Lazaro and the Shark: Cuba under the Surface (2022)

Africadelic and Caribbean Creativity invite you to a vibrant weekend of films celebrating, experiencing and reflecting on the spirit of Carnaval worldwide, including the documentary 'Lazaro and the Shark: Cuba under the Surface'.

In Santiago de Cuba, rival conga bands scour the sparse marketplace for materials to create show-stopping numbers for the annual Carnival competition. In this film, documentary maker William Sabourin O'Reilly, an Afro-Cuban native to Havana who hasn't lived in his home country for 17 years (he is now based in New Orleans), follows Lázaro, the leader of the Conga de Los Hoyos, who is determined to beat 'the Shark', his older and more establishment-favored competitor. Tensions build and tempers flare as the government restrictions and scarcity of present-day Cuba come to bear on one of the world’s poorest Carnivals. Lazaro and the Shark offers us a rare window into communist Cuba, a country that is often romanticized, and almost always portrayed through the eyes of an outsider.

Before the screening you can watch the short films Jab Jab (2017, 5', Grenada) and Who In Da Morning (2023, 7', Bahamas).

Melkweg often hosts different types of programmes at the same time, such as concerts, club nights and films. Please note that there may occasionally be some noise pollution from other programmes during the screening.