Santiago de Cuba, July 5 (RHC)-- In the framework of the 42nd Caribbean Festival, the exhibition ‘Hoy volamos’ by Cuban artist, National Fine Arts prize laureate Alberto Lescay, opened at Casa del Caribe in Santiago de Cuba.

It includes 17 pieces, inspired by eternal life and Cuban activist José Antonio Aponte.

Aponte, a military officer of Yoruba origin organized one of the most prominent slave rebellions in Cuba, which has gone down in Cuban history as the Aponte Conspiracy of 1812.

A free black carpenter in Havana, José Antonio Aponte led the rebellion against Spanish colonial rule over Cuba. Their aim was to free the slaves and abolish slavery in Cuba. The movement struck several sugar plantations on the outskirts of Havana, but it was violently defeated by Spanish colonial forces and Aponte was assassinated in April of 1812.

Maciel Reyes, an expert with the Caguayo Art Foundation, led by Lescay, the exhibition honors Afro-Caribbean spirituality and religious traditions.

One of the pieces on display, entitled ‘Makuto’, recreates the tragic event, when Aponte was hung and later, beheaded, the impact on both, free blacks and slaves and his subsequent return from the world of the dead, as suggested by Yoruba religion.

The piece ‘Makuto’ was on display recently at Havana’s National Fine Arts Museum, where it was well-received by the public and critics alike. The artist mixes different techniques to honor Aponte, who symbolizes Cuban slaves and also the mambi army, their courage and bravery.