Mafifa

Despite significant hearing loss, Daniela Muñoz Barroso delves into the legacy of Mafifa, a remarkable Cuban conga bell player who died about forty years ago. Using archival and autoethnographic techniques, Barroso—winner of the Best Film at the INSTAR Film Festival—highlights this pioneering Black woman in a male-dominated genre, confronting the structural racism persisting in postrevolutionary Cuba. As Pablo Gamba noted, “In Mafifa’s attempt to immerse us in the conga’s human stream, we perceive the police violence aimed at maintaining order, as if fearing resistance might lead to rebellion.” This intimate sensory film serves as crucial archival work and addresses many deep-seated issues still affecting Cuban society.