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MIAMI,
Fla. (Oct. 24, 2003) – A country without music is
a country without soul. And a country with a soul, even if torn
apart, can dream to be once more.
That is why Cristóbal Díaz-Ayala believes that “without music
there is no country.” So for the better part of the past 50 years, Díaz-Ayala
has been holding on to the soul of Cuba by painstakingly putting together
an extensive collection of Cuban music dating from 1904 through 1960.
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, Díaz-Ayala and Florida International University’s
Cuban Research Institute will present “Sin Música no Hay País,” (Without
Music There is no Country), a multimedia journey through the history of Cuban
music. The event starts at 4 p.m. in the Graham Center’s Center Ballroom
at FIU’s University Park, 11200 SW 8th Street.
“If you were to perform an analysis of a Cuban’s DNA you would find
that a high percentage of it is music,” said Diaz Ayala. “We have
these genes from our African heritage and from Spain. This combination makes
us very musical. Cubans are music.”
The event, which inaugurates the
Fifth CRI Conference on Cuba and Cuban Americans, will also introduce
to the public the discography of the extensive
collection
Díaz-Ayala donated to FIU in 2001. The online catalogue of modern Cuban
music will also help researchers and Cuban music lovers navigate through more
than 100,000 items contained in the collection, which is thought to be the largest
in the world. Some of the artists represented in the discography will attend
the event.
“On the surface the topic of music might seem like something that is relevant
only to the realm of entertainment,” said Damian Fernandez, CRI’s
director. “But music’s importance goes far beyond that, because it
reflects the psyche of the people who create it. Through it they express their
dreams and their fears, joy and despair. In essence, Cristóbal has captured
a reflection of Cuban people through much of their history.”
The CRI Conference, which follows
the discography presentation, will span three days with 37 panels
and over 160 lectures ranging from
literature, fine arts,
music, films, race and gender, to environmental issues, international
relations
and religion, among others. The event is considered the foremost
conference on Cuba and Cuban-American issues in the United States.
The conference
runs from
Oct. 29 through Nov. 1.
For more information call the Cuban
Research Institute at 305-348-1991. Media Contact:
José Dante Parra
305-348-2716
parraj@fiu.edu
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