This event, part of the celebrations of Black History Month, highlights the shared common historical experience between Cuba and other neighbouring islands in the Caribbean whose African cultural heritage and legacy are felt throughout the whole region. The slave trade and plantation system form the basis of cultural and structural similarities in Caribbean societies. The traits of African culture and its rich symbolism, although sometimes adapted, are arguably ever more present in Cuba than in other islands in the Caribbean.

It is estimated that nearly one and a half million African slaves were brought to Cuba during the Spanish rule of the island, the vast majority in the late 18^th and through most of the 19^th Century.  Most of the slaves originated from West and Southern Africa - the main groups being the Kongo (from Angola, of Bantu origin), the Lucumi (from Nigeria, of Yoruba origin, whose religion became syncretised with Catholicism to form Santeria), the Carabali/Abakua (from Nigeria, of Igbo and Ijaw origin), and the Arara (from Benin, of Fon, Ewe, Popo, and Makhi origin).  

Most of these groups maintained their national identities throughout the period of slavery and beyond. Free Afro-Cubans were allowed to form Cabildos or mutual aid societies, generally organized according to ethnic origin. The Cabildos served not only as social centres, but also as outlets to express the various cultural traditions that had flowed into the island. Palenques, the settlements of run-away slaves, were additional places where African traditions and beliefs were maintained and preserved unhindered.

The sugar plantation, the Palenque, and the Cabildo were all early Afro-Cuban geographical sites in which Cuban national culture and identity emerged as distinct, resistant, and syncretised.  Although Cuban culture is generally made up of a blend of different ethnicities, it was the rich African heritage in the island that eventually shaped the religious, artistic, and social institutions that define Cuban culture and identity today.

Cultura y Cubania on its third year is now a well-established annual week-long cultural event (1st to 8th October 2011) celebrating the richness of Cuban culture.  Taking place in prestigious London venues such as Canning House, Metropolitan University and Bolivar Hall, the festival showcases various aspects of Cuban culture, as well as the work of some of the best Cuban artists living in the UK today and important Cuban cultural figures from Cuba and the UK. International guests from Cuba this year include, a production team from Television Cubana's programme Piso 6 and renowned Cuban film actress Yuliet Cruz.