The Yoruba Andabo folklore troupe blends Afro-Cuban music and dance in its performances. Its origins lie in a group of young workers from the Port of Havana, which joined in 1961 to liven up union meetings and celebrations. This group was called Guaguancó Marítimo Portuario and developed its art through a strong amateur movement. In 1985, they began their professional careers under the pseudonym Yoruba Andabo.

Yoruba Andabo is made up of more than a dozen artists, including singers, percussionists, and dancers. Several of these artists work as teachers and teach master classes and workshops in singing, dance, and percussion. Geovanni del Pino is the company’s founder, singer, and general director.

The group’s fundamental purpose is to promote and disseminate the purest and most indigenous rhythms of Cuba’s easternmost region, as well as musical expressions originating from other regions of Cuba.

Since becoming a part of Cuban culture in the 1980s, Yoruba Andabo has performed at numerous events organized by the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) (17th Street between G and H Street, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana); at the initiative of composer and singer Pablo Milanés, he has worked with the record label EGREM. He has also shared the stage with folk singer Merceditas Valdés.

They bring to the stage diverse musical genres that shape the African roots of Cuban culture, including the Congo, Yoruba, Abakuá, and Rumba complex cycles, with their traditional rhythms, especially Yambú, Guaguancó, and Columbia. They also work with the fusion of other musical genres, creating contemporary voices and sounds through harmonious choruses layered with unique choreographies.

Yoruba Andabo has brought their art to theaters and plazas in countries such as Canada, the United States, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, France, and England. They have shared stages with notable figures such as Pablo Milanés, Tata Güines, Joe Arroyo, and Lázaro Ross, among others.

In 2001, Yoruba Andabo won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for their participation in the CD “La Rumba soy yo.” They were nominated for the 2006 Latin Grammy Awards for their album “Rumba en La Habana” in the Best Folk Album category.

In 2005, they presented the DVD Rumba en La Habana con… Yoruba Andabo in Cuba. The material was shown at MIDEM 2005, in Cannes, and in Spain. This work is 103 minutes long, 63 of which are dedicated to the group’s new works, starting with their CD El callejón de los rumberos (The Alley of the Rumberos). It also showcases the concert dedicated to the memory of Carmelina Gener Machín (founder), on May 23 at the Mella Theater (Line No. 657, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana). It includes songs such as El breve espacio en que no estás (The Brief Space in Which You Are Not) (Pablo Milanés), El Callejón de los Rumberos (The Alley of the Rumberos) (Calixto Callava), Pintor (text by Venezuelan Andrés Eloy Blanco and music by José Álvarez), among others.

In 2008, Yoruba Andabo performed in Paris at the main hall of the Cité de la Musique, offering over two hours of concert and a master class. Critics hailed the performance as a memorable evening, filled with true folk art. They also participated in a festival called The New World, Rituals of the Caribbean, which included groups from Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Honduras.

At the end of 2010, in October, this folklore company toured the island of Cuba, their first, celebrating their 25th anniversary. This tour began in the province of Guantánamo, where they performed at the Casa del Changüí Chito Latamblet; in Camagüey, they performed at the Nicolás Guillén School of Art Instructors.

Yoruba Andabo’s discography includes more than twenty titles, many of which have won both national and international awards.

Among the accolades bestowed upon this music and dance company are: the Juno Award from the Canadian Academy of Music; the 2001 Latin Grammy Award; nominations for the Spanish Academy of Music Awards; and two Latin Grammy nominations.

Yoruba Andabo enjoys a large following, as through the sonic combination of percussion instruments, voices, and dance, they create a spectacle and captivate audiences brimming with the essence of the nation and Cuban culture.