

Laboratorios audiovisuales de la frontera

Afrocuba: Strengthening Afro Identity Through Community Action

In Cuba, Afro identity is a living, breathing force shaped by centuries of resistance, memory, and creativity. Despite historical silences and ongoing structural inequalities, Afro-descendant communities across the island continue to reclaim their roots, reshape narratives, and lead transformative efforts grounded in culture, solidarity, and empowerment.

Afrocuba is a digital platform dedicated to showcasing grassroots and community-based initiatives led by Afro-Cuban women and collectives. These projects—ranging from literature, aesthetics, and education to entrepreneurship and cultural preservation—are reclaiming ancestral wisdom and building futures rooted in justice, identity, and pride.

Each project featured here is a testimony of resilience and vision:

  • They revive cultural traditions like hair braiding and the wearing of turbans as acts of beauty and resistance.
  • They create access to Afro-centered literature, safeguarding voices and stories that have often been erased.
  • They promote self-esteem, economic autonomy, and historical memory, especially among women and young generations.

These are not isolated efforts—they form a powerful ecosystem of community care, leadership, and Afro-feminist action that is redefining what it means to be Afro-Cuban today.

Welcome to Afrocuba: where identity is a connection, memory is a path, and every project is a step toward collective liberation.

Janette Sánchez

Acuazul Project

Janette Sánchez, leader of the Acuazul Project, started this initiative five years ago from her living room and through social media.
Her project is rooted in aesthetics as a form of resistance. For over 20 years, she has been braiding hair in traditional African styles, viewing hair as an extension of her identity.

This deep understanding has inspired her to create a beautiful project that aims to highlight the beauty and uplift the self-esteem of Afro-descendant women.

Today, Acuazul is connected with several Afro-aesthetic ventures across Havana, working together to celebrate and empower Afro-Cuban identity.

@acuazul_afro_hair_braids

Katiuska Govin Zambrana

Ireti Bookstore

IRETI BOOKSTORE (“Ireti” means “hope” in the Yoruba language)

Founder: Katiuska Govin Zambrana, M.D. 

Ireti is an independent bookstore specializing in Afro-centered literature from Cuba, Africa, and its vast diaspora. Its vision is to become a leading space for Afro-centered literature in Cuba, while contributing to the transformation and empowerment of Afro-descendant communities.

It serves as a platform for enriching, promoting, and preserving Afro-centered cultural heritage through literature.

Among its core goals are safeguarding Afro-centered literary heritage, encouraging reading, and spreading awareness of this literature among new generations in Cuba.

Ireti actively works to highlight, promote, and give visibility to Black authors from Cuba, the African continent, and the diaspora—especially those who have been historically underrecognized.

One of its key initiatives: LITERATURIANDO. This project was first brought to life through Cultura Entre las Manos, a cultural initiative that promotes systematic reading sessions for deaf children—using an interpreter from the project. It aims to expand this activity to schools, elder care homes, and interactive spaces, and also includes reading sessions for blind individuals.

All of this work is carried out with love, dedication, and a deep commitment to reviving historical memory and cultivating reading habits.

The bookstore currently holds around 670 titles, covering topics such as cuisine, religion, art, biographies, and autobiographies.

It’s important to note that bookstores, like libraries, are vital to a nation's cultural life—they help preserve national heritage. Being a bookstore dedicated to Afro-centered literature, especially in the current context Cuba is facing, represents a significant achievement. This effort aligns with the new national program to combat racism, led by the President, and reinforces the ongoing work toward dismantling structural racism and promoting equity in our society.

Contact: librería.ireti@gmail.com

Librería Ireti
Librería Ireti
Maritza Donatien

Todo Turbante

National Leader: Maritza Donatien, member of the Afrofeminist collective in Cuba

Founded in Havana, Cuba – 2022

Contact: maritza.donatien@nauta.cu

Todo Turbante is a traveling initiative born in 2022 in Havana, Cuba. This project is dedicated to highlighting the cultural and aesthetic significance of turbans in the history of Afro-Cuban women.

Its core mission is to recognize and celebrate the ancestral legacy embodied in this garment, while also embracing its power to empower and express Afro identity in Cuba.

By reclaiming the turban as a symbol of pride and resistance, Todo Turbante fosters visibility, self-expression, and cultural affirmation within the Afro-descendant community.

Todo Turbante
Namibia Flores

Box

Namibia Flores: One of Cuba’s First Female Boxers

Namibia Flores is a trailblazer in Cuban boxing, recognized as one of the first women to compete in the sport in Cuba. She has been a national champion and a pivotal figure in securing the right for Cuban women to compete internationally in boxing. This milestone came after a long-standing ban on women’s boxing in the country— a ban that lasted until just two years ago.

“The issue is under review. We have great admiration for our women, for their beauty, and we don't see them today with boxing gloves, competing against other women,” commented Alberto Puig de la Barca, president of the Cuban Boxing Federation (FCB), in an interview with ESPN.

Despite her undeniable talent, Namibia was denied participation in several Olympic Games. When women’s boxing was finally authorized in Cuba, she was no longer eligible due to international age restrictions, which only permit athletes to compete until the age of 40.

When Cuba’s women’s international boxing team was officially formed, it seemed only natural that Namibia would take on the role of coach, given her experience, resilience, and dedication to the sport. Namibia was even invited to join the U.S. team, but she turned down the offer, stating that her victories would be for her Cuban people.

However, Namibia was never included in the national team, and instead, a male coach was chosen to lead the women's team.

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