ALAMAR East Havana:
The Unknown Havana

Alamar, La Capital del HIP-HOP
Alamar Birthplace of the Cuban HIP HOP

Alamar East Havana a suburb 20 km east of Central Havana with more than 250,000 inhabitants is one big housing project. This project started in the seventies with the construction of large concrete ugly " Soviet style" buildings . Today more than 2000 buildings named: "edificio's" have been built and the construction still goes on. The majority of the buildings was built with the help of the former Soviet Union and with the collapse of the Soviet Union the Cubans lost their subsidy and assistance. A period of pure survival named " the special period" started.

With hardly enough money to buy food, the buildings felt rapidly in decay. Alamar is a dormitory town with no real town center or recreation and far from the touristical Old Havana. Some people compare Alamar to the South Bronx but Cubans talk about Alamar as their "cementery". To survive mentally relying on family, neighbors and friends is essential. No wonder that Alamar East-Havana is the birthplace of the Cuban Hip Hop and Rap culture as a means to vent their frustrations.

Trash Art, an open air museum and creative compositions made with rubbish in Alamar, East Havana.	Alamar Trash Art, a composition with old cash registers	A creative Trash Art collection in harmony with a building in decay symbol of the Cuban survival spirit.