Asturian-American Migration Forum

Hola a toos. Llámome Abel Fernández. Alcontré esti sitiu buscando lletres de Llan de Cubel. Soi fundador de la banda de gaites (asturianes) de l'Habana, de la que fui miembru inda que ya nun toco con ellos dende fai dellos años. Tuve no Festival dos Colores Celtas de Cabo Bretón no 2008 con otros cuatro gaiteros (tres de la banda asturiana y ún de la banda gallega). Soi descendiente d'asturianos, y también de franceses, vascos, gallegos, sefarditas, portugueses, mayorquines y lombardos, pero crióme la mió güela asturiana, asina que ye esa la cultura que tengo más pierta y la que meyor caltengo. El pa la mió güela falaba el dialeutu occidental del asturianu, y foi él quien m'ensiñó los primeros cancios asturianos y les primeres tonaes que deprendí, y también munches estories de bandoleros, trasgos y cuélebres. Más tarde, cuando taba na universidá, deprendí asturianu normativu. Agora soi gaiteru de la Federación d'Asociaciones Asturianes de Cuba, y maistru de gaita y tambor na escuela de música tradicional asturiana da Federación. Déxovos equí delles fotos de los nenos na escuelina.

Hi, everyone. My name is Abel Fernandez. I found this site while looking for Llan de Cubel's lyrics. I'm one of the founding members of the (Asturian) Bagpipes Band of Havana, though I haven't been playing with them for a few years now. I was at the 2008's Celtic Colours Festival in Cape Breton, along with four other pipers (three of them from our Band and the other a piper from the Galician band). I have Asturian descent, as well as French, Basque, Galician, Sephardic, Portuguese, Majorcan and Lombard, but since I was raised by my Asturian granny, that's the culture I have the nearest and the one I keep the most. My grandmother's father spoke the western dialect of asturian, and he taught me many songs and stories (about outlaws, goblins and "cuelebres"). Later on at the college I learned standard asturian. Now I'm a piper of the Cuban Federation of Asturian Associacions, as well as a teacher of bagpipes and drums at the School of Asturian Traditional Music of the Federation. I leave here some pictures of the kids at the School.

Welcome, Abel! I've heard great things about you as a musician and very positive person! Thanks so much for sharing a bit about your story and the photos of your current work with the federation. We'd love to hear more!

Are you saying that the university in Cuba teaches Asturian? Wow!

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¡Bienvenido, Abel! Otros me te han hablado de ti como músico y persona de confianza. Gracias por compartir un poquito sobre tu historia y las fotos de tu trabajo con la Federación. ¡Nos alegraría oír más!

Es verdad que la universidad en Cuba enseña asturianu? ¡Vaya!

Thanks, Art. No, actually Asturian wasn't taught at the university. We wanted to have it, because we had a department of Galician, but we couldn't contact any professor, so I learned by myself (I had some background). The idea (perhaps it could be possible now I'm teaching there) was having a department of Asturian or at least one of Galaico-Asturian, Galaico-Leonese or whatever. Galician was supported by the Xunta, now it's working no longer (a department of Catalan is still on, as well as one of "Turkish"!).
I'll keep you informed.

I don't have much exposure to Cuba, but one aspect I've come to appreciate about Cuba is the educational system. Most of my friends from Cuba seem to have been very well-educated... and your English is probably another demonstration of that!

Thanks!

Hola! Eiquí déixovos delles fotos nueves de los guah.es na escuela de gaites asturianes de L'Habana, ya una del mió grupín de folk asturianu l.lamáu "L.lar na braña".
Saludos!









Hi! Here you have some new photos of the kids at the Asturian Bagpipes School of Havana, and another one of my Asturian folk band called "L.lar na braña" (slightly translated as "Hearth in the mountain").
Greetings!

Thanks! It's neat that kids who have probably never seen Asturias get this engaged in learning about the culture.

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¡Gracias! Es impresionante que unos chavalines, quienes (supongo) nunca han visto Asturias, se dedican a aprender sobre la cultura.