Many years ago I remember seeing an CD with a lovely name :
and enjoyed the music, Cubans and African musicians singing classic Cuban songs..Today walking along the side alleys of NANTES in France, I came across something that brought ROBERT-TO into our lives.
I have a good friend in Nantes with whom I share the passion of travel and whenever meet we talk about travel, recently more and more about Morocco. He has been to some of my favourite haunts, Cochin in Kerala, Rangoon and Baracoa in Cuba..
He led the way and we came across a nondescript gallery, the outward appearances belying what was inside for a lover of Cuba.
It pleased me, no end, seeing black and white photographs of so many cuban musicians.
I introduced myself and very soon we realized that we both love Cuba with a fervour not found usually among people who are not born there. we reminisced about so many things. The lady who was in the shop/gallery and she spoke Spanish well, so the conversation was conducted in English French and Spanish.
I was in Nantes to show two children who had never seen the Chateau of the last Duchess of Brittany, Anne who became the Queen of France. She is very fondly remembered even though she lived in the 16th Century and many of the Breton girls still cary some version of anne in their breton names. Impressive.
I was with two Breton friends, both grew up in traditional fashion in the middle of Brittany, whose parents barely spoke French and their grandparents none, such was their immersion in Breton culture. They wanted to know where Roberto TO came from and imagine their surprise to learn that Roberto TO was born in Carhaix in the central region of Brittany and one of the men knew the villages of the origin of Robert-TO's mother and father which was very close to his own ancestral village . My Breton friends live now in Nantes and Quiberon in Brittany.
CUBA and CARHAIX and a piece of universal love and understanding..
The lady who spoke Spanish well was also Bretonne and had served the French embassy in various places, including Mexico City where she learned Spanish. She had lived in Madagascar, Benin, Morocco and Algeria. Her own daughter lives in Auckland after a stint in Montreal.
So if you open your heart, the world will come to you. But it is YOU close the world out, in the name of this or that .
ROBERT-TO as you may have guessed is on the left..
we talked and talked and then sat down at the cafe next door for a glass of wine.. knowing fully well that there would be more wine or drinks to come in Nantes or La Habana ...
www.robert-to.eu
