Mozambique!: Una conversación con Leo Moré / A Conversation with Leo Moré digs into the mozambique, a rhythm that rose to prominence in Cuba in the mid-1960s as the sound of a new, youthful, revolutionary nation. Featuring veteran Cuban percussionist Leandro “Leo” Moré, the event will include a screening of an original documentary (Mozambique: El ritmo necesario / The Necessary Rhythm), a demonstration of the rhythm, and a call to Havana to speak with Mr. Moré, who participated in the development and dissemination of the rhythm, both in Cuba and abroad, with the group Pello el Afrokán y Su Ritmo Mozambique.

Created by percussionist Pello el Afrokán (Pedro Izquierdo Padrón) in 1964, the popular rhythm with carnival origins became an alternative to U.S. rock and roll both for Cuban audiences and listeners abroad at a crucial moment in regional and global politics. Its appeal across racial lines and the prominence of Afrocuban performers and instruments were promoted as proof of revolutionary Cuba’s elimination of racism in the country, and the sound was mobilized in the service of the new revolutionary government – at the express direction of Fidel Castro – to encourage volunteers for the annual sugar harvest of 1965, solidifying the rhythm as central to the narrative of a unified, cooperative society.  

Today, the mozambique remains largely unknown in the U.S. compared to other genres, obscuring its role in Cuban politics and popular culture. Mr. Moré’s passion for the mozambique and the story he tells about it offer audiences in New Orleans a chance to learn about Cuban music and history, but they also speak to the possibilities of meaning in music, even meanings that are multiple, changing, unexpected, or contradictory. 

Watch the film here.