San Antonio de los Baños, Artemisa, Cuba.- At the end of the last century, the station ‘’CMQ Circuit’’ transmitted the program ‘’National Competition of Trovadores’’, consisting of controversies of the most notable Cuban repentistas. The space promoted the controversy of the century between Angelito Valiente and El Indio Naborí in the Spanish Casino of San Antonio de los Baños, where there were about two thousand people.
In 1955, with a jury of renowned poets composed by Raul Ferrer, José Sanjurjo and Rafael Enrique Marrero; while opponents were improvising, the stenographer and poet, Maria de los Refugios Segón left a written evidence for the history.
There was a draw. Viewers were not satisfied. For this reason a new meeting was convened for August 28th at the stadium Campo Armada, in Havana. There were thousand spectators. This time the winner was El Indio Naborí. They dealt with topics related to love, death, freedom, peasants and hope. These are some verses of Naborí:
Love is not ask: is
the house, the bed, the table ...
It is, according to St. Teresa
joy to brighten ...
Be happy to hear
the laughter of happy people,
see human missteps
with the deepest forgiveness,
Feel that the trunk of the world
has roots in us!
Poetry is directly linked to the people to whom it was intended. The improvised poetry is the combination of words, music and interpretation. It is a poetic, musical and body rhythm. These confrontations reflect a renewed tradition. In the volume ‘’Décimas para la historia’’, the controversy of the century is published for all to enjoy.
The poetic-musical confrontation between el Indio Naborí and Angel Valiente confirms that it was not the beautiful form which attracted that audience, but the act of confrontation itself. The improvised poetry is a risky act where the poet can defeat or be defeated. Serve this article to revive the taste for ‘’décimas’’ in the heart of the village.
