La jardinera, emblemática comparsa carnavalesca del barrio “Jesús María” de la Habana en Cuba

The comparsas in the carnivals of Cuba are like the samba schools in the carnivals of Brazil. Through their repertoire of rhythms, songs and dances, they express a  sense of bodily, emotional, and verbal freedom of the artists and the public. People share their joy, their sorrows, as well as their sense of community, national, union, racial, gender, family and religious identity, and belonging. These groups are representative of popular disagreement with taboos and stereotypes that threaten the traditions and prosperity of the community they represent. We will talk about the comparsa “La Jardinera” of the Jesus Maria neighborhood in Old Havana, Cuba and its celebrities of conga and rumba.