Rik in Cuba

Rik van Boeckel is a freelance music journalist and percussionist based in the Netherlands. He studied percussion in Senegal and Cuba.

During his travels around the world, Rik met with the former Czech president Vaclav Havel in 1987 when he was still a dissident in communist Czechoslovakia. Later with Baaba Maal and master drummer Aly N'Diaye Rose in Senegal.

Rik has written about the music of the people of Cabo Verde living in the Netherlands. He made a report about the hip hop scene in Cuba, published two articles about the Cuban hip hop group Orishas, who are based in Europa. He wrote about hip hop in Senegal and reggaeton in Cuba.

Rik interviewed the late Cuban singer Polo Montañez and Juan de Marcos Gonzalez when he was with the AfroCuban All Stars in Amsterdam in 2005. The article was published by the world music magazine Global Rhythm.

Most recently, he spoke with Oscar Hernandez, bandleader of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and Don Omar, one of the Kings of Reggaeton.

He published last year a book of travel stories, with featured on the music of Senegal and Honduras, the flamenco of Andalusia and the music of the Hungarian gypsies.

He is now working on a book about his travels to Cuba. Rik also published articles about art, photography and tattoos.

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Rik with Don Omar