May 3, 2017 - I had two options: buy a new fan or repair the one that was defunct. Since Cuba ..... you could drive enti
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LA HABANA.COM is an independent platform, which seeks to showcase the best in Cuba arts & culture, life-style, sport, travel and much more... We seek to explore Cuba through the eyes of the best writers, photographers and filmmakers, both Cuban and international, who live work, travel and play in Cuba. Beautiful pictures, great videos, reviews, insightful articles and inside tips.
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A bookseller, bakers, school teachers, farmers’ market vendors, mechanics, fix-it-alls, a knife grinder, repairmen, a metalworker…these are ordinary Cubans, heroes in their own way that La Habana Magazine has chosen to depict in this month’s issue. These are the kinds of people who are usually not recognized with medals or diplomas— one exception on our list is metalworker Froilán Gutiérrez, who received the medal awarded to Labor Heroes of the Republic of Cuba for his innovations and inventions—including keeping the legendary Hershey Train running!
EDITORIAL
And after you’ve finished reading about the lives of these humble, yet heroic folks, take a look at our Havana Listings. Cubadisco, a celebration of the strides that Cuban musicians and the Cuban recording industry have made over the years, will shake things up from May 13 to 21. A highlight in May is the French Culture Month, which kicked off this past April 27 with the 20th edition of the French Film Festival in Cuba. Be sure you don’t miss Varda/Cuba, an exhibition of 100 pictures taken by the great French filmmaker Agnès Varda in Cuba back in 1962. If you happen to be in the eastern part of Cuba, take the time to visit Holguín and check out the Romerías de Mayo, an International Youth Arts Festival that is held every year from May 2 to May 8. Los Primos and the Nova Scotia Community College will be working together to bring 150 people to the festival this year for a celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday. And also in Holguín, Cuba will be celebrating its 10th Jornada Cubana Contra la Homofobia from
May 10 to May 21, coinciding with the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) on May 17. Not to miss is the colorful and lively traditional gay parade to the beat of conga drums. And in the world of sports, one of the oldest fishing tournaments in the world, the Ernest Hemingway International Bill Fishing Tournament will celebrate its 67th anniversary this year, as usual at the Marina Hemingway in Havana, from May 29 to June 23. You’re still in time to register for the catch of your life. Abrazos! The LaHabana.com Team FEB 2017
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CONTENTS MAY 2017
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REPAIRMEN “A LO CUBANO” METALWORKER FROILÁN GUTIÉRREZ KEEPS THE HERSHEY TRAIN CHUGGING ALONG
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THE KNIFE-GRINDER: IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION?
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BEWARE: CUBANS BEHIND THE WHEEL!
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SO YOU NEED YOUR SHOCK ABSORBERS FIXED?
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CUBAN PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS
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CELEBRATING MOTHER’S DAY IN CUBA
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CUBA TRAVEL NETWORK JOIN THE FIESTA 15
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26 30 HAVANA AGROS HAVANA BAKERIES IN 34 THE 21ST CENTURY AN ODE TO HAVANA MECHANICS
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DOING THE DAILY SHOPPING IN HAVANA
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HAVANA LISTINGS56 HAVANA
The ultimate guide to Havana with detailed reviews of where to eat, drink, dance, shop, visit and play. Unique insights to the place that a gregarious, passionate and proud people call home.
GUIDE 73
FEB 2017
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R E PA I R M E N
by Pavel Escariz
photo: Ana Lorena y Mene
“a lo cubano” MAY 2017
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One fine day in August as I was sweltering through yet another intense tropical summer, I turned on the fan in my room and to my dismay, it didn’t work. I had two options: buy a new fan or repair the one that was defunct. Since Cuba has a popular saying of “Everything can be fixed except death,” I opted for my second alternative. I would get the refreshing piece of garbage repaired by one of our cacharreros. The Spanish dictionary defines the word “cacharrero” as a person who sells cacharros, that is, pots and pans. But here in Cuba we have given it another meaning—it applies to a person who has a little workshop for fixing a variety of small electrical appliances such as fans, irons, blenders, rice and pressure cookers, toasters and the like. And so in my quest to find one of those little workshops in my neighborhood, I stumbled across a former garage that is now something like the lamp of Aladdin (anything can come out of this workshop) inhabited not by one genie but by two, who call themselves Los Puritos Sabrosos: “The Cool Wise Ones.”
I handed over my valuable fan without losing sight of it for one second. When they opened it up, they looked at me as if saying: “Piece of cake, buddy!” and they went on to explain the situation to me. “What’s happening is that the motor has died, but I’ve got one here that is exactly the same listening to our conversation and if you aren’t in a hurry you can pick it up later. Otherwise, we’ll put it together right away and you can take it home immediately.” Since I didn’t have much time, and if the truth be told I didn’t want to let the fan out of my sight— something like a father and his son—I asked them to fix it as quickly as possible. Like skilled surgeons they clipped the “veins” of the fan with some pincers, reaching the entrails and removing the old deceased motor. Meanwhile, I gave in to my curiosity and started to carefully observe the improvised workshop, which was crammed with devices left behind by their owners to be repaired and a thousand and one spare parts and tools. I saw Osterizer blenders that had lost their glass jars and now had rather non-see-through metal containers; rice cookers originally meant for a 220 current but now converted to a 110; washing machines with parts coming from God-knows-where and in many cases totally homemade; irons with wooden parts…it was quite the museum. MAY 2017
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While he was putting the finishing touches on a metal iron, one of the “wise ones” turned to me: “Hey, flaco, what is it that you do then?” “I’m an editor,” I said. “OK. Editor of what?” he asked. “Videos,” I replied. Satisfied with this information, he went on to tell me how he had happened to end up being one of the noble breed of cacharreros. “Listen, it’s not like this is what I’d prefer to be doing for a living, but it’s fun, I earn some money, I’m not stealing from anybody and I modestly help the people who come in, like you, with some artifact that isn’t working anymore.”
While our conversation was taking place, the other “wise one” had reached the inner depths of my fan. At this point, another customer showed up and the repairman yelled out to him with enthusiasm: “Your job is done! Look at how it turned out!” The truth is that the rice cooker hadn’t turned out to be very pretty and the customer’s face clearly showed a bit of his frustration but they assured him that it would now work better than it had when it was new. At least that’s what they told him. After testing it and showing the customer how well it was working, one of the “wise ones” told him: “Here, take this piece of paper; if you have any problem bring it back and we’ll work things out.” That mysterious 5 by 5 centimeter slip of paper (the size of a tiny Post-it) turned out to be a home-brewed warranty scribbled in pencil. Much happier now, the customer walked out with his pot over his shoulder.
MAY 2017 10
lahabana. com As I turned around to see how my appliance was coming along, I saw how they were placing the last screw into my fan, ready to be tested. Since they hadn’t had to improvise any parts, it looked like new. It was impossible to suspect that its interior harbored a totally different motor. In fact, the new motor gave power to the fan the likes of which it hadn’t known before. A veritable hurricane it was. I paid them the money we had agreed to for the repairs (approximately one quarter of what a new appliance would have cost) and I returned home with my fan over my shoulder.
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Sitting in my living room, and not sweating thanks to my recently repaired “hurricane,” I realized how important these cacharreros are for today’s Cuban society. Thanks to them, hundreds of small electrical appliances get fixed again and again so that they can keep on being useful. Now, whenever I pass by their workshop, the guys say hello to me and they ask if I’ll take their picture and write something about them and recommend their services to some unfortunate friend. This is my humble thanks to Los Puritos Sabrosos and to all the cacharreros of Cuba who are so helpful to Cubans whenever something breaks down. And they have also allowed me to write this piece comfortably cool again.
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METALWORKER FROILÁN GUTIÉRREZ KEEPS THE HERSHEY TRAIN CHUGGING ALONG by Ricardo Alberto Pérez Back in 1916, the Hershey Chocolate Company of Pennsylvania purchased a sugar plantation in Cuba for his growing business, and with it, he commissioned the construction of a train that would transport his sugar and the workers who lived in Havana. Over time, the steam-powered train was converted into an electric train that traveled from Havana to Matanzas. Although the sugar mill was closed in 2002, the railway continues to carry passengers and tourists. The railway originally had 17 passenger cars, but only three of the ones built in Pennsylvania in 1917 remain.
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lahabana. com This part of the history of the Hershey train is pretty well known, but what is less known is how this gem of Cuban transportation has continued to steam ahead for decades. It is a tale of giants, especially after most of the original parts can no longer be acquired and what counts is the ingenious innovative skills of many technicians and workers. This miracle takes place at the Hershey workshop where Froilán Antonio Gutiérrez Felipe, a peasant who became a metalworker over fifty years ago. He started working there around 1965. That’s a lot of water under the bridge, and his life has been replete with stories, sacrifices and a wide variety of experiences.
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When we met, the first thing he told me was: “I’m here in spite of the fact that I’m about to turn 74 because I can’t think of life without working.” Under all his simplicity and humility there lies a sensitive man who believes there is nothing that cannot be attained. He has spent his life among high temperatures and glowing metals, both of which he can tame like nobody else, and he has learned that reality can be molded by dreams and high aspirations. His chief source of fuel is the desire for things to go well. He became a metalworker at the Hershey shops, but it was his temperament that took him past his trade and made him an allround worker fervently wanting to solve the problems cropping up around him, whether at the sugar mill, the plantation or the train. His ingeniousness has produced a lot of the spare parts that ceased to be imported into Cuba and many that never even existed here. Not only that, most of these valuable spare parts were created from recovered materials and scrap. He even set up a voluntary ambulance service for the community. When I talked to him about his skills, Froilán said he’d prefer to call them “tricks” learned from his experiences garnered from the work itself. That’s what let him get to the solutions. Whenever something broke down and caused the Hershey mill or train to grind to a halt, he’d be off and running. One of his stories tells about the time a mill train axis got twisted in the middle of the harvest and he managed to straighten it out without disassembling anything, just by using a crane and a cable. Froilán is one of the founders of the National Association of Innovators from whose ranks he has made significant contributions to the country’s economy by inventing and recovering spare parts. Among some of his inventions was the making of dies to produce screws of any size (they got to produce 100 screws in five hours!), a machine to manufacture fence clamps and an apparatus to unplug the pipes in the sugar mills. MAY 2017 13
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Besides his contributions to the Hershey sugar mill and train, he tells me that he has delivered around 900 weapons to the Cuban sports industry, including sabers, foils and swords for fencing. The incredible thing is that to do this he made use of the surplus steel springs from the Hershey passenger train cars. And for the weapons to meet international standards, including weight and flexibility, Froilán himself created the machinery and electrical furnaces that were needed for the job. These days, this metalworker continues to contribute solutions to problems in other industries, like at the yeast factory and at the Occidente Oil Drilling and Extraction Company. While I was there with him in the workshop, people came in to pick up a Soviet locomotive cylinder head that had just been repaired so that this museum piece could go on working. He has received many acknowledgements for his tireless work. Over twenty times he has been chosen national vanguard worker of the agro-industrial sector, and in 1997 he received the medal awarded to Labor Heroes of the Republic of Cuba. Among his greatest satisfactions is his family: he has been married for 53 years and has two daughters, four grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren. He insisted on concluding our interview with thanks to his life partner for her understanding and for holding down the fort at home. MAY 2017 14
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PALACIO AZUL A PRETTY BAYSIDE BLUE PALACE A small boutique hotel, the duck-egg blue Palacio Azul faces the Bay of Cienfuegos, and is 10 minutes by foot to the UNESCO-crowned historic city center. Built in 1920, the domed hotel features 7 rooms, a marble staircase, and beautiful original art nouveau tiled floors. Catch the breeze on the rooftop terrace, and enjoy the neighboring architectural stunners — the Club Cienfuegos and the Palacio del Valle.
MAY 2017 15
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THE KNIFE-GRINDER: IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION? by Ricardo Alberto Pérez I believe in the grinder who makes his living making stars with his wonderful wheel. Aquiles Nazoa Throughout Cuba’s history, there have been men who sharpen knives and scissors in ingenious, homemade mechanisms rigged up on bicycles, ambulating along the city streets. The craft of sharpener was brought to Cuba by the Spaniards and it soon spread throughout Latin America, even reaching the United States. Since 1843, they have been recognized as traveling merchants in Cuba. In our day and age when it seems that these people are in danger of disappearing, I discovered a picturesque character who moves around some of the towns in Mayabeque Province, like Jaruco, Santa Cruz del Norte, Hershey and Madruga. He announces his arrival with the trills of a toy Pan’s pipe and this sound has long become a familiar soundtrack for the townsfolk in this neck of the woods. His name is Antolín Navarro Oviedo. At 45 years of age, he is proud of having learned this trade and happy with the service he has been able to provide people. MAY 2017 16
lahabana. com He tells me that he began sharpening scissors in the city of Güines. That’s where he learned the trade from an octogenarian who had an antique sharpening wheel from Spain, one of those where the wheel turns by constantly treading a pedal. His apprenticeship lasted about nine months. One day the old gentleman got sick and Antolín set out on his own. He still remembers how his hands shook when he sharpened his first scissors. As he handed back the finished work to its owner, the lady confidentially murmured that he had done a better job than the “old guy.” And that’s the precise moment when he lost his fear and his state of nervousness disappeared. Twenty-two years have gone by since then and he has never stopped walking around the streets, under the unforgiving Cuban sun, sharpening scissors, knives and razors for hairdresser, barbers, seamstresses, manicurists and housewives. Antolín lets me in about some of the finer points of his job: “When you are sharpening steel, if you need to straighten it out, you have to know the kind of material you are dealing with because as you hit it with the hammer, it can break. Another thing: you need to fine/grain sharpening stones that will allow you to do a superior job.” Another important feature of this trade is that you have to hold the scissors or knives at just the right angle against the grinding stone and apply just the right pressure, not too much and not too little. A grinder like Antolín instinctively knows how much pressure to use.
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Whenever Antolín hits town playing his characteristic tune, everyone knows: “The sharpener is here!” That marks the start of his workday that may continue up to four or five o’clock in the afternoon. The end of his day really depends partly on the heat because the sharpener is forced to walk a lot. It’s interesting to see how Antolín organizes and plans his work so that he can provide his services to different towns in the province. Generally speaking, he remains for three months in each town. As soon as he notices the number of clients dropping off, he moves to the next town. His image is completed by the broad-brimmed hat he wears, obviously a necessity to protect himself from the sun. He started to wear it one day when the temperature rose to 36 degrees Celsius. His motto “Onward without looking back” is confirmation of his remarkable perseverance. These days when Cuba is placing more emphasis on trades, such as barbers and seamstresses, his work ensures that their tools will always be in tiptop shape. On weekends this simple, enterprising man spends his time turning out cement blocks with a small machine in the yard of his home or looking after his stingless honey bee hives, an occupation he inherited from his father and which he really loves.
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Antolín is sad when he comments on how the sharpener’s trade is not being passed on to the next generation. He thinks that today’s youth aren’t interested in it because, besides the fact that there are plenty of opportunities to study and practice different trades or professions, you have to walk a lot in the hot tropical sun and move around many kilometers away from your home. Or maybe it’s because they think it lacks “glamor.” The current trend sweeping the world today seems to be the “throwaway” culture, that of using and dumping. But in Cuba, although not as much as in other eras, the knife sharpener lives on. With any luck, today’s knife sharpeners will be able to pass on their skills and knowledge to the upcoming generation.
MAY 2017 18
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B E WA R E :
CUBANS BEHIND THE WHEEL! by Bev Layne
photo: Ana Lorena y Mene
MAY 2017 19
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Halleluiah! A country with no rush hours or traffic jams! That was one of my first impressions upon arriving in Cuba. Fifteen years later, the impression still remains, but I have discovered a whole assorted bag of other conditions to driving in Cuba that don’t exactly make the experience a piece of cake. I have found the proverbial other side of the coin, at least in terms of driving habits and conditions. Every country has a distinct personality when you put its inhabitants behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle. In Italy nobody ever seemed to find it strange that you could drive entire blocks in the city in reverse if you missed the spot you wanted the first time around. In Mexico there is nothing called “gentlemanly” behavior behind the wheel, especially in the glorietas (traffic roundabouts) which are hell to get on and greater hell to get out. In Cuba meanwhile everything seems to be conditioned by the quality of your car and the physical conditions of the road, and drivers seem to be in a great hurry to get somewhere even though many things never start on time.
There is nothing more annoying than having a driver in front of you in the fast (left) lane who has never learned about the concept of slower traffic keeping to the right. I speak about my experiences on Havana’s Malecón or Miramar’s Fifth Avenue, both express routes (relatively speaking). Maybe it’s because the strategy of having two lanes going in the same direction is alien, because the same thing happens when certain drivers veer to make that right-hand turn from the left-hand lane… without signaling their intentions. For Cubans, a vital piece of driving equipment seems to be the horn. I sometimes think it ranks higher on the list of “musts” than the signal lights. When in doubt, honk. MAY 2017 20
lahabana. com Pedestrians and sleeping (and walking) dogs appear to have the universal right of way in all situations, particularly in the narrow streets of Centro Habana and Habana Vieja. They should just eliminate all vehicular traffic there at all times, do deliveries at night, and turn everything into pedestrian walkways. Cubans see nothing wrong in stopping anywhere, especially far from the curb and on corners, obstructing all traffic coming behind them, for the important task of buying crackers from the street peddler or chatting to a friend they haven’t seen in a long time. To make it worse they get irritated if you, behind them, use that important piece of equipment, the horn, to voice your disapproval.
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And this is a universal characteristic: the smaller the vehicle, the more space it likes to take up. I’m talking particularly about those Fiat 500s, motorbikes and bicycles. Shouldn’t they be more inconspicuous? It’s a little like the smallest dogs being the most belligerent. On the positive side, Cubans (drivers included) are blessed with a great sense of humor. Even when (on the odd occasion) I am committing some traffic faux pas, a smile and a light-hearted comment will get me out of the fix. Public parking is also a pleasure. I love those retired gentlemen in their red identifying jackets. Even though there must be some set parking fee, just about anything decent is acceptable and they always have something nice to say. What a memory some of those guys have! Thank goodness there are no parking meters yet.
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As a driver I must say that it is time to print up some good city maps, with one way streets clearly marked. I find it almost impossible to navigate around municipalities like El Cerro and Santos Suarez with all of their diagonal streets and no street signs. Once again, the affability and sense of humor of Cubans gets you out of a dire sense of “Where the heck am I?” Just stop and ask. Of course, sometimes their sense of describing distances and landmarks leaves a lot to be desired, but then you can stop two blocks further on and ask the same question. Slowly but surely, you will get where you want to go. Whether you have your own car or you are visiting and have rented one, driving around Havana is not for the faint-hearted. There are some unique traffic rules here that take you by surprise such as the no left turns on Fifth Avenue (you end up having to make two rights, to get to the left) and Paseo. I don’t actually remember seeing any signs up to that effect, but no wonder the police are always lying in wait there. And I’ve left the poor condition of the roads, the insufficient street lighting in some areas and highway driving to some other treatise. But I think that we have enough details to recognize a bit of that national driving identity of Cuba.
MAY 2017 22
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S O YO U N E E D YO U R S H O C K ABSORBERS FIXED? by Ricardo Alberto Pérez photo: Ana Lorena y Mene
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No question about it. Visitors to Cuba enjoy watching the unique old cars, motor bikes and other vehicles on our roads, and they are amazed that they are still functioning and providing as well a living for some and vital mobility for others. For these vehicles to continue moving around, the talents and creativity of many people are needed on a daily basis. One such person is a remarkable 30-year-old named Alberto Rubio Rodríguez who has been repairing shock absorbers for the last eight years. He tells me that after he finished his military service he took a job as a mechanic’s assistant. He soon realized that of all car parts, it was the shock absorber that was most frequently in need of repair. A practical man, Alberto came to the conclusion that if he specialized in that area he would end up with a steady job and therefore, economic stability.
Like many Cuban mechanics, Alberto carries out the repairs using spare parts he manufactures by hand on a lathe. Up to now he hasn’t met a shock absorber he couldn’t fix. Because of the shape some of them are in, though, they really ought to be thrown out. Strangely enough, this happens more in modern cars. He adjusts them and creates adaptations in order to fix them. The best of it all is that, afterwards, they can be repaired as many times as necessary. Alberto “operates” on an average of eight to ten pairs of shocks each day. Each job depends on the degree of damage they have. All the work takes place “live” in front of his clients. He thinks that this adds to the trust factor. MAY 2017 24
lahabana. com In spite of his natural shyness, he has had to overcome that barrier and learn how to communicate better with the public. Over the years his workshop has gained quite a reputation for excellence and people come to see him from provinces other than La Habana such as Matanzas, Pinar del Río, Artemisa and Isla de la Juventud. Day in and day out, a line starts forming at his front door, often starting before dawn.
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His work fills him with satisfaction; until now not one client has returned to complain about something he did. His aim is to have cars leave his workshop ready to be driven along Cuban roads for many kilometers and many years to come.
He explains that when your shocks are in poor shape the stability of your vehicle is at risk and so road safety is compromised. Not only that, other car parts may also become damaged by the faulty shocks. He admits that his job is exhausting. He is on his feet from eight in the morning until six in the afternoon, stopping only for ten or fifteen minutes to grab a quick lunch. Sometimes clients arrive outside of these hours, urgently pleading with him to fix their cars and Alberto tries to resolve the situation so that they can go home satisfied. He firmly believes that necessity has made Cubans very creative. In the case of shock absorbers, as with other spare parts, you can’t just go to a store to buy what you need, like brand new shocks. He also says that every day he learns something new about his specialty. Lately he has had to repair more modern shock absorbers and he finds that the more recent the model of car, the more complicated his job becomes because they have a greater number of parts, often parts that he has never seen before.
MAY 2017 25
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An Ode to Havana Mechanics
by Bev Layne photo: Ana Lorena y Mene
MAY 2017 26
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I’m sure that those of us lucky to own our own cars in Havana have sometimes wondered about the mixed blessing this brings us. Of course it allows us to give up using almendrones, guaguas, bicitaxis and all sorts of other 2, 3 and 4-wheeled vehicles for hire, but it comes with an appendix: a relationship with a mechanic. It’s not enough to fill ‘er up, occasionally change the oil, check tire pressure and regularly wash it thoroughly. Driving and climatic conditions are rough on cars anywhere in Cuba, but Havana also has its own special excruciating circumstances. First of all, the proximity to the sea with its salt-laden air wreaks havoc on anything metallic.
MAY 2017 27
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The state of the roads ranges from poor to disastrous, depending on the municipality—it’s not just roads full of potholes, but often a field of potholes interspersed with bits of pavement, enhanced with insufficient street lighting so that you can lose your tailpipe in what you perceived to be a wet spot and not a dip in the road surface. There is a shortage of spare parts, fluids and additives (rumor has it that mechanics are taking day trips to Cancun to scoop up parts!) The list goes on because emergencies just seem to spawn by themselves. After you have managed to locate good indoor overnight parking (not easy), finding a good mechanic is absolutely crucial. When you have a good one, as is my Miguel, it comes with a lot of extras, such as being part of a weird semiunderground fraternity of parts suppliers, knowing where to get flat tires repaired (poncheras), exhaust pipes welded back together and body work done. It’s also great if your man will come to either pick you up or tow you to the “shop” when the occasion presents itself. And it’s truly glorious when his fingers are magical, his creative genius knows no bounds and the bill doesn’t bankrupt you. But if truth must be told, you and your four-wheeled sweetie cannot exist without him.
MAY 2017 28
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Mechanics in Havana aren’t that hard to find, but the good ones are worth their weight in gold. Word of mouth is a good “in” or you can scour the neighborhoods to see where the guys in blue overalls are lying under cars that were manufactured in the US, Russia or Korea many decades ago. Their “shops” can be as impromptu as the street in front of their house (you can tell where these are by the large oil stains on the pavement), a nearby parking area or the driveway of some friend. “My” Miguel has finally worked his way up to a bit of spare lot in front of his home. It has a roof and everything (but no “pit” as one of my foreign friends ungraciously pointed out). And you can generally gauge the quality of their work by how many cars are waiting to get “fixed.”
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A huge plus is getting to be familiar with the anatomy of your car and the terminology for parts. You will learn about transmissions, gaskets, bearings, fuses, gears, clutches and brakes…and all their parts. This is important for all drivers, but especially for women. I realize that I will never have my ear attuned to changes in “rhythms” and reverberations (they say that is an exclusive male talent) but I am beginning to sense some of the major problems before they become more major, all thanks to the conversations with my mechanic who, bless his soul, still thinks that someday I will understand everything he says and he won’t have to scold me when I’ve done something I shouldn’t have or neglected to do something else on time. Remember though that going to the mechanic in Havana is not an in-and-out deal. Make time for the visit and go early in the day because, depending on the problem, it won’t involve just leaving the car there to get fixed. It will necessarily involve the mechanic going out to Marianao to find a part that a friend of a friend told him existed out there in the suburbs. It may involve a sudden rainfall or a family crisis and at the best of times it will involve hours of talking to his family, drinking coffee or chatting with other clients that always have a half a dozen mechanical horror stories to tell. Oh yes, a word to the wise: mechanics are jealous about their clients’ cars and they can immediately tell if strange hands have been tinkering under the hood. If you ever think you need a “second opinion” discuss it with him first so that you don’t risk losing him. MAY 2017 29
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HAVANA A G R O S by Bev Layne photo: Ana Lorena y Mene
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lahabana. com If there is one place in Havana where everybody goes to, that’s the agromercados, the farmers’ markets, known among the locals simply as “Agros.” They form a network all over the city and some city blocks may even have two or three of them in close proximity. The more popular ones are always crowded, especially in the morning hours. You pretty much have to forget about going to them on Mondays because they will be closed. Agros may differ in appearance but they are all basically open-air markets with awnings providing some shade. They range in size from a couple of improvised counters to specially constructed roofed buildings that present the buyer with a huge variety of options. It’s a good idea to bring your own shopping bag but if you forget, 1 Cuban peso will get you a plastic bag. Be prepared to stand in queues but mind your p’s and q’s and never forget to ask “Ultimo?” to determine who to stand behind. Depending on the area of the city, you may also sight some local celebrity sharing an agro aisle: I once had a short conversation with the former Moncada band member and present college professor and TV psychologist Manuel Calviño as we waited for our carrots to get weighed. And watch your toes! Many times I’ve been run over by some elderly housewife’s shopping cart.
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We all rely on them. Sometimes we complain that the prices are too high or that there is not enough of this or that, but we rarely think about the people that sell the products brought into the cities by campesinos. We take them for granted but they would be sorely missed. And the stallholders are in a whole different category. These colorful characters hawk—shout really— their merchandise in a state of frenzied rivalry with their neighbor. These individuals, who are mostly men, although there are more women sellers now, are very spontaneous and easygoing. Not all vendors at the Agros sell vegetables. You have them selling fresh meat (no refrigeration!), flowers (the stands overflow with sunflowers, roses, gladiolus and the national white flower known as mariposa, a member of the jasmine family. Other sellers have vinegar and condiments produced by mini-businesses in the area. In one of the agros I go to, there is an enterprising baker selling her biscuits, crackers and pies made from coconut and guava paste, while her neighbor has one of the best little ice-cream kiosks in town—5 pesos (like 2 cents of a dollar!) for a chocolate-covered cone.
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Oddly enough it was difficult to find an agro seller with enough time on their hands to talk to me about their jobs. I regularly circulate among four agros in my neighborhood and one day none of them had 15 minutes to spare. I finally made an “appointment” for an off-time on a Tuesday with two agro workers. These men and women who qualify as “cuentapropristas” (self-employed workers) start their days at 7 am and don’t go home until very late in the afternoon. As Michel, my first interviewee, dealt with three customers simultaneously, he told me he had never had a vacation! When I asked if he enjoyed what he did, the answer was yes. He likes dealing with the public and tries to give them the best products he has. But he told me that not all customers are agreeable and can get on his nerves sometimes, like the people who after inspecting every tomato on his stand, throw them back onto the counters. He said, “what bothers me is not that they don’t purchase anything, it’s how they bruise the merchandise.” In another stand, I found a charming 25-year-old from Villa Clara with the original name of Oderky. She told me that she kind of “fell into the job” a year ago selling fresh produce. That was OK for a while, but now she is working as the accountant for the owner of the stand, totally self-taught. Admirable.
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An Agro can look and feel like a scene from a farcical comic play with its many characters and convoluted plot and colorful background. The vendors pushing to sell their merchandise with loud cries, the customers approaching the stands, somewhat intimidated by the clamor, the old-fashioned scales trying to find the correct weight, the exchange of money in moneda nacional or convertible pesos… It’s a show worth seeing. I hear that some tour guides these days are even taking tourists through them as part of the “Cuban Experience.” And I believe they are right on track— there’s no better way to experience a city and connect with the locals than at a farmer’s market.
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Havana Bakeries
in the 21st Century by Ricardo Alberto Pérez photo: Ana Lorena y Mene
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There is nothing more enticing than the smell of fresh baked bread coming out of the oven. When it’s warm, bread needs nothing else and it’s a pleasure to eat it just like that even though people keep telling you that if you indulge you will put on weight and your cholesterol will hit the roof. Bread is definitely one of those temptations that are hard to resist. In Havana one street corner became famous just because of the marvelous quality of the bread from an establishment there, the hundred-year-old Toyo bakery. Although it has had its ups and downs, these days it is not just a bakery but produces a wide range of sweet goods in an attempt to bring back to life what the store once was. It is a fact that bakers have been essential figures in Cuban popular lore, joining barbers and the street vendors calling out their wares from their push-carts. But bakers are important for life: if there were no bakers, life would be incomplete; it just wouldn’t be the same. What is more vital than having one’s daily bread on the table, day after day?
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Much hard work and perseverance lies behind that piece of daily bread. From the early stages of mixing the dough right up to the finished product, many hands collaborate in the process. It’s a hard job because bakers spend a lot of time standing and they have to withstand some uncomfortably high temperatures. They don’t have many days off, not even when hurricanes are passing through. In fact, during such times when nature threatens, bakers find themselves working extra-long hours to produce bread for a population that may not have electricity in their homes. It’s a seven-day, 24-hour operation that never closes, whether it’s Christmas or New Year’s Eve. And the work is done the old-fashioned way, rolling the dough and loading the loaves into the oven by hand. While most of us are still asleep, bakers are already hard at work. Bakers are probably the most dynamic group of people in Cuba. While they work, they are discussing soccer, baseball, the Grammy awards and just about any other current events topic. As the 21st century began, bread supplies in Cuba were being assured by two basic enterprises. The first one was the “Cadena Cubana del Pan” (Cuban Bread Chain) which brought together hundreds of bakeries all over the Island. These bakeries work non-stop, 24/7, to turn out different varieties of hard crust breads, round loaves, cylinder loaves, rolls and whole wheat. They also work to produce bread for school snacks at the basic secondary education level.
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According to surveys, Habaneros prefer braided hard crust bread and soft bread. On the basis of information published by the Bread Chain, every year they produce approximately 50,000 tons of bread.
In this second decade of the new century the private sector has joined in the production of baked goods. Many restaurants are baking their own bread Also playing an important part in the chain that makes bread a reality are the workers as a way to establish a distinctive house belonging to the “Empresa Cubana de Molinería” (Cuban Milling Company). They are the style. And all around the city, there are new bakeries springing up. My absolute ones milling imported wheat into flour and making sure that there is lard and yeast for the elaboration of bread. favorite is the simply superb El Biky. Open daily from 8am to midnight, it is centrally located at Calle Infanta No. Two other bakeries selling bread and pastries, this time in convertible currency, are 412 entre San Lázaro y Concordia, just Sylvain and Doñaneli. The latter is particularly well-known for its range of delicious six blocks away from the Habana Libre breads and baked desserts. And we cannot forget San José Bakery on Obispo St. in Old Hotel. Havana. The queues there are long, made up of both Cubans and tourists who have learned to appreciate their quality baked goods and affordable prices. The result of all this activity is great news for us Cubans. The natural competition arising between the government and private sector ends up demanding greater quality and variety from them both.
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CASTLE IN THE CLOUDS, A MEDIEVAL MANSION IN CUBA A beautiful hotel with outstanding views of Soroa’s forests. A peaceful, romantic and luxury retreat — ideal for escaping stressful city life. Enjoy the heights of El Fuerte Hill, walk to the largest orchid garden in Cuba, and embrace Cuba’s lush nature. Exclusive access through Cuba Travel Network
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D o i n g t h e D a i ly S h o p p i n g in Havana by Bev Layne
photo: Ana Lorena y Mene
The true concept of the Mall or the supermarket has not made it to the Island yet. Granted there are the well-known economic repercussions of the embargo standing firmly in the way but the whole idea of making shopping for daily necessities a tiny bit easier has still not taken root. In a way, it reminds me of the situation in the 1970s in Mediterranean European countries: a culture of shopping every day for the groceries in a multitude of specialized small shops. But nowadays, even southern Italy has its gigantic American-style shopping centers. Cubans will tell you that their closest equivalent to the shopping center is the Carlos III. But in reality it is three or four floors of stores ranged along a sloping ramp which may or may not have the items you need in stock. Its only advantage is that almost everything (food, clothing, hardware, etc.) is situated on one premises but it often does not solve many of your daily shopping issues. MAY 2017 39
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Let’s say the Cuban housewife (that group is probably also a minority since most Cuban women I know have full-time jobs) is planning the week. Until you actually see what is available, you cannot really do much planning. The trick is to scout the possibilities and then improvise your weekly plan as you go along. And if certain items are in stock (toilet paper, cleaning supplies, flour, etc.) buy as much as the budget will permit, at least a couple of each, because next week they will surely be gone.
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As for eggs, that’s an adventure of a different sort. As a foreigner it took me several months to figure out where these could be bought. You can buy them by the 30-egg tray at scattered outposts throughout the city (which may or may not be indicated by a sign) but be prepared for long queues and waiting around for up to half an hour.
Fresh fruits and vegetables of course can be best purchased at the many neighborhood agros. It’s a good idea to go in the morning and the prices are in local Cuban pesos unlike the CUC prices in stores. Most of the daily staples can always be found. But all agros are not the same: with experience and by talking to the locals you can find out where the best produce and the most varieties are being sold. Remember foods still follow seasonal rhythms here. Potatoes won’t be around all year, nor will mangos, lettuce, carrots or citrus fruits. But you can always find squash, sweet potatoes, bananas and plantains, green beans, cucumbers, guavas. Meat (pork) is also sold at some of the agros, but you really have to do some hunting around to find a supermarket selling beef.
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Bread and pastries are sold either in neighborhood panaderías in Cuban pesos (be ready for long lines and erratic stocking strategies) or in CUC stores specializing in baked goods. The neighborhood stores in Havana have tended to disappoint me because I was used to the gloriously over-stocked and overflowing panaderías in Mexico. My personal best choice is Sylvain’s which has a number of outlets throughout the city, but not every Sylvain’s will do. In my experience the best one is the recently remodeled store on 23 and 10 in Vedado, La Suiza: great service, beautifully produced freshly-baked goods and an amazing variety of sweeties. Which brings me to probably the most annoying aspect of shopping here: most stores do not permit you to “browse,” in fact if they have too many clients inside you may actually be asked to wait outside the door and then be let in one by one. And you won’t be allowed to bring large bags or shopping from other stores inside: these must be checked in at a special kiosk outside the door. I have long learned to go inside with just the tiniest of handbags. Nowadays there are a lot of wandering street merchants selling everything from cleaning supplies, to biscuits, flowers and vegetables. Of course they tend not to have any fixed schedules and just when you need one, you can’t find them. All of this indicates that you will need at least an entire morning to stock up on a few days’ food supplies. The great thing is the freshness of the produce and the relationship you set up with the local greengrocer who will also tell you how to cook any of the more exotic varieties being sold. Keep an open mind, plan on spending a considerable amount of time, and count on not coming home with what is on your shopping list!
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A L IF E S U RROU NDE D BY B OO KS by Marilyn Bobes Maybe it was chance that led Constantino Muiño to a life amongst books. Anyone who has seen him at the book fairs, at launchings or who loves to have him around at Ediciones Unión publishers knows that he is a bookseller “of the sort that is very rare these days”, in the words of the press’ director, Olga Marta Pérez. You can ask Muiño about anything having to do with the literature he sells because, not only is he an efficient businessman, he is also a voracious reader and an attentive listener to book critics, writers and readers. He sees his mission as a cultural job and not merely a selling game. He also can be consulted by press executives when it comes to drawing up publishing plans. He knows very well which authors fly off the shelves of the bookstores he supplies with merchandise destined not just to be consumed but to enrich and give us spiritual satisfaction. His was a modest working class home but he nevertheless went to a private school in his neighborhood of Luyanó, graduating as an accountant. He revalidated his degree at the Havana Business School but he confesses that his calling could not be defined by any specific profession: he loved the cinema, theater and especially the ballet. In September 1959, Constantino’s economics teacher called his father to suggest that the young man go to work at her husband’s store, the Alma Mater Bookstore, which was in the business of importing technical textbooks for university professors from the United States. Muiño’s job was to charge those customers for their purchases but while he was in the bookstore he would shuffle through the card files and avidly read everything about science and technology. And so, suddenly, one day he became the supplier of such books for the professors who would come in looking for information.
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When the bookstore disappeared and was taken over by the University of Havana, he moved to the Faculty of Technology where a workshop and small press were set up to cover educational needs. He was the head of production and sales but he never gave up reading. He liked knowing what the books he was working with were all about. Life then led him to reprinting textbooks in the Philosophy Department at the same university. There he met Rolando Rodríguez who was the first president of what later became the Cuban Book Institute. Muiño was one of the founders of that institute and when the presses were being created, he joined the Pueblo y Educación press, which was in charge of supplying the textbooks for primary and secondary schools. Fifteen years later he changed specialties and travelled frequently to the former Soviet Union for printing agreements for artistic literature at the Ediciones Unión of UNEAC (Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba).
He’s been working here for many years. We always see him in his office, giving advice to anyone looking for a good book, and reading short stories and novels because he doesn’t like poetry even though he knows who the best poets are. If you feel lost at next year’s Book Fair, buried under the avalanche of titles inundating that grand Cuban fiesta of reading, make sure you go to the Ediciones Unión stand. You will find a pleasant, experienced man there, an essential piece in the editorial process, although he remains anonymous. He knows how to guide and advise you, and he will be able to satisfy your curiosity and help you find the best book to take home. That man is Constantino Muiño, a man who has lived for books. There are not too many booksellers like him, a true example of how to complete and make palpable that arduous and never solitary job of being a writer.
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CUBAN PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS by Victoria Alcalá
photo: Ana Lorena y Mene
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Here comes May Day, and along with it all the acknowledgements and awards for workers and technicians who have achieved extraordinary productive levels or superlative scientific results, for administrative workers who have demonstrated great efficiency (it is thanks to them that we are surviving from drowning in a sea of bureaucracy) or for our outstanding artists. And when we see them on TV or in the newspaper, there may be others who are moved along with their families: their primary school teachers who will recall how they predicted the future of that boy who with clenched teeth was determined to find the value of “a” in the complicated equation “a + 2 = 4”, or that little girl whose imagination flew way beyond her abilities of using her few learned words to describe everything she wanted. Perhaps there are many teachers who will remember their students all their lives but I am sure that none of them do so with more affection than primary school teachers (I mainly think of the women teachers because they form the majority at this stage of education). They helped us parents to let go of the hand of our son who was scared of starting school and they became substitute mothers. They instinctively would touch every child’s forehead checking for fever, made sure they ate their snacks, urged them to look after keeping their school uniforms clean, took them home when one day their parents didn’t get there on time after school…and all this while they were providing them with the first important tools to understand the world.
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lahabana. com If you think about all you learn in the seven years of primary school, if you remember how that little child who knew some letters and numbers before starting school, almost like a parlor trick, would be able to read, write and do math by second grade and by the end of sixth grade would be able to talk about the digestive system, how volcanoes were formed, the wars of independence and even geometry, you can’t help but admire how these teachers, in spite of all the distractions, pranks, clumsiness and resistance common to this age, were able to take them to the finish line. And they did it dealing with a low salary, doing the job at school and our “job” as housewives, grading notebooks and exams until the wee hours of the morning, making up their own teaching aids, and even preparing snacks for their more needy students.
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My son, who is far from being a sentimental guy, still phones up his teacher Mirella, an exceptional woman who, along with being well versed in all parts of the syllabus, also taught her students the value of comradeship, solidarity and decency so that they would not only be good students but good persons. Among her many teachings, we recall how on one Teachers’ Day she received many gifts, some quite costly, but the one she was most happy with was a jar of coconut sweet that one of her students was almost afraid of getting out of his backpack. Mirella has kept up with the endeavors of her “children” for almost fifteen years, even when she lived for many years in Canada. Many still ask her for advice or share an achievement with her, and whenever her former students get together, they always talk fondly about their teacher.
Of course I realize that all teachers are not the same; that a few transfer some of their responsibilities to the parents or rely on that new legalized profession, the “repasadores” who review what the teacher has taught in school, thereby indicating that all is not well with our educational system; that some do not provide the best of examples or have been insufficiently trained, but the good teachers shine so brightly, do so much good, that they manage to erase the memory of all those other ones. MAY 2017 46
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Perhaps one of Mirella’s former students will be receiving acknowledgement on Labor Day. She will know that she can more than enjoy the seeds she planted, and in the midst of high emotions they will be reserving a space filled with gratitude for their primary school teacher.
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HOTEL SAN BASILIO - STYLISH SPANISH-COLONIAL HOTEL IN HISTORIC CITY CENTER The small sage-and-cream Hotel San Basilio, reached by a pretty double staircase, is the only boutique hotel in the historic center of Santiago de Cuba. With its 1920s ambience, and its eight rooms featuring handsome colonial furniture, guests can retreat from the buzz of the city streets to the quiet of the hotel. Night owls can enjoy the evening entertainment at the Rooftop Bar-Terrace of the nearby Hotel Casa Granda, compliments of the San Basilio Hotel.
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C E L E B R AT I N G M O T H E R ’ S D AY IN CUBA by Silvia Gómez photo: Ana Lorena y Mene
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Located approximately 30 km southwest of Central Havana and 11 km from Havana’s International Airport, Santiago de las Vegas has been recognized as the first town in Cuba to celebrate Mother’s Day. Back in 1920, a group of young intellectuals who met every night at the town’s Instruction and Recreation Center welcomed warmly the idea suggested by their colleague, the teacher, journalist, violinist and writer Francisco Montot, to commemorate the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, which fell that year on Sunday 14. Montoto hosted a grand celebration to honor mothers in the People’s Theatre of the Center with the performances of several artists. As was the custom then in the States, those who wore a red carnation were accompanied by their mothers and those whose mothers had passed away, indicated so with a white carnation on the lapel of their suit or the buttonhole of their guayaberas, or pinned on their dresses. This practice continued until the late 1950s, unfortunately falling into disuse in the early 1960s.
This tribute was so successful that it made the headlines of the national daily newspaper El Mundo, thanks to the journalist Victor A. Muñoz Riera, who at the time was also a city councilor. After Muñoz Riera’s personal campaign in the press, the Municipal Council of Havana agreed to celebrate, at a municipal level, Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May of each year starting in 1921. As with almost all commemorations, the holiday became commercialized, so much so that since the start of May, people awaited for special offers and products on sale. Masonic lodges did much to make this day a family occasion centered around the mother. Some Masons, very influential in the politics of the time, had proposed that the municipal councils erect a monument to mothers in each of the municipalities. The proposal took hold in some places, such as Marianao, where the monument and the square which was built for that particular end are still standing.
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In the 1960’s, Cubans were celebrating Mother’s Day with gifts and greetings cards, with the addition of a new ingredient—a cake. Cakes and greeting cards were a must and to let the day go by without these articles was simply inexcusable. Even in times of increased hardship for the national economy during the Special Period, when even a bar of soap was a luxury and the nation had blackouts for most of the day, neither of these things stopped Cuban daughters and sons to give their mothers greeting cards and cakes, although of varying quality. At a time of great stress foodwise, the government would take some of the flour from the country’s emergency food reserve to make these cakes at modest prices. This says something of the importance of this special day in Cuba. Apart from celebrating mothers, this day in Cuba has become a family commemoration to honor women who have done their utmost in the care, education and protection of all children in general, hence the tribute is extended to aunts, cousins, teachers, friends, neighbors… Those who are far, do whatever it takes to accompany them on that day along with the rest of the family. And those whose mothers have passed away make a visit to the cemetery to place fresh flowers on their graves. However, nothing is more touching than a child who gives his mother the card with the paper flower they have made with their own hands.
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Join the Fiesta 15
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The weekend of April 21st to 23rd was one of the most enjoyable ones the Cuba Travel Network has spent: our fifteenth birthday party! For months prior to the date we were suffused with a giddy and contagious joy that could only be compared to that felt in Cuban families when their daughter is about to turn 15 years old. Following all the best Fiesta de 15 scenarios, we invited our families and closest friends. Our colleagues from the US, Holland and Australia offices came. We got busy hiring photographers, a barman, several venues for music, dancing, eating and drinking…all in the aim to produce a great celebration.
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It was all according to the Havana 15th Birthday Handbook. But we didn’t stop there. On Friday at 5:30 pm the Join The Fiesta 15 Preamble took place. Foreign guests and Cuban hosts got together in the patio of our Havana offices to kick off the festivities. Vedado’s DY Wichy and the celebrated trumpet player Yasek Manzano provided the evening’s entertainment. It was a chance for everyone to mix and mingle and to dance to Cuban music.
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At 9 o’clock the next morning we landed in the Hotel Nacional for the official inauguration. We screened a video that recalled the greatest moments of the firm and Eddie Lubbers, CTN’s founder, paying tribute to the employees who have worked the longest at the agency. Later we were off to the Divina Pastora restaurant in Casablanca, a gorgeous place facing Havana Bay, the setting for two creative workshops: the first was music and the second was cocktails. Popular singer Augusto Enríquez and the legendary Orquesta Aragón showed Cubans and guests how to dance and remember the cha-cha, son and, finally, salsa rhythms. Three groups were formed, one to sing, a second to get some idea about percussion, namely the clave cubana and the tumbadora, and the third group got lessons in the basic dance steps to the popular Cuban rhythm.
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It was also a day when some heavy rains came down. The music workshop concluded under a torrential tropical downpour and we had to take shelter in the Divina Pastora restaurant for the cocktail segment. Our barman Carlos “The Knife” (La Cuchilla) directed the competition on who could mix the best drinks. The kids led in this challenge and walked away with the prize. The rain continued into the night but didn’t keep us from having the dinner at the Cervecería San José with suppliers who were our special guests and invited to continue working with the firm. The Orquesta Aragón came back for a second round and played their anthological numbers such as “El Bodeguero”, “Rico vacilón”, and many others. But it still wasn’t time for us to retire for a wellearned rest; a few hours earlier we had registered at the Hotel Habana Libre and at the stroke of midnight we were dancing at the hotel’s El Turquino Night Club, right up to 3 am. We were up early and in the bus heading for Soroa where the groups split up. After breakfast some of us preferred to go to the Soroa Falls, others went to the Orquidarium and the most intrepid of us went to the Castillo en las Nubes (“castle in the clouds”) hotel. Without any doubt we have to thank the event’s organizers, Aires de Fiesta, who made all of our ideas a reality. MAY 2017 55
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The Cuba Travel Network is an agency opting for individual tourism and we are celebrating our 15 years in that enterprise but we are now dreaming about new forms of promotion and coverage of the best cultural, historical and social values on our Island.
Cheers for the next 15 years!
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H AVA N A L I ST I N G S VISUAL ARTS PHOTOGRAPHY DANCE MUSIC THEATRE FOR KIDS EVENTS
FEATURES RESTAURANTS BARS & CLUBS
HAVANA GUIDE
LIVE MUSIC HOTELS PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION MAY 2017 57
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GALERÍA EL REINO DE ESTE MUNDO
THROUGH MAY 19
Todos los mundos de Bachs explores the vast creation of artist Eduardo Muñoz Bachs, author of several of the most memorable posters in Cuban cinema.
CENTRO DE DESARROLLO DE LAS ARTES VISUALES
THROUGH MAY 21
Desarraigo, by Cuban painter Gabriel Sánchez Toledo, shows how abstract art can mobilize feelings and emotions from the viewer through the intelligent use of color and composition.
GALERÍA ARTIS 718 MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO
THROUGH JULY 31
THROUGHOUT MAY
Juego de Ángeles commemorates the centenary of the birth of sculptor Eugenio Rodríguez, one of the modernizers of this art form Cuba, with the exhibition of more than 50 pieces, including sculptures, prints and drawings, made between 1944 and 1968. One of Rodríguez most famous works is the sculpture group located within the main lobby of the National Museum of Fine Arts. MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE UNIVERSAL
THROUGH JUNE 12
Tony Cragg. Esculturas y dibujos covers almost six decades of creation— with an emphasis on his most recent production—of this famous British sculptor, through drawings and, specially, sculptures, made with both conventional and unconventional materials. TALLER EXPERIMENTAL DE GRÁFICA DE LA HABANA
MAY 5-JUNE 1
A flor de piel, solo show by Brenda Cabrera Rodríguez.
Villalobo, desconocido, by Nelson Villalobos Ferrer (Villalobo), includes paintings, drawings, assemblages and installations (made from 1980 to the early 1990s and not been previously exhibited) that are marked by intertextuality, concern for issues related to the identity of Cubans and religiosity of African descent. The title of the exhibition—Villalobo, Unknown— alludes to the fact that the artist has done much of his work outside his country.
GALERÍA HABANA
THROUGHOUT MAY
Registro incompleto exhibits Works by Iván Capote, Elizabeth Cerviño, Reinaldo Cid, Ariamna Contino, Adrián Fernández, Alex Hernández, José Manuel Mesías, Michel Pérez (Pollo) and Linet Sánchez, which focus on sculpture, but at the same time questions it.
La maldita circunstancia, solo show by Alejandro Peña Co. PALACIO DEL SEGUNDO CABO
THROUGHOUT APRIL
Naturalezas del Art Nouveau, organized by the Réseau Art Nouveau Network, an international institution responsible for the documentation, research and protection of the World Art Nouveau heritage, aims to introduce the viewer in this style through its main features, associated with nature.
photos by Alex Mene Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano
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BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA RUBÉN MARTÍNEZ VILLENA
OPENS MAY 16
Todas las cosas que ella dice, by Cuban artist and fashion designer Yali Romagoza, includes drawings, collages, installation, sculptures and video, which converge in a reflection on femininity, social commitment, the art system and pop culture in relation with society, isolation, oppression and marginalization. GALERÍA RAÚL OLIVA. CENTRO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT
THROUGH MAY 14
Imaginarios para la danza exhibits a selection of the renowned work of the stage and graphic designer of the National Ballet of Cuba, Ricardo Reymena. CASA OSWALDO GUAYASAMÍN
THROUGHOUT MAY
Memorias, by artist Danelys Gallego Forhans, who draws inspiration from society to create installations in which she experiments with the recycling technique, emphasizing family memories, aspirations and the dreams of ordinary people. CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA
THROUGH MAY 14
Migraciones forzadas, by Chilean artist Patricio Moreno Toro, deals with the great dilemmas of the contemporary world, with its burden of wars, terrorism, corruption and aggressions to the environment that generate dramatic migrations. OPENS MAY 19
El peso de su cuerpo, solo show by Moisés Finalé aimed at “taking a look at the evolution of how the artist has tackled the female body in his work,” according to the exhibition’s curator, Rafael Acosta de Arriba. GALERÍA CASA 26
OPENS MAY 12
Ritual-ceniza, by Oslendy Hernández Basallo turns ash into a symbol, establishes a nexus between form and concept, allusive to the ephemeral of existence from the material-immaterial duality.
FACTORÍA HABANA
OPENS MAY 19
Índice de imágenes, by José Manuel Mesía, who using painting and installation and through a process marked by the study of episodes of the Cuban wars of independence, examines the mechanisms of rewriting history, the apocryphal, the construction of imaginaries and the myths that are created around facts. CALERÍA COLLAGE HABANA
THROUGH MAY 15
Me he dado cuenta de que miento, by Ketty Rodríguez. According to the critic Hamlet Fernandez, the exhibition places the viewer, “in front of…a painting that wants to awaken in us ancestral experiences. The perceptive challenge to the vastness of the surrounding environment. The physical insignificance of man, the incommensurability between his scale and the magnitude of the world…His anguish at the impossibility of dominating life, happenings and what he is subsumed by…Its magic, its imagination, its metaphysics, its symbols, its increasingly sophisticated structures of intellection, before the unfathomable, unmentionable complexity of the universe.” MUSEO DE ARTE COLONIAL
THROUGH MAY 12
Entre cuerdas, reveals the artist’s concerns regarding the relation of man with the space he occupies, through the recurrent motif of strings. THROUGH MAY 12
Subterráneas, by Leonel Valdés, takes the nature of landscape, especially caves, as hidden worlds where imagination and intuition alternate PALACIO DEL MARQUÉS DE ARCOS
OPENS MAY 5
Dreams, by Miguel Ángel Couret, exhibits paintings and prints. In the opinion of curator David Mateo, Couret is a “rational artist, a creator who weighs technical benefits and detriments when it comes to implementing his images. That is why his paintings and prints can show an equity in terms of compositional neatness and synthesis, in reference to the precise selection of elements and how they are subordinated to the narrative intention.”
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FOTOTECA DE CUBA THROUGH MAY 22
Typologies, solo show by photographer Pablo Víctor Bordón.
MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO THROUGH JULY 10
Varda/Cuba brings together 100 pictures by the great French filmmaker Agnès Varda taken in Cuba in 1962. These photos would later be used by Varda in her film Saludos, Cubanos.
PALACIO DE PRADO. ALIANZA FRANCESA MAY 5-31
Cuba, 1963, by renowned French photographer Marc Riboud, author of cult works such as “The Ultimate Confrontation: The Flower and the Bayonet,” exhibits photographs taken by him in Cuba in 1963 when he accompanied journalist Jean Daniel in his interview with Fidel Castro.
CASA SIMÓN BOLÍVAR MAY 19
Rituales, poética de lo cotidiano is the name chosen for the opening of the International Meeting of Kaleidoscope Photography in Havana. This edition will assume, from an aesthetic look, individual and collective spaces and behavior that are described as “everyday.”
photos by Huberto Valera Jr.
PHOTO GRAPHY MAY 2017 60
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DANCE LATIDO
MAY 13-28, FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS, 8:30PM; SUNDAYS, 5PM GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA ALICIA ALONSO
Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba estrena su nuevo espectáculo, con música creada expresamente por el saxofonista y compositor cubano César López. Inspirada por experiencias personales de la directora de la compañía y coreógrafa de la pieza, Latidos se acerca al contraste entre vida y muerte, mediante la fusión de elementos del flamenco, el ballet, la danza contemporánea, el folklore y los bailes populares, acompañada en vivo por Habana Ensemble, la banda que dirige César López.
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lahabana. com The contemporary fusion and electronic music scene has expanded recently as new bars and clubs have opened party promoters have organized events in parks and public spaces. Good live music venues include Bertolt Brecht (Wednesdays: Interactivo, El Sauce (check out the Sunday afternoon Máquina de la Melancolía) and Fábrica de Arte Cubano which has concerts most nights Thursday through Sunday as well as impromptu smaller performances inside. In Havana’s burgeoning entertainment district along First Avenue from the Karl Marx theatre to the aquarium you are spoilt for choice with the always popular Don Cangrejo featuring good live music with artists of the likes of Kelvis Ochoa, David Torrens, Interactivo, Diana Fuentes, Descemer Bueno, David Blanco, just to name a few, Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and El Palio and Melem bar— both featuring different singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues. BALNEARIO UNIVERSITARIO EL CORAL
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS / 1PM-1AM Electronic music with rapping, DJing, Vjing, Dj-producers, breakdancing and graffiti writing, among other urban art expressions. CAFÉ CONCERT EL SAUCE
SUNDAYS / 5PM La Máquina de la Melancolía, with Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto García CASA DE LA AMISTAD
EN GUAYABERA
SUNDAYS / 6PM Discotemba LA CASA ESPAÑOLA
WEDNESDAYS / 6PM Sonash
Gens
Karamba
SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS / 6PM Rock cover bands
THURSDAYS / 11PM
Dj Productores Session.
Concerts by fusion and alternative music soloists and bands.
FRIDAYS / 9PM Dj Productores Session: Iván Lejardi.
SATURDAYS / 9PM Dj Productores Session: Iván Lejardi.
CENTRO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT.
THURSDAYS / 10PM Pura Birria
EVERY OTHER FRIDAY / 6PM Soul Train, a show of soul music
THURSDAYS / 10PM
CAFÉ CANTANTE MI HABANA
THURSDAYS / 5PM
FUSION
FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO
Rock ’n’ Roll with Vieja Escuela.
FRIDAYS / 5PM
MUSIC CONTEMPORARY
HAVANA HARD ROCK
SUNDAYS / 5PM
DIABLO TUN TUN
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SUNDAYS / 11PM Rock and Roll at FAC.
FRIDAYS / 11PM Concerts by fusion and alternative music soloists and bands. SATURDAYS / 11PM Concerts by fusion and alternative music soloists and bands. SUNDAYS / 12AM Hip Hop at FAC. MAY 2017 62
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JARDINES DEL 1830
FRIDAYS / 10PM Azúcar Negra SUNDAYS / 5PM Grupo Moncada ALL DAYS 5 PM, 11 PM
HABANA CAFÉ. HOTEL COHÍBA
MONDAYS Sur Caribe 11 PM TUESDAYS Alexander Abreu 11 PM WEDNESDAYS Juan Guillermo 11 PM THURSDAYS 5 PM FRIDAYS 5 PM
Cristian y Rey
SUNDAYS 5 PM
Bamboleo
NG La Banda
SALÓN ROJO. HOTEL CAPRI
WEDNESDAY THRU SATURDAY / 9PM Dorgeris Álvarez
MONDAY THRU WEDNESDAY / 9PM Teté y su grupo
SALSA TIMBA
CABARET TURQUINO. HOTEL HABANA LIBRE
MONDAYS / 11PM El Chispa y los Cómplices WEDNESDAYS / 11PM Caribe Girls
DIABLO TUNTÚN
MONDAYS / 11PM Popular dance music WEDNESDAYS / 5PM
CAFÉ CANTANTE. TEATRO NACIONAL
MONDAYS / 11PM Popular dance music (Manana Club) THURSDAYS / 5PM El Noro y Primera Clase CASA DE 18
FRIDAYS / 8:30PM Iván y Fiebre Latina SATURDAYS / 8PM Ahí Namá
El Expreso de Oriente THURSDAYS / 11PM NG La Banda SATURDAYS / 5PM Manana Club SUNDAYS / 5PM Popular dance music LA PIRAGUA
EVERY OTHER SATURDAY / 10PM One of the most popular spaces of popular dance music is back. MAY 2017 63
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MUSIC
Jazz Café
Café Jazz Miramar
Mellow, sophisticated and freezing due to extreme air conditioning, the Jazz Café is not only an excellent place to hear some of Cuba’s top jazz musicians, but the open-plan design also provides for a good bar atmosphere if you want to chat. Less intimate than La Zorra y el Cuervo – located opposite Melia Cohiba Hotel.
SHOWS: 11 PM - 2AM
UNEAC MAY 11
La Esquina del Jazz, hosted by showman Bobby Carcassés
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This new jazz club has quickly established itself as one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba’s best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled lounges, this is clean, bright—take the fags outside. While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in any case expect a high level of improvisation when it is good it is very good. A full house is something of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel like holding up your own silence please sign! Nonetheless it gets the thumbs up from us.
CAFÉ MIRAMAR 10 PM
Havana in the Grand Manner, with Tamara Castañeda (vibraphonist), Oliver Valdés (percussionist), Jorge Reyes (contrabass player), Jorge Luis Chicoy (guitarist) and Ernán López-Nussa (pianist), and guests singers Daymé Arocena and Kelvis Ochoa.
CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA MAY 20 5 PM
JAZZ
Ruy López-Nussa (percussionist) & La Academia
ASOCIACIÓN CUBANA DE DERECHOS DE AUTOR MUSICAL MAY 18 6PM
Alexis Bosch (pianist) and Proyecto Jazz Cubano
CASA DEL ALBA MAY 13 8 PM
Ruy López-Nussa (percussionist) & La Academia
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MUSIC BOLERO,
FOLKLORE, SON AND TROVA
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EL TABLAO
THURSDAYS / 11:30PM
Osdalgia
SUNDAYS / 7:30PM
Ivette Cepeda
HOTEL MELIÁ HABANA
TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS & SATURDAYS / 8:30PM
Vocal group Retro
GATO TUERTO
FRIDAYS / 5PM
Music, visual arts, literature and more.
HOTEL TELÉGRAFO
FRIDAYS / 9:30PM CASA DE 18
WEDNESDAYS / 8PM
Héctor Téllez
THURSDAYS / 5PM
José Valladares
SUNDAYS / 5PM
Georgeana
CAFÉ CANTANTE, TEATRO NACIONAL
SATURDAYS / 5PM Waldo Mendoza CASA DE LA BOMBILLA VERDE
MONDAYS-SUNDAYS / 8PM Performance by singer songwriters
CABARET EL TURQUINO. HOTEL HABANA LIBRE
FRIDAYS / 11PM
CENTRO CULTURAL FRESA Y CHOCOLATE
Mónica Mesa
SUNDAYS / 8PM
THURSDAYS / 9M
Trova with Frank Martínez
SUNDAYS / 6PM
Singer Leidis Díaz
LIBRERÍA FAYAD JAMÍS
MAY 19 / 4PM Trova and poetry hosted by singer songwriter Ireno García.
CLUB AMANECER
FRIDAYS / 5PM Conjunto de Arsenio Rodríguez DELIRIO HABANERO
SATURDAYS / 10PM Traditional music DIABLO TUN TUN
CASONA DE LÍNEA
Ivette Cepeda
THURSDAYS / 5PM Trova with Ray Fernández
ASOCIACIÓN YORUBA DE CUBA
FRIDAYS / 8:30PM Obbiní Batá (folkloric group) HOTEL NACIONAL DE CUBA
SATURDAYS / 7PM Los Indómitos
TEATRO KARL MARX
MAY 6 AND 7 / 8:30PM AND 5PM Waldo Mendoza MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES, EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO
MAY 11 / 6PM
CASA DE LA POESÍA
Osdalgia and Roberto Carcassés
MAY / 3PM Trova
Trova HURÓN AZUL, UNEAC DOS GARDENIAS
TUESDAYS THRU SUNDAYS / 10PM
SATURDAYS / 9PM Bolero Night
LE SELECT
FRIDAYS / Grupo Moncada 5PM
CENTRO CULTURAL EN GUAYABERA
FRIDAYS / 3PM Trova with Diego Ulloa
Performance by soloist vocalists MAY 2017 65
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CLASSICAL MUSIC BASÍLICA MENOR DE SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS MAY 6 6PM
Danzón concert by Camerata Romeu.
MAY 13 6PM
Saxofonist, flutist and clarinetist Javier Zalba and the Solistas de La Habana chamber orchestra will play Niebla y cemento, by Mario Herrerías; Suite Exposiciones, by Zalba, and Concerto in E flat major for alto saxophone and string orchestra by Alexander Glazunov.
CASA DEL ALBA MAY 7 5PM
La Cámara de la Música Project, conducted by violinist Alfredo Muñoz.
MAY 14 5PM
En Confluencia, dedicated to guitar.
MAY 21 5PM
Tardes Líricas project, directed by the soprano Milagros de los Ángeles.
MAY 28 5PM
Música de Nuestra América, a project directed by guitarist Zuleida Suárez.
SALA COVARRUBIAS. TEATRO NACIONAL SUNDAYS 11AM
Concerts by the National Symphony Orchestra.
CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA MAY 10 Concert by the Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine male 6PM ensemble. MAY 27 Scenes from works composed by Gaetano Donizetti, 5PM performed by soloists from the Teatro Lírico Nacional and accompanied on the piano by pianist Gabriel Chorens. FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO THURSDAYS 9PM
Concerts by chamber music soloists and ensembles.
IGLESIA DE PAULA MAY 12 7PM MAY 19 7PM
Concert by the Móviles Trio, of Renaissance music adapted for a modern wind ensemble. The Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble will present Concordia in unum, with the Renaissance consorts of European courts.
TEATRO MARTÍ CASA VÍCTOR HUGO MAY 26 5PM
Musical afternoon with the Duo Calyz, made up by guitarist Luis Manuel Molina and clarinetist Vicente Monterrey.
MAY 31 6PM
Opening of the V Encuentro de Jóvenes Pianistas (5th Young Pianists Meeting) from May 31 to June 7, with a concert by Alexandre Moutouzkine accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra. The program will include Rachmaninoff’s Concert for piano No. 1, Op. 1; and Concert for piano No. 2, Op. 18.
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THEATRE
El diccionario
Malos presagios
Sangre
ESPACIO IRREVERENTE
CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA
BERENJENA TEATRO
IRREVERENCIA PRODUCCIONES / PRODUCTION: EVA GONZÁLEZ SUNDAYS & MONDAYS, 7:30PM
GRUPO RITA MONTANER / PRODUCTION: CÉSAR CUTÉN DÍAZ / MAY 11, 18 & 25, 6PM
MAY 5 & 6, 8;30PM; MAY 7, 5PM CENTRO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT. CAFÉ TEATRO
Comedy written by Yunior García about a young woman who is about to get married and on the eve of her wedding she has a nightmare with gloomy omens about marriage.
Harry Potter se acabó la magia
The play, by Spanish playwright Manuel Calzada, approaches the vital conflicts of the philosopher and lexicographer María Moliner, author of the essential Diccionario de uso del español, who at the age of seventy discovers the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and begins the definition of the concept of freedom, according to what it has represented in the different crossroads of her life.
Pareja abierta CENTRO CULTURAL RAQUEL REVUELTA TEATRO AL LÍMITE / PRODUCTION: JORGE FERNÁNDEZ FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS, 6:30PM
Becados SALA ADOLFO LLAURADÓ ESPACIO TEATRO DE LA MAY 5 & 6, 8;30PM; MAY 7, 5PM
Vagos rumores CENTRO CULTURAL RAQUEL REVUELTA TEATRO D’DOS / PRODUCTION: JULIO CÉSAR RAMÍREZ FRIDAYS THRU SUNDAYS, 8:30PM
Play by Cuban playwright Abelardo Estorino, which, for the critic Vivian Martínez Tabares, constitutes “an ethical reflection based on the contextual constraints on the social responsibility of the artist, with which he experiences spatialtemporal unfolding, plays with intertextual references and gives another lesson in artistry and coherence.”
TEATRO TRIANÓN TEATRO EL PÚBLICO / PRODUCTION: CARLOS DÍAZ FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS, 8:30PM; SUNDAYS, 5PM
The fantastic world of Harry Potter, brought, in the manner of a social satire, to a music school in Cuba.
La Giraldilla o Una noche loca CENTRO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT. SALA TITO JUNCO GRUPO ESPACIO ABIERTO MAY 5 & 6, 8;30PM; MAY 7, 5PM
A university student draws up his strategy in order to finish his studies. MAY 2017 67
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FOR KIDS El negrito y los fantasmas FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, 3PM TEATRO DE TÍTERES EL ARCA
Based on the text The Street of Ghosts by renowned playwright Javier Villafañe, this one-person show tells the story of Juancito and María, two young friends who are besieged by ghosts and even the devil himself, and are forced to deal with them shrewdly in funny adventures.
Animotion: La vida secreta de los muñe THROUGHOUT MAY TEATRO-MUSEO DE TÍTERES EL ARCA
Transitory exhibition that introduces children in the world of animation with a didactic purpose It exhibits pieces created for productions by Cuban Television, ICAIC and the Cucurucho creative label. Different moments of the stop motion technique is illustrated along with puppets that have participated in television programs and are part of the museum’s collection.
Estudio Teatral Aldaba SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, 11AM MUSEO DE ARTE COLONIAL
Theater functions by the Aldaba company.
Muñecos, cuentos y canciones MAY 6, 11AM CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA
Variety show with puppets, stories and songs by the Escena X and Pino Verde groups.
MAY 2017 68
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MESÓN DEL REGIDOR - INTIMATE HOTEL IN THE HEART OF UNESCO CITY STUNNER This tiny hotel, with just four rooms, is found in a restored ochre and blue Spanish colonial building in the heart of Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a cobblestone’s throw from the palaces-turned-museums, and main square and church, of this beautiful city, and the growing number of private restaurants. EEUU -
[email protected] 1 800 282 2468 (Toll Free) Europa -
[email protected] +31 (0)20 794 7962 Asia -
[email protected] 1800 198 150 (Toll Free) Resto del mundo -
[email protected] | +53 (0)7 214 0090
MAY 2017 69
EVENTS IN HAVANA
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Feria Internacional Cubadisco 2017
MAY 13-21, NACIONAL, MELLA AND ASTRAL THEATERS, CASA DEL ALBA CULTURAL, PABELLÓN CUBA, JARDINES DE LA TROPICAL AND UNEAC Cubadisco 2017: trova new and old Cuba draws from an incredibly rich musical heritage. As anyone who has spent any time in Cuba knows, you are never far from the sound of live music. Toby Brocklehurst is only half joking when he explains that ‘There are 100,000 registered musicians in Cuba and everyone else plays the guitar.’ Cubadisco is not so much Cuba’s version of the Grammy’s as its own musical celebration and appreciation of the strides that Cuban musicians and the Cuban recoding industry have made over the years. There are 25 prize categories with the main awards being keenly sought. The festival includes concerts, recitals, symposia and exhibits, and undoubtedly represents Cuba’s most important musical awards. The Festival has been held since 1997 and brings together the different Cuban recording studios and record labels under one roof for a week or so of celebration of music. The 2017 edition of the Cubadisco International Fair is dedicated to Traditional Trova and the Nueva Trova Movement. Therefore, the theme of the opening gala will be the work of singersongwriter Silvio Rodríguez and tribute will be paid to the great Cuban trovador Sindo Garay, on the 150th anniversary of his birthday. The announcers have announced the performances of percussionists Valeri Naranjo and Barry Olsen (USA), Chilean musicians Ismael Durán and Gabriel Herrera, the Sumo group (Switzerland), and the Jazz Christ (Dominican Republic) and Ferro Band (Brazil). More information at www.cubadisco.soycubano.com
Mes de la Cultura Francesa MAY, HAVANA Created on the initiative of President of the European nation François Hollande during his visit to Havana in May 2015, music, theater, dance, architecture, design and film, among other art forms, will be present during the French Culture Month in Cuba, which began on April 27 with the 20th edition of the French Film Festival in Cuba. Highlights include three exhibitions: one by filmmaker Agnès Varda at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes; another by designer Maurice Renoma at Fábrica de Arte Cubano and the third by photographer Marc Riboud at the French Alliance headquarters in Old Havana; Mayo-en-Danza will bring together figures from the contemporary scene of France, Cuba and the Caribbean; the OnOff Video Festival will be hosted by the Casa Víctor Hugo, while the Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso will present the performance concert El poeta azul.
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Feria Internacional de Turismo MAY 3-6, CITY OF HOLGUÍN The International Tourism Fair FITCUBA 2017 will have Germany as honor guest country. Known as the City of Parks, Holguín has enough attractions to satisfy the participants in the meeting. Holguín has been privileged by nature for its beaches, bays and diving areas, natural landscapes and historical values. Therefore, it can offer a varied potential with a developing infrastructure and beach, nautical recreational and city trips à la carte. Holguín receives over two million tourists every year mainly from Canada, the UK and Germany.
I Taller de Fotografía a Monumentos MAY 8-9, CONSEJO PROVINCIAL DE PATRIMONIO CULTURAL (CALLE 13 NO. 919, ESQUINA A 8, EL VEDADO, LA HABANA) May 8-9 Consejo Provincial de Patrimonio Cultural (Calle 13 No. 919, esquina a 8, El Vedado, La Habana)
Semana del Diseño en Cuba MAY 8-12, CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA, VITRINA DE VALONIA, PLAZA VIEJA, LAB 26 (PROYECTO ESPACIOS), INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE DISEÑO (ISDI), RUBÉN MARTÍNEZ VILLENA PUBLIC LIBRARY AND SPANISH EMBASSY Under the motto “Designing is sharing,” the Design Weel in Cuba aims to shorten distances between designers and recipients, and will include lectures, presentation of audiovisual materials and magazines, competitions and exhibitions, which will revolve around the relationship of design with architecture, the economy and communication, from a management perspective.
III Simposio Nacional de Investigación Cultural 2017 MAY 15-16, INSTITUTO CUBANO DE INVESTIGACIÓN CULTURAL JUAN MARINELLO The national Symposium of Cultural Research is a space for meeting, exchange of research work and practical experiences of cultural specialists and researchers, with the purpose of stimulating the production and socialization of research and practical experiences.
Encuentro de Voces Populares MMAY 22-28, SALA AVELLANEDA. TEATRO NACIONAL The Popular Voices Meeting will include workshops on stage performance, by actor Osvaldo Doimeadiós, National Prizewinner of Comedy; basic makeup art by stylist Rodolfo Tamayo; and repertoire and the use of voice in songs by singer Argelia Fragoso. Spanish Singer-songwriter Rosana will give a concert on May 24, 8:30pm) and Mexican Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Eugenia on May 27, 8:30pm). MAY 2017
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67mo Torneo Internacional de Pesca de la Aguja Ernest Hemingway MAY 29-JUNE 3, MARINA HEMINGWAY, HAVANA The Ernest Hemingway International Bill Fishing Tournament will celebrate its 67th anniversary this year. Its history is a permanent imprint of the presence of the great American writer and Nobel Prize for Literature Ernest Hemingway in Havana, who, with his passion and enthusiasm for sport fishing, unconditionally supported the event during its early years. Over the last decade, the competition has attracted crews from more than 30 countries, including the US, Russia, Cuba, the UK, Italy, France and Spain, among others. Back in May 26, 1950, thirty-six of the best sports yachts from Havana’s yacht clubs sailed past the narrow inlet at the Morro Castle located at the entrance of Havana Bay and out into the Gulf Stream. One of the boats was the “Pilar” owned by Ernest Hemingway, who competed in the first bill fishing tournament representing the International Nautical Club of Havana. A few years later, a group of fishermen suggested that the tournament be named after the famous writer because of his love and passion for the sport. Hemingway not only accepted, but donated the cups won by him during the first three tournaments and continued to take first place from 1953 to 1955. In 1959, Hemingway moved to Idaho, US, but came back to Cuba in 1960 for the awarding of the cups at the 11th Hemingway International Tournament. There, he met the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro. This was the year when Marina Hemingway became the tournament’s headquarters. No tournaments were held in 1961 and 1962 but were resumed in 1963 with a national scope until 1977, regaining its international status in 1978. The creation in 1992 of the Hemingway International Yacht Club of Cuba (CNIH) gave the Hemingway tournaments a new life based on friendly relations with fishing clubs, specialized publications and fishermen. In 1997, with the help of the Billfish Foundation and the direct assistance of Mr. Ralph “Agie” Vicente, Representative of the Billfish Foundation for the Caribbean, HIYC Commodore Jose Miguel Diaz Escrich introduced the method of catch and release in the Hemingway Tournament. This is one of the oldest fishing tournaments in the world, preceded only by the Nova Scotia International Tuna Tournament and the Tarpon Fishing Tournament in Mexico.
Fiesta de los patios coloniales MAY 18-JUNE 5, CASA DE LA OBRA PÍA, CASA DEL BENEMÉRITO DE LAS AMÉRICAS BENITO JUÁREZ AND CASA SIMÓN BOLÍVAR In addition to the restoration of colonial courtyards, the Fiesta of Colonial Patios has been created to propose strategies that encourage their use for the common good. The event will include flower and ornamental plants exhibitions, talks, conferences, tours, workshops and visits to a number of houses in Havana’s Historic Center. MAY 2017 72
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EVENTS AROUND CUBA 22nd Festival Internacional Romerías de Mayo MAY 2-8, HOLGUÍN Continuing a tradition that dates back to colonial times, in 1993 a group of young artists decided to organize these romerías with the arrival of Spring. This festival, which was held for the first time at the foot of the cross which Father Antonio Alegría placed on 3 May, 1790 at the top of a hill, 275 meters above sea level, is presided over by the Hacha Taína (the Taino Axe) and the Cruz de Madera (the Wooden Cross), symbols of the mixture of elements that constitute the Cuban culture. Following this spirit, every year musicians, actors, researchers, artists, writers and dancers come together to share their artistic endeavor during intense days and nights in which the diversity of their propositions is exhibited, and Cuban and foreign artists join the locals to enjoy a marathonlike program in various parts of the city. The organizers have announced the participation of more than 500 artists, including 200 international guests from 27 countries. The traditional events include the traditional Fest of Embraces, the encounter Island in Verse, the Rockmerías, and a day dedicated to Canada, among other attractions hosted by fifteen different venues across the city. Cuban musicians who have already confirmed their participation are Alexander Abreu and Havana D’Primera, Raúl Paz, Gerardo Alfonso, Tony Ávila and Eduardo Sosa.
X Jornada Cubana contra la Homofobia y la Transfobia. MAY 9-20, SANTA CLARA, VILLA CLARA PROVINCE From May 9 to May 20, Cuba will celebrate the 10th Cuban Days Against Homophobia and Transphobia in the city of Villa Clara in the central part of the country. The twelve-day event includes lectures, films, art exhibits, concerts... This year, the event will focus on the prevention of bullying or homophobic school, bullying, so the messages will go in two fundamental directions: towards the students who execute or suffer it, and towards teachers, educational decision-makers and the families, who are responsible for the major part in the creation of safe schools. Emphasis will also be placed on the 10 years of work in promoting a more inclusive and respectful society towards the LGBTI community by the Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX). The preliminary program of the event includes traditional activities such as the colorful Conga Cubana against Homophobia and Transphobia.
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HAVANA’S
best places to eat La Habanera
EL ATELIER
BELLA CIAO
CAFÉ BOHEMIA
LA CALESA REAL
EXPERIMENTAL FUSION
HOMELY ITALIAN
CAFÉ
CUBAN AND INTERNATIONAL
ECLÉCTICO
FUSION, ITALIAN
Interesting décor, interesting menu.
Great service, good prices. A real home from home.
Bohemian feel. Great sandwiches, salads & juices
Totally charming, excellent food
Beautiful mansion in the heart of El Vedado serving excellent food.
Calle 5 e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado (+53) 7-836-2025
Calle 19 y 72, Playa (+53) 7-206-1406
Calle San Ignacio #364, Habana Vieja
Compostela No. 359 e/ Lamparilla y Obrapía, La Habana Vieja (+53) 78645001
Calle Paseo No. 206, El Vedado (+53) 7 831-3423, (+53) 5360-0384
CASA MIGLIS SWEDISH-CUBAN FUSION
MEDITERRÁNEO HAVANA INTERNATIONAL
Beautiful modern decor. Interesting menu and good service. Calle #35 e/ 20 y 41, Playa. (+53) 7-203-8315
CORTE PRÍNCIPE
RÍO MAR
D.EUTIMIA
INTERNACIONAL
ITALIAN
INTERNATIONAL
CUBAN/CREOLE
Interesting and diverse menu. Beautiful terrace.
Industrial chic alfresco rooftop with a buzzing atmosphere
Sergio’s place. Simple décor, spectacular food.
Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana (+53) 7-864-1486
Calle 13 #406, e/ E y F, Vedado. (+53) 7-832 4894 http://www/medhavana.com
Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado. (+53) 7-832-2355
Calle 9na esq. a 74, Miramar (+53) 5-255-9091
LA FONTANA
LA HABANERA
EL LITORAL
SANTY
INTERNACIONAL
INTERNATIONAL AND VEGETARIAN
INTERNATIONAL
SUSHI/ORIENTAL
Calle 46 #305 esq. a 3ra, Miramar (+53) 7-202-8337
INTERNATIONAL
EL COCINERO
Oasis of good food & taste in Centro Habana
Consistently good food, attentive service. Old school.
OTRA MANERA
Excellent food and veggie-friendly menu. Lovely, majestic house.
Watch the world go by at the Malecón’s best restaurant.
Calle 16 # 506, e/ 7ma y 5ta, Miramar, Playa (+53) 7 202 9941
Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado (+53) 7-830-2201
Contemporary décor. Great seaview. Good food. Ave. 3raA y Final #11, La Puntilla, Miramar (+53) 7-209-4838
NAZDAROVIE SOVIET
Authentic fisherman’s shack servicing world-class sushi.
Well designed Soviet décor excellent food & service.
Calle 240A #3023 esq. a 3ra C, Jaimanitas (+53) 5-286-7039
Malecon #25, 3rd floor e Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947
Absolutely charming. Excellent Cuban/creole food. Callejón del Chorro #60C, Plaza de la Catedral, Habana Vieja (+53) 7 861 1332
SAN CRISTÓBAL CUBAN/CREOLE
Deservedly popular.Consistently great food. Kitsch décor. San Rafael #469 e/ Lealtad y Campanario, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-9109
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La Calesa Real
TOP PICK
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Style of food: Cuban and international cuisine Cost: Moderate Type of place: Private (Paladar)
Best for: Excellent, authentic cuisine and friendly service Don’t Miss. The Langosta Calesa Real, lobster served in its shell with raspberry sauce , red wine, aromatic herbs…and other secret ingredients. Compostela No. 359 e/ Lamparilla y Obrapía, La Habana Vieja (+53) 7864-5001
Style of food: Fusion, Italian Cost: Expensive Type of place: Private (Paladar)
TOP PICK
Ecléctico
Best for Quality decor, fine service and great food. Don’t miss Fresh pasta, the fish…and the ice cream of innovative flavors! Calle Paseo No. 206, El Vedado (+53) 7 831-3423, (+53) 5360-0384
TOP PICK
El Litoral
Style of food: International Cost: Expensive Type of place: Private (Paladar)
TOP PICK
Best for Quality décor, good service and great food. Best new place recently opened. Don’t Miss Drinking a cocktail at sunset watching the world go by on the Malecón Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado. (+53) 7-830-2201 MAY 2017 75
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La Guarida
TOP PICK
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Style of food: Contemporary fusion Cost: Expensive Type of place: Private (Paladar)
Best for Authentic, charming and intimate atmosphere in Cuba’s best known restaurant. Great food, professional. Classy. Don’t Miss Uma Thurman, Beyoncé or the Queen of Spain if they happen to be dining next to you. Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro Habana. (+53) 7-866-9047
Style of food: Traditional Cost: Moderate Type of place: Private (Paladar)
TOP PICK
Café Bohemia
Best for taking a break from long walks and seeking shelter from the stifling Cuban.. Don’t miss location in the cool inner courtyard of the colonial building. Ground floor of the Palacio de la Casa del Conde de Lombillo, Calle San Ignacio #364 (+53) 5- 403-1 568, (+53) 7-836-6567 www. havanabohemia.com
TOP PICK
La Habanera
Type of food: International and vegetarian Cost: Moderate Type of place: Private restaurant (Paladar)
Best for: Excellent food and veggie-friendly menu. Lovely, majestic house. Don’t miss: Eggplant lasagna and grilled fish with lemon and capers. Calle 16 # 506, e/ 7ma y 5ta, Miramar, Playa (+53) 7 202 9941 MAY 2017 76
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Corte del Príncipe Sergio’s Style of food Italian Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar)
Best for Cozy atmosphere, excellent service.
Don’t miss spectacular homemade Italian pastas.
9na esq. 74, Playa (+53)5255 - 9091
Casa Miglis
TOP PICK
Style of food Swedish-Cuban fusion Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar)
Best for The beautifully designed interior, warm ambience and Miglis’s personality create the feeling of an oasis in Central Havana. Don’t Miss Chatting with Mr Miglis. The Skaargan prawns, beef Chilli and lingonberries. Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana www.casamiglis.com (+53) 7-864-1486
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HAVANA’S best Bars & Clubs
Corner Café TRADITIONAL BARS EL FLORIDITA Hemingway’s daiquiri bar. Touristy but always full of life. Great cocktails. Obispo #557 esq. a Monserrate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1299
1950S TRADITIONALS Guest performers include BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERS Sociedad Rosalía de Castro, Egido 504 e/ Monte y Dragones, Old Havana (+53) 5-270-5271
SLOPPY JOE’S BAR Recently (beautifully) renovated. Full of history. Popular. Lacks a little ‘grime’. Ánimas esq. a Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-7157
CERVECERÍA ANTIGUO ALMACÉN DE LA MADERA Y EL TABACO
Microbrewery located overlooking the restored docks Simply brilliant. Avenida del Puerto y San Ignacio, La Habana Vieja
CONTEMPORARY BARS EL COCINERO
ESPACIOS
TABARISH
FAC
Fabulous rooftop setting, great service, cool vibe.
Laid back contemporary bar with a real buzz in the back beergarden.
A comfortable place to chat / hang out with your friends. Great service.
X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Great concerts, funky young scene.
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado
Calle 10 #510, e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar
Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma.
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)
(+53) 7-832-2355
(+53) 7-836-3031
(+53) 7-202-9188
(+53) 5-329-6325 www.facebook.com/fabrica.deartecubano
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CONTEMPORARY BARS/CLUBS
Sangri-La
TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS
Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on the Havana Farundula in the most popular bar/ club.
DON CANGREJO Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong. Outdoor by the sea. Ave. 1ra e/ 16 & 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837
CORNER CAFÉ
SANGRI-LA
Great live music every day. very frequently by locals. Good tapas.
For the cool kids. Basement bar/club which gets packed at weekends.
Calle B e/ 1ra y 3ra. Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 7837 1220
Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 7-264-8343
Don’t Miss The best gin and tonic in Havana. Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 5-264-8343
GAY-FRIENDLY CABARET LAS VEGAS Can get dark and smoky but great drag show (11pm) from Divino—one of Cuba’s most accomplished drag acts. Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 7-264-8343
FASHION BAR HAVANA
CAFÉ BAR MADRIGAL
A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show.
Pop décor, fancy cocktails, and the staff’s supercilious attitude, this is a gathering spot for all types of folks.
San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676
Calle 17 #809 e/ 2 y 4, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2433
Corner Café
TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS
Best for Frequently by locals. Great tapas. Don’t Miss Live music every day. Calle B e/ 1ra y 3ra. Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 5-264-8343
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CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS
Espacios
Best for Laid back lounge atmosphere in the garden area which often has live music. Good turnover of people. Don’t Miss Ray Fernandez, Tony Avila, Yasek Mazano playing live sets in the garden. Calle 10 #510 e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar (+53) 7-202-2921
TOP PICK BAR / TRADITIONAL Best for Immense original bar lovingly restored. Good service, History.
Sloppy Joe´s Bar
Worst for Not quite grimy. Too clean. Ánimas, esq. Zulueta La Habana Vieja, (07) 866-7157
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Fábrica de Arte
TOP PICK
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CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS Best for X Alfonso’s superb new cultural center has something for everyone Don’t Miss Artists who exhibit work should demonstrate ongoing creativity and a commitment for social transformation. Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)
GAY FRIENDLY Best for A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show.
TOP PICK
Fashion Bar Havana
Don’t Miss The staff performing after 11pm San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676
TOP PICK
Bertolt Brecht
CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS
Best for Hanging out with hip & funky Cubans who like their live music. Don’t Miss Interactivo playing on a Wednesday evening. Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354 MAY 2017 81
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HAVANA’S
best live music venues
CONCERT VENUES KARL MARX THEATRE World class musicians perform prestigious concerts in Cuba’s best equipped venue. Calle 1ra esq. a 10, Miramar (+53) 7-203-0801
BASÍLICA SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS A truly beautiful church, which regularly hosts fabulous classical music concerts. Oficios y Amargura, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, Habana Vieja
FÁBRICA DE ARTE X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Great concerts inside (small and funky) and outside (large and popular!). Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)
SALA COVARRUBIAS TEATRO NACIONAL
Recently renovated, one of Cuba’s most prestigious venues for a multitude of events. Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución.
SALSA/TIMBA CAFÉ CANTANTE MI HABANA Attracts the best Cuban musicians. Recently renovated with an excellent new sound system. Ave. Paseo esq. a 39, Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 7-878-4273
CASA DE LA MÚSICA
CASA DE LA MÚSICA
CENTRO HABANA
MIRAMAR
A little rough around the edges but spacious. For better or worse, this is ground zero for the best in Cuban salsa.
Smaller and more up-market than its newer twin in Centro Habana. An institution in the Havana salsa scene.
Galiano e/ Neptuno y Concordia, C. Habana (+53) 7-860-8296/4165
Calle 20 esq. a 35, Miramar (+53) 7-204-0447
SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL The legendary beer garden where Arsenio tore it up. Look for a salsa/timba gig on a Sat night and a Sun matinee. Ave. 41 esq. a 46, Playa (+53) 7-203-5322
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CONTEMPORARY CAFÉ TATRO BERTOLT BRECHT
DON CANGREJO
EL SAUCE
Think MTV Unplugged when musicians play. Hip, funky and unique with an artsy Cuban crowd.
Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong. Outdoor by the sea.
Great outdoor concert venue to hear the best in contemporary & Nueva Trova live in concert.
Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354
Ave. 1ra e/ 16 y 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837
Ave. 9na #12015 e/ 120 y 130, Playa (+53) 7-204-6428
TEATRO DE BELLAS ARTES Small intimate venue inside Cuba’s most prestigious arts museum. Modern. Trocadero e/ Zulueta y Monserrate, Habana Vieja.
TROVA & TRADITIONAL BARBARAM PEPITO´S BAR Some of the best Cuban Nueva Trova musicians perform in this small and intimate environment. Calle 26 esq. a Ave. del Zoológico. Nuevo Vedado (+53) 7-881-1808
GATO TUERTO Late night place to hear fabulous bolero singers. Can get smoky. Calle O entre 17 y 19, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2224
TRADICIONALES DE LOS 50 The 1950s traditionals, a project created over 10 years ago, pays tribute to the Golden Era of Cuban music: the 1950s. Sociedad Rosalia de Castro, Egido #504 e/ Monte y Dragones, Havana Vieja (+53) 7-861-7761
SALÓN 1930
COMPAY SEGUNDO
Buena Vista Social Club style set in the grand Hotel Nacional. Hotel Nacional Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835-3896
JAZZ CAFÉ JAZZ MIRAMAR Clean, modern and atmospheric. Where Cuba’s best musicians jam and improvise. Cine Teatro Miramar 10:30pm – 2am Ave. 5ta esq. a 94, Miramar
JAZZ CAFÉ A staple of Havana’s jazz scene, the best jazz players perform here. Somewhat cold atmospherewise. Galerías de Paseo Ave. 1ra e/ Paseo y A, Vedado
LA ZORRA Y EL CUERVO Intimate and atmospheric, which you enter through a red telephone box, is Cuba’s most famous. Calle 23 e/ N y O, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2402
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HAVANA’S
magazine
Hotel Nacional de Cuba
Best Hotels
SIMPLY THE BEST… IBEROSTAR PARQUE CENTRAL
Luxury hotel overlooking Parque Central Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-6627
SANTA ISABEL
Luxurious historic mansion facing Plaza de Armas Narciso López, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201
SARATOGA
TERRAL
Stunning view from roof-top pool. Beautiful décor.
Wonderful ocean front location. Newly renovated.
Paseo del Prado #603 esq. a Dragones, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201
Malecón esq. a Lealtad, Centro Habana (+53) 7-862-8061
BOUTIQUE HOTELS IN OLD HAVANA FLORIDA
Beautifully restored colonial house. Obispo #252, esq. a Cuba, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-862-4127
PALACIO DEL MARQUÉS...
Cuban baroque meets modern minimalist Oficios #152 esq. a Amargura, Habana Vieja
HOSTAL VALENCIA
Immensely charming, great value. Oficios #53 esq. a Obrapía, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1037
CONDE DE VILLANUEVA
Delightfully small and intimate. For cigar lovers. Mercaderes #202, Lamparilla (+53) 7-862-9293
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MELIÁ HABANA
Oasis of polished marble and professional calm.
Attractive design & extensive facilities.
Ave Paseo e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado (+53) 7- 833-3636
Ave. 3ra y 70, Miramar (+53) 5-204-8500
OCCIDENTAL MIRAMAR
magazine
H10 HABANA PANORAMA
Good value, large spacious modern rooms.
Cascades of glass. Good wi-fi. Modern.
Ave. 5ta. e/ 70 y 72, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3583
Ave. 3ra. y 70, Miramar (+53) 7 204-0100
FOR A SENSE OF HISTORY AMBOS MUNDOS
MERCURE SEVILLA
HOTEL NACIONAL
RIVIERA
A must for Hemingway aficionados
Stunning views from the roof garden restaurant.
Eclectic art-deco architecture. Gorgeous gardens.
Spectacular views over wavelashed Malecón
Calle Obispo #153 esq. a Mercaderes, Habana Vieja (+53) 7- 860-9529
Trocadero #55 entre Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8560
Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835 3896
Paseo y Malecón, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4051
ECONOMICAL/BUDGET HOTELS BOSQUE
DEAUVILLE
SAINT JOHN’S
VEDADO
On the banks of the Río Almendares.
Lack of pretension, great location.
Lively disco, tiny quirky pool. Popular.
Good budget option with a bit of a buzz
Calle 28-A e/ 49-A y 49-B, Reparto Kohly, Playa (+53) 7-204-9232
Galiano e/ Sán Lázaro y Malecón, Centro Habana (+53) 7-866-8812
Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-833-3740
Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4072
HAVANA’S Best Hotels
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HAVANA’S
best private places to stay Sueño Cubano
MID RANGE - CASA PARTICULAR (B&B) 1932 MIRAMAR 301 LUXURY HOUSE Visually stunning, historically fascinating. Welcoming. 4 bedrooms private luxury villa Campanario #63 e/ San Lázaro y Laguna, with swimming pool Centro Habana (+53) 7-863-6203
HABANA Beautiful colonial townhouse with great location.
JULIO Y ELSA Cluttered bohemian feel. Hospitable.
Calle Habana #209, e/ Empedrado, y Tejadillo, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-861-0253
Consulado #162 e/ Colón y Trocadero, Centro Habana ( +53) 7-861-8027
UP-SCALE B&BS (BOUTIQUE HOSTALS) SUEÑO CUBANO
Old palace carefully restored, seven rooms, suites with bathrooms and featuring 24 hour service. Calle Santa Clara número 66 entre Oficios e Inquisidor. Habana Vieja 53 78660109 39 339 1817730
LA RESERVA VEDADO 5 luxurious rooms in a renovated colonial mansion . The tropical garden in the courtyard, ideal to eat, drink and relax. Calle 2 entre 21 y 23 numero 508. Vedado, La Habana
[email protected] (53) 7 8335244 http://lareservavedado.com/
VITRALES
Hospitable, attractive and reliable boutique B&B with 9 bedrooms. Habana #106 e/ Cuarteles y Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-2607
PASEO 206
Incredible boutique hotel and restaurant. Luxury and comfort combined. Paseo, 206 – Vedado. (+53) 7 8313423, (+53) 5 3600384
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APARTMENT RENTALS BOHEMIA BOUTIQUE APARTMENTS
Gorgeous 1-bedroom apartment beautifully decorated apartment overlooking Plaza Vieja. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja (+53) 5- 403-1 568 (+53) 7-836-6567 www.havanabohemia.com
CASA CONCORDIA
Beautifully designed and spacious 3 bedroom apartment. Spanish colonial interiors with cheerful, arty accents. Concordia #151 apto. 8 esq. a San Nicolás, Centro Habana (+53) 5-254-5240 www.casaconcordia.net
TROPICANA PENTHOUSE
A luxurious penthouse with huge roof terrace and breath-taking 360 degree views of Havana and the ocean. Galiano #60 Penthouse Apt.10 e/ San Lázaro y Trocadero
SUITE HAVANA
Elegant 2-bedroom apartment in restored colonial building. Quality loft style décor. Lamparilla #62 altos e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio, Habana Vieja (+53) 5-829-6524
(+53) 5-254-5240 www.tropicanapenthouse.com
LUXURY HOUSES VILLASOL
CASABLANCA
Rent Room elegant and wellequipped. Beautiful wild garden and great pool.
Elegant well-equipped villa formerly owned by Fulgencio Batista. Beautiful wild garden.
Calle 17 #1101 e/ 14 y 16, Vedado
Morro-Cabaña Park. House #29
(+34) 677525361 (+53) 7-832-1927 (+53) 5-360-0456
(+53) 5-294-5397 www.havanacasablanca.com
MICHAEL AND MARÍA ELENA
This leafy oasis in western Havana has an attractive mosaic tiled pool and three modern bedrooms. Calle 66 #4507 e/ 45 y Final, Playa (+53) 7-209-0084
RESIDENCIA MARIBY
A sprawling vanilla-hued mansion with 6 rooms decorated with colonial-era lamps, tiles and Louis XV furniture Vedado. (+53) 5-370-5559
Bohemia Boutique Apartments Red
TOP PICK
Best for 3 small balconies (facing the Patio of the Palace), 1 spacious bedroom with air conditioning Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja
[email protected] (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567
www.havanabohemia.com
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TOP PICK
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Paseo 206 Best for The hotel staff not only picks up guests at the airport in perfectly restored vintage automobiles, they take you to fruit and vegetable markets where you can choose what you want to eat later in the day. Don’t Miss The luxury bedroom. Two areas on the house are extra-special: a glass-wall sitting room surrounded by plants, and a room in the dome with a splendid view of the Caribbean Sea.
Sueño Cubano
TOP PICK
Best for Old palace carefully restored, seven rooms, suites with bathrooms and featuring 24 hour service. Don’t Miss Relax at any of the four terraces, feel the mellow touch of antique and original Cuban furniture.
TOP PICK
Bohemia Boutique Apartments Blue Best for i1 internal balcony, 1 spacious bedroom on the mezzanine with air conditioning. Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja
[email protected] (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567 MAY 2017 89
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THANK YOU Wishes to thank all of the following entities for their support and involvement with La Habana.com