full events guide

Transcription

full events guide

sep
In co-operation with
2014
Let us Pray, Sep 8
6th Leo Brouwer
Festival, Sep 26-Oct 12
The Word on the
Street. by Conner Gorry
Cuba spiritual ISSUE
Havana Guide
Restaurants — Bars & Clubs — Accommodation
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editorial
Cover picture by Alex Mene:
Devotees of Our Lady of Regla,
Sept 2013
We have found our spiritual side month. Maybe it was the ice-cold bucket of water that provoked some inner
contemplation; perhaps it was the 24-hour yoga session or maybe it was simply something in the air this
month—whatever it was, we are paying tribute to Cuba’s smorgasbord of beliefs and traditions, which largely
co-exist in a happy equilibrium.
After all, when you scratch beneath the surface in Cuba everyone believes in something—observe the most
inflexible atheist when the Cuban baseball team gets to the final of the World Baseball Classic!
September 8 marks the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and this is celebrated in various processions
throughout Cuba. Conner Gorry is not buying into this religious renaissance and her article on the Pope’s
visit to Cuba back in 2013 may be the necessary antidote for any remaining atheists who are not buying it.
Lydia Bell and Antonio Baiano, who explore Santeria and the Secrets of the Saints, delve into the African
roots of Cuba. Victoria Alcalá rounds out this religious issue with a piece on the past and present Jewish
community in Cuba.
September is a month for dance in Havana. Ballet, folkloric, Modern dance, Spanish dance—take your pick.
We recommend Danza Abierta’s ShowRoom (Sep13), Ballet Español de Cuba (Sep 16-17) at Teatro Mella and
Habana Rakatán at Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht (Sep 12-13).
At the end of September, get ready for the 6th Leo Brouwer Festival, which is truly one of Cuba’s premier
music festivals with world-class invitees scheduled to participate.
If you have a chance, don’t miss the final summer party at Club Havana on Sunday night. These parties have
been rocking all summer—beautiful people blowing bubbles at a hedonistic fiesta of music and dance.
Do check out our expanded Havana Guide, which is growing to accommodate the new bars, restaurants and
casas particulares that continue to spring forth adding vitality and energy to Havana’s entertainment and
hospitality scene.
September 2014 Highlights (Havana, unless stated)
•
Sep 7, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
•
Sep 26-Oct 12, 6th Leo Brouwer Festival
Thanks to all of our contributors, sponsors, partners and readers. Do please keep providing us with your
feedback, comments and suggestions. All enquiries should be directed to Sophia Beckman at CubaAbsolutely@
gmail.com. All the best. Viva Cuba!
September 2014
photo by Alex Mene
Features
[Cuba spiritual ISSUE]
Cuba’s religious ajiaco (stew) p8
by Margaret Atkins
Praise Be to Our Lady of Charity p11
by Lucia Lamadrid
The black Cuban Virgin dressed in blue p14
by Victoria Alcalá
Let Us Pray: The Pope comes to Cuba p16
by Conner Gorry
The Jewish community in Cuba: past and present p20
Unlocking the secrets of the saints in Cuba p23
by Lydia Bell
Santeria, the African roots of Cuba p26
by Antonio Baiano
Summer Fashion: Iyawó Style p29
by Isabella Ramos
Havana
Listings
Havana style
Visual Arts p31 — Photography p35 — Dance p36 —
Music p39 — Theatre p49 — For Kids p50
Alicia Leal: A universal mysticism p33
6th Leo Brouwer Chamber Music Festival p51
The Word on the Street p64
by Conner Gorry
El Gato Tuerto – 54 years old and still packing it for
‘filin’ p66
El Litoral – An inspiration on the Malecón p68
Havana Guide
Features — Restaurants — Bars & Clubs — Live Music —
Hotels — Private Accommodation p74
!
Not to miss during September 2014 what’s on havana
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sum
1
15
22
29
What’s On Havana is Nativity of the
out—make a plan for Blessed Virgin Mary
the rest of the month
Frank Delgado and
Buena Fe in Concert
September 15, 10pm
Teatro Karl Marx
Monday night—go
traditional bar
hopping: Bodeguita
del Medio, El
Floridita, Sloppy
Joe’s.
El papel de la
cultura en el Caribe
hoy Casa de las
Américas, September
29-October 3
2
9
16
23
30
Dinner at Mr Miglis’s
Swedish-Cuban
fusion oasis of good
food and style in
Centro Habana
Y lo español se baila
así... @ Teatro Mella,
Sept 16 & 17,
Get a beer or six at
Girl’s night out—
Havana’s best new
Cocinero, Up &
brewery: Cervecería Down, Sangri-La
Antiguo Almacén de
la Madera y el Tabaco
3
10
17
24
Dinner at Santy,
Jaimanitas’s off the
beaten track world
class sushi restaurant
Dinner at El Litoral,
one of Havana’s best
new restaurants—
watch life pass by the
Malecón.
4
11
18
25
Jornada Pinar HipHop, September 4-7,
Pinar del Río
Dinner at La Guarida Festival Nacional
Metal HG, September
Havana’s legendary
restaurant located in 18-21, Holguín
Centro Habana
5
12
Concert by pianist
Ernán López-Nussa
and his trio @ Basílica
Menor de San
Francisco de Asís
Posible imposible by
Habana Rakatán @
Centro Cultural Bertolt Retazos @ Sala Las
Carolinas, Sept 19 &
Brecht (Sep 12-13)
20
La Cenicienta según
los Beatles Compañía
“La Colmenita”, Sept
12 & 14, 10:30am.
6
13
Watch peace break out
between Russian and
Ukranian diplomats
at Cuba’s premier
Soviet restaurant,
Nazdarovie
Ecos Dance Company
Danza Abierta
ShowRoom @ Sala de @ Teatro América,
El Ciervo Encantado, 8pm
8.30pm
Ernán López-Nussa
@ Teatro Nacional,
Ballet Nacional de
8.30pm
Cuba @ (Sep 12-13)
En Buena
Compañía, Carpa
Trompoloco, Sat &
Sun, 4pm & 7pm
7
14
21
28
Weekend at Cayo
Levisa organized by
Cubania Travel
La Máquina de la
Melancolía, with
Frank Delgado and
Luis Alberto García
@ El Sauce, 5pm
Beach day–enjoy the
gorgeous Jibacoa
8
19
20
III Encuentro Amigos
del Jazz, September
25-28, Santiago de
Cuba
26
Opening of En
colección @ Factoría
Habana, Sep 26-Oct
12, 6th Leo Brouwer
Festival
27
.com With a passion for Cuba
Mon
Tue
Wed
With a Passion for Cuba
Mon
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sum
contents
page
7
photos by Alex Mene
Cuba’s religious ajiaco (stew)
by Margaret Atkins
It is an undeniable fact that Cubans are on the
whole a religious people. Strictly-by-the-book
dialectic materialism, poorly taught, poorly
repeated and poorly believed never firmly took
hold of the collective consciousness. Atheism
has lost the battle and it is a fact that today, in
Cuba, almost everybody believes in “something.”
“Something” can mean Marist devotion, adherence
to the entities making up the Yoruba pantheon,
the Bantu spirits of Africa, the spirits of the dead
who are called upon to help or torment the living,
the soul that helps a woman hold on to her man,
universal energy, Our Lord Jesus Christ who died
on the Cross to relieve us of our sins…or the
mushroom that grants the person growing it three
wishes and passes it on to another to form a chain
of faith.
In Cuba, there are Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons,
Jews, Orthodox, Muslims, Protestants of various
denominations, disciples of the “New Era”
movement and followers of the spiritualism of
Yoga. The economic crisis unleashed after the fall
of the socialist bloc and the religious tolerance
after years of political roadblocks that terminated
with the constitutional reform of 1991 and the
aperture permitting believers of all faiths to join
the Communist Party are factors that have helped
along the religious explosion that today permeates
every stratum of society. Of all the tendencies,
the Catholic faith is the oldest; it was brought by
the Conquistadors and the aboriginal religions
disappeared along with the aboriginal peoples. The
Africans would enter the picture later on when the
local labor force had become spent.
In a recent publication, the Catholic Church stated
that in 2012 approximately 52 % of the population
was Catholic; this included non-apostate baptized
persons. It has been said, however, that formal
practitioners only number around 200,000.
Popular religions are very noticeable: this is
something common to all peoples but much more
extended throughout Latin America. It is a term
that has been much discussed and which includes
a long list of phenomena. There are those in Cuba
who are visibly and actively committed to the
Christian community. There are those who believe
“in their own way,” belonging to a church in which
they have been baptized and for which they feel
a certain sense of belonging, but do not regularly
attend Mass. They will have their children baptized
because it is the custom or because they think it is
something “good for them.” And that’s the extent
of it. There are those who believe in God but not in
the priests and they won’t set foot inside a church
if their lives depended on it. There are those who
have Masses for their dead, they pray and wear
contents
page
8
Photo by Alex Mene
Saint Barbara whenever it thunders because her
father, who had her put to death on account of
her faith, died struck down by lightning in holy
retribution. She is the patron of storms, firemen
and miners. Saint Barbara is a Christian martyr
and is often shown lifting the sword that cut off
her head and for that reason she is erroneously
associated with war.
crucifixes and collect blessed palm leaves on
Palm Sunday and attend the Midnight Mass once
a year. There are those who feel themselves to
be Catholic and yet they incorporate into their
faith the elements of the African cults in an act of
syncretism. A young colleague of mine once said
that for him spiritual life was like an empty bag
that gained in value the more it contained. And
that was why he managed to be babalawo, palero,
spiritualist, Catholic and Communist all at the
same time.
Without going to such lengths of cultural mixing,
it is true that many Cubans are Catholic in a very
special way. It is amazing to see the passionate
devotion to the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre,
patroness of the Island. Our Lady of Charity’s
Basilica at El Cobre near the city of Santiago de
Cuba is visited by countless faithful who go there to
make and carry out promises and make offerings.
Before she became the official patroness of Cuba,
she was the protector of Indians and blacks. The
first Cuban flag that fluttered over the liberating
troops of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes was sewn
from the cloth of the Virgin’s canopy.
Saint Jude Thaddeus, Saint Rita of Cascia and
Saint Expeditus have been gaining in popularity in
recent years. They intercede in impossible cases
and urgent causes and Cubans beseech them
whenever they are faced by some circumstance
that they cannot resolve on their own. Saint Jude
is especially consulted to intercede in migratory
matters.
People pray to the Virgin of Regla, a black virgin
brought from Andalusia in Spain. The fishing
village on the other side of Havana Bay was named
after her and is where the Iglesia de la Virgen de
Regla church is located. Our Lady of Mercy also
has a large following. There are home which also
have a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus so that
prayers can be offered to Jesus for indulgence and
compassion. The Virgin of Loreto has been extraofficially declared patron of Havana’s new-born
real-estate business. If you want to sell or buy a
house, that’s who you should pray to.
San Lázaro, whose sanctuary is at El Rincón on the
outskirts of Havana, is a strange case because he
is not an official saint nor does his name appear
on any calendar. The image that presides the altar
of the church is Lazarus, Bishop of Marseille, but
the pilgrims actually pay respect -- to another
image situated to the left of the high altar, which
the Church considers the same saint, but which
popular tradition identifies with the Syncretic
Lazarus, the one in crutches accompanied by a
dog. If you are in Havana in December, you can
take part in a huge pilgrimage because this poor,
sickly Saint Lazarus accompanied by his dogs has
been attributed with extraordinary powers over
life and health.
Another beloved saint is Barbara. A popular saying
has it that there are persons who only remember
Photo by Y. Monte
contents
page
9
In every case, devotion to these saints is based
on utilitarian needs. If you have lost something,
get in touch with Saint Dismas, the Good Thief; if
you want to get married, hang an image of Saint
Anthony on the wall. One lady who is in charge of
selling prints at an important church in Havana
says: “People ask me what the saints are good for,
as if they were appliances.” And in many cases,
there is a syncretic relationship between Catholic
saints and the entities in the Yoruba pantheon.
To add to the confusion, these African deities are
generically referred to as santos, that is, saints.
Are you confused now? Well, that’s hardly
surprising. Cuba is a small island but its spiritual
world is enormous. What is perhaps the best
feature is that every faith appears to coexist in
harmony. Across the street where I live, there is an
apartment building. The family on the first floor
are 100% Catholic; the one on the second floor
are santeros—the kind that play the drums at least
three times a year—while the family of Pentecostals
who libve on the top floor go to church regularly
on Wednesdays and Sundays. Every morning,
these three families all go and buy their bread at
the same bakery, they greet each other and share
stories, troubles and vicissitudes. That’s what
people are like here. I love that, don’t you?
Continue to read full article + slideshow
contents
page 10
Praise Be to Our Lady of Charity
(La Virgen de la Caridad)
by Lucia Lamadrid
photos by Alex Mene
contents
page
11
While many Cubans are by nature somewhat
skeptical when it comes to religion, it doesn’t take
much of a mishap before “Our Lady of Charity”
(often known by the more intimate “Cachita”) is
invoked for believers and non-believers alike.
The church is well aware that while some people
venerate the Marian image of Our Lady of Charity,
others worship Ochun, the Orisha of love and
money, the river Goddess, who always wears
yellow and still others manage to worship both
the Christian virgin and the goddess of the Yoruba
religion syncretized in one.
The image itself is syncretic—part of a process
that has occurred through the centuries. The
white man, the black man and the mulatto that
lie at her feet in a small boat is a reminder of the
three men—one black and two Indians—who found
a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary holding
the child Jesus in her arms while sailing around
the Bay of Nipe in the early 17th century. The
statue was fastened to a board with an inscription
saying “I am the Virgin of Charity.” This is the same
diverse, multiracial and devout Cuban people that
now make the pilgrimage, rain or shine, and adorn
the road with yellow sunflowers, calling out to her
over and over: “Praise be to Our Lady of Charity!”
contents
page 12
For the Catholic world as a whole, September
8 marks the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
She is venerated in many countries, cities and
regions as their patroness, usually under a specific
title or apparition. This is the case of Cuba, which
celebrates that day as the feast day of Our Lady of
Charity.
Every year, several thousands of Cubans of all ages,
races and social position accompany the statue in
the traditional procession that takes place in the
working-class neighborhood of Centro Habana.
This tradition was taken up again after the historic
visit of Pope John Paul to Cuba in 1998. The statue
of the Virgin is carried on a platform followed by
a throng of people that carry candles or flowers—
sunflowers mostly. Many wear yellow, which is
the color that identifies Our Lady of Charity. The
people walk solemnly for several blocks around
Nuestra Señora de la Caridad Parrish in Centro
Habana. The procession is headed by Jaime Ortega,
Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Havana.
Mass and made an appeal for peace around the
world, in particular Syria.
Although the principal celebration on this day
takes place in Santiago de Cuba at the Virgin’s
National Sanctuary, this beautiful and moving
demonstration of faith takes place all over Cuba.
Our Lady of Charity is a symbol of identity for
Cubans wherever they may be, and her significance
transcends the Catholic faith to the culture and
history of Cuba.
This past September 8, 2013, was no different
in Havana. During the procession, the people
sang hymns, prayed and shouted Viva! to Cuba’s
Patroness and the Church. Other people followed
the procession from the rooftops and porches of
their homes. The procession ended at the Parrish
of Our Lady of Charity where the Archbishop said
Photo Ana Lorena
contents
page 13
photos by Alex Mene
The black Cuban Virgin dressed in blue
(The pilgrimage of Our Lady of Regla)
by Victoria Alcalá
contents
page 14
Our Lady of Regla has an illustrious history that
goes back to Saint Augustine (354–430), one of
the early Fathers of the Church who, it is said, had
received heavenly instructions to carve a statue of
a black virgin in wood and to place it in his chapel
in Hippo, present-day Annaba in Algeria. Thirteen
years after the death of St. Augustine, when Hippo
was attacked and destroyed by the Vandals, the
monks fled to Spain and took the statue with
them. They placed it on a spot that looked out
to sea, and this is where the devotion began. In
time, Our Lady of Regla became the patroness of
mariners. This is why it was also adopted as the
patron saint of the quaint village of Regla, located
on the northeastern side of Havana’s Bay in a preColumbian Indian settlement that would later be
populated by fishermen and sailors.
On the Virgin’s feast day, September 7, the faithful
come to Cuba’s National Sanctuary of Our Lady
of Regla, continuing a tradition that began in the
17th century. The image that we see today is an
exact copy of the head of the original statue. It
was brought from Spain in 1696 by Sergeant Major
Don Pedro de Aranda y Avellaneda and placed
on the altar of the church that substituted the
original wooden structure, which was destroyed
by a hurricane. Today’s Sanctuary, a modest and
humble building erected from 1811 to 1818, is far
from majestic. Its altars are not filled with gold
or other material riches. It stands on a small rise
fittingly facing the sea.
The statue of the Black Madonna, as it is also known,
has lived an adventurous life. When Havana was
captured by the British in 1762, it was taken to the
church of the small town of El Calvario, and then
to a sugar mill in nearby Managua. This was done
to prevent the statue from falling in the hands of
the subjects of “treacherous Albion.” In 1958, it
was abducted, with the priest’s knowledge and
consent, by young revolutionaries who opposed
Batista’s dictatorship.
As with Our Lady of Charity, devotion for Our Lady
of Regla is part of this wonderful potpourri, which,
according to the Cuban scholar Don Fernando
Ortiz, is the basis of the Cuban nationality. The
Virgin of Regla is syncretized with the Orisha
Yemayá, owner of the moon, the seas and
everything that lives there. She is vested with
marine symbols, such as shells, conches, anchors,
boats, corals, seaweeds and starfish. And her color,
of course, is blue like the sea. While the pilgrimage
of the patron saint of Cuba, Our Lady of Charity,
is filled with yellow, the pilgrimage of Our Lady of
Regla, the Cuban black virgin, is blue, as befits the
Queen of the Seas.
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Let Us Pray: The Pope comes to Cuba
by Conner Gorry
As
anti-climactic
as
the
Immaculate
Conception—I’m sure you’ve already divined
that the religious importance of having his
Holiness here held no interest for me and in this
I’m not alone: I’ve never seen an event so thinly
attended in the iconic Plaza de la Revolución
in my 10 years here. In fact, we strolled into
the central area just a few moments before the
9:30 mass kicked off and were going against
the current of people streaming away from the
square. “I came and took the pictures I wanted;
I’m going home,” a friend I ran into said.
The curiosity seekers and thin crowds were
surprising but make sense: as a whole, Cubans
just aren’t that church-y. Religious and faithbound, yes, but that’s different from kneeling
before a man in a dress and goofy hat while
he proselytizes a doctrine peppered with sins
bound to doom your mortal soul.
there—especially when refracted through the lense
of reporters sent to cover such an event—does not
accurately reflect what we’re experiencing on the
ground. It’s not only that every media outlet from
The Militant to FoxNews has an agenda. The view
is skewed also because Cuba newbies rarely grasp
the complexities of our context (see note 2), nor the
attendant history influencing those complexities.
You don’t get this perspective unless you’ve been
around and stick around and only if you speak
Spanish—even a translator is no guarantee (see
note 3).
So let me tell you about the mass I attended
yesterday under a blazing sun, delivered by a froglike man in a funny hat.
What folks are saying: One of the pervasive myths
about Cubans is that they’re afraid to speak their
I ventured once again outside my comfort zone
yesterday here in Havana: I went to mass. It was
as oppressive (and let’s be frank, hypocritical) as
I remember from Jesuit high school (see note 1),
although this one was presided over by the big
Catholic kahuna himself, Pope Benedict XVI. It was
also mercifully short.
While I’m sure you’re oversaturated with ‘The Pope
in Cuba’ news up your way, one of the indelible
lessons I’ve learned in my 10 years of island
residency is that the picture you get of here from
contents
page 16
minds or offer opinions, and that self-censorship
is rampant. While it’s undeniable that people keep
their heads far below the parapet in the workplace
and have the tendency to adjust responses to what
they think people want to hear, I’ve always found
Cubans to be fiercely opinionated—once you get to
know them. Or more to the point: once they get to
know you.
The Pope’s visit confirmed this impression.
“I’m so sick of this Pope.”
“Wasn’t he a Fascist?”
“I’ll come by your house once The Almighty Pope
leaves and things calm down.”
“Son of a b@&*h! The Pope took our Internet.” (see
note 4)
“Faith, hope, and peace: that’s what it’s all about.”
Rocking our rum-pork-party holy trinity:
Another element piquing my interest was how
Cubans approached this whole Papal visit.
Essentially, yesterday felt much like hurricane
preparation and landfall: people laid in stores
and stayed home watching events unfold on TV,
with some chicharrones and a bottle of rum close
at hand. Except—and this was a rude awakening
for several of my unprepared friends—authorities
instituted a booze ban the evening before, which
lasted until the Pope Mobile and its cargo were
safely at the airport. So those who didn’t lay in the
ron were homebound with pork, friends, and family,
but no curda. In my decade here, I only recall a few
alcohol-free events: election days are always dry
and if I’m not mistaken, they did the same during
the Non-Aligned Summit here in 2006. Let me tell
you: no rum makes Havana kinda grumpy.
Revenue coup:
The cleverness of Cuba never ceases to amaze me
and yesterday didn’t disappoint once I saw the
huge numbers of tourists in the Plaza for mass. My
first clue was the distinguished older gentleman of
means dressed in khakis, a pink Oxford, and penny
loafers, with not a gin and tonic in sight; clearly not
one of us. I started looking closely at the crowd and
their clothes and distinguishing different accents.
Nicaragua, Argentina, Chile, Panama, the DR, USA,
PR, Mexico, Venezuela—flags from all across Latin
America snapped in the wind whipping across the
Plaza and I realized that aside from the pride and
so-called “soft power” the Papal visit signified, it
also represented a hugely-needed and greatly-
appreciated influx of tourist cash. There wasn’t
a hotel room to be found; paladares overflowed;
extra charter flights were added from Florida. And
all Habaneros (save for cops and docs), were given
a paid day off. This is the type of devotion we could
use more of and we thank you for supporting the
cause.
The US matters less: After Juan Pablo II’s visit in
1998, Bill Clinton’s White House issued a press
release announcing new policies ostensibly
resulting from this historic trip. Most importantly,
the release approved people-to-people visits in
order to foment “regime change” and “promote
a peaceful transition to democracy”—concepts
mentioned no fewer than six times in the short
document. Blatantly threatening the national
sovereignty of an independent and peaceful
country thusly is absurd enough, but that Obama
maintains precisely the same policies and parrots
exactly the same rhetoric 14 years later, that’s just
loco. While the US is embarrassingly and unjustly
static in its policy, the world and, importantly, Cuba
has changed—is changing still. Raúl is a different
bird from his brother and that manifests itself in
many ways, including less of the ping pong policymaking that based decisions on what the bully to
the North was doing. That’s how it looks publically
anyway.
Holy jama!
As anti-climactic as the Immaculate Conception:
I’m sure you’ve already divined that the religious
importance of having his Holiness here held no
interest for me and in this I’m not alone: I’ve never
seen an event so thinly attended in the iconic Plaza
de la Revolución in my 10 years here. In fact, we
strolled into the central area just a few moments
before the 9:30 mass kicked off and were going
against the current of people streaming away from
the square. “I came and took the pictures I wanted;
I’m going home,” a friend I ran into said. The
curiosity seekers and thin crowds were surprising
but make sense: as a whole, Cubans just aren’t that
church-y. Religious and faith-bound, yes, but that’s
different from kneeling before a man in a dress
and goofy hat while he proselytizes a doctrine
peppered with sins bound to doom your mortal
soul. Cubans just aren’t down with that, but they
do love a spectacle: one of my favorite moments
was when a women who wanted to taste the host
tried to fake her way through the motions while
the priest held the wafer aloft. When he caught on,
he patted her on the head and returned the host to
his jaba. Though the Pope himself failed to inspire,
Cubans never do.
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Notes
1. This, Fidel and I have in common, except those same Jesuits expelled me my junior year (another story entirely!)
2. A simple example: journalists arrive here and compose some flaccid or purply prose (even leading with it occasionally, dios mío)
about all the old cars rumbling about. For those of us with continuity here, that’s ‘dog bites man.’ The more compelling, ‘man bites
dog’ story is the unbelievable amount of new cars on the road and what that means for traffic, transport options, pollution, etc.
3. The press conference by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez upon the Pope’s arrival is case in point: his response to an Englishspeaking reporter about “freedom of consciousness” was elegant and sweeping in the original Spanish, mangled and less inspired
in English.
4. Cuba has limited bandwidth due to the US embargo-cum-blockade which prohibits the island from connecting to underwater
cables running nearby. Instead, the connection for the entire island is provided by a sole, slow Italian satellite. This bandwidth was
prioritized for visiting press so they could report live from Cuba. It’s back now, thankfully, obviously.
Conner Gorry is one of the most insightful writers about Cuba. Author of Here is Havana blog
(http://hereishavana.wordpress.com/), she also puts together the Havana Good Time iPad/
Phone/Touch application http://itunes.apple.com/app/havana-good-time/id385663683?mt=8
(Android version) http://sutromedia.com/android/Havana_Good_Time - essential guide to
What’s On in Havana.
contents
page 18
ALL FOR
US$ 2.99
Free updates
for life
Havana Good Time
Discover Havana on your iPhone, iPad and
Android, for the price of a mojito! Written
by resident author and travel expert,
Conner Gorry, Havana Good Time is:
Fully functional in Cuba
without internet connection
Top rates in iTunes
Scrupulously researched
and continually updated
Packed with the hottest new
clubs, bars and paladars
About the Author
Travel writer, essayist, and journalist Conner Gorry first landed in
Havana in 1993. Conner has traveled the length and breadth of Cuba
writing on everything from wild camping to disaster medicine,
5-cent cigars and funerals.
Photos by Humberto Mayol
The Jewish community in Cuba:
past and present
by Victoria Alcalá
There are records that the first Jews, among them
Luis Torres the man who introduced tobacco to
Europe and Rodrigo de Triana, arrived in Cuba
with Christopher Columbus. By undertaking such
a hazardous journey into the unknown they were
hoping to escape the long arm of the Spanish
Inquisition. It is said that the one and only female
governor of Cuba, Doña Isabel de Bobadilla, wife
of Hernando de Soto, also governor of Cuba
and explorer of Florida, had been converted to
Christianity. Likewise, it is thought that Pedro
Agustin Morell de Santa Cruz, Bishop of Santo
Domingo, much loved in Havana for his dignified
attitude during the 1762 English invasion, was
a convert; at the moment of his death he spoke
words in a “strange language” that could be
attributed to his possible condition of convert to
Christianity. Within the quiet and under-cover
settlement of Jews during the colonial era, there
was the outstanding Diaz-Pimienta “dynasty” of
Portuguese descent; some members of this family
were well-known shipbuilders and smugglers and
they intermarried with African women.
the new possibilities opening up with the recently
won independence from Spain. Just two years
after the birth of the Republic in 1904, the United
Hebrew Congregation was inaugurated and in
1906 they acquired a cemetery in the outskirts of
Guanabacoa (Independencia and Avenida de los
Mártires). The community at that time numbered
around one hundred families, including the
prominent family of the businessman Steinhart,
founder of the Cuban Tramways and Electrical
Company.
A number of Jews took part in the wars for Cuban
independence and others collaborated with José
Martí in the United States. During the American
intervention of 1898, a number of Jews (almost all
of Rumanian descent) arrived in Cuba attracted by
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Many centers and institutions were created in
the early 1920s: the Orthodox Jewish Adath Israel
(1925), the Jewish Leftist Union (1926), the women’s
organization Forein Farein (1926), the Zionist Union
of Cuba (1929), Knesset Israel (1929) Wiso (1942),
etc. In 1953, the Jewish Community House Trust
was established and its large community center
was built, an excellent design by architect Aquiles
Capablanca, who combinrd the Cuban Modernist
Movement with Jewish spirituality becoming one
of the jewels of modern Havana architecture. In
1959, the Sephardic Jewish Center of Cuba was
founded.
In 1952, the total Jewish population reached around
15,000 with approximately 75% of them living in
Havana and the rest in the other provinces except
Pinar del Rio. By this time the poverty which
had accompanied many of the new-arrivals was
far behind, transformed into family prosperity
with some considerable fortunes and a highly
respected professional sector. Ideas of work-ethic
and intelligence identified the Jewish community
among other Cubans. In relatively a few short
years, the Jewish community had transformed
from peddlers (it was said they had introduced
credit sales to Cuba) to prosperous businessmen
and entrepreneurs. Their descendants were
doctors, architects and lawyers and they left the
so-called Jewish or “Polaco” Quarter in La Habana
Vieja to set up homes in El Vedado or Miramar as a
symbol of their newly-acquired social status.
Sephardic Jews who had been expelled from Turkey
and the Middle East, suffering from the asphyxiating
economic situation, arrived in Cuba in the first
decades of the twentieth century and established
the Chevet Ahim community organization. In the
1920s, the Ashkenazi immigration from Eastern
Europe began to arrive bringing mostly povertystricken Poles, Russians, Czechs and Hungarians,
among others. It seems that their ultimate goal was
to go on to the United States but the toughening
of US immigration policy forced them to lay down
roots in Cuban soil, which welcomed them into an
open and hospitable society. This European wave
of immigrants received the nickname of “polacos.”
Cubans tended to call all Jews Poles regardless of
their actual geographic provenance. By 1925, there
were roughly 8,000 Jews on the Island (about
5,200 Ashkenazi, more than 2,500 Sephardic Jews
and 100 Americans). Anti-Semitic persecutions
of the 1940s in Europe also contributed to Jewish
emigration. Refugees from Belgium introduced
the diamond industry into Cuba; at its height
there were 24 factories with approximately 1,000
workers.
With the abolishment of private business and
schools after 1959, more than 90% of the Cuban
Jewish community, mainly businessmen and
professionals, emigrated. Most went to the US
and others left for other parts of Latin America,
Europe and even to Israel. This sudden exodus
caused a marked decline in the activities of the
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Jewish organizations, to the extent that the Jewish
Trust was forced to rent space in their splendid
building to theater groups while the Sephardic
Center entered into similar agreements with
musical institutions.
Nevertheless, the Jewish community was
reorganized and rebuilt. Today, there is a sustained
increase in numbers of young practicing Jews due
to the flexibility of accepting not just those born
to Jewish mothers as tradition dictates, but also
those who are Jewish on the paternal side and
even converts with no family histories. Of the
1,500 Jews in Cuba today, only about 100 have
both parents who are Jewish. Increases in Jewish
weddings, numbers of young people learning
Hebrew and studying Jewish history, activities
in the community library housing more than
13,000 volumes on Jewish philosophy and history
including texts written in Yiddish all point to the
revitalization of a community whose heritage is
part of the “ajiaco” [‘stew’ or melting pot] that is
Cuban nationality.
Principal Jewish Institutions Present Today in Cuba:
Comunidad Religiosa Hebrea Adath Israel de Cuba (Acosta
y Picota, La Habana Vieja)
Centro Hebreo Sefaradí de Cuba (17 y E, El Vedado)
Unión Hebrea Chevet Ahim (Inquisidor 407, La Habana
Vieja)
Patronato de la Casa de la Comunidad Hebrea de Cuba (13
e I, El Vedado)
Sinagoga Tiferet Israel (Camagüey), Sinagoga Hakitva
(Santiago de Cuba)
Cemeteries of Guanabacoa, Santa Clara, Camajuaní,
Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba.
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photos by Humberto Mayol
Unlocking the secrets of the saints in Cuba
by Lydia Bell
Rain is beating down on steaming asphalt in
central Havana, a hard-bitten patch of town. I
am looking for a street-corner rumba and know
my destination will call me by the 12/8 slap of a
palm on the Cuban batá and cajones—wooden
boxes—and that distinctive clave sound. Finally, I
find Callejón de Hamel, a graffiti-plastered alley
where, at noon on Sundays, Havana’s Afro-Cuban
community worship their gods with bewitching
dance and song.
Four centuries ago, African slaves brought to Cuba
by the Spanish were forbidden to practise their
native religion. They resisted by fusing African
deities with Catholic saints, worshipping them like
the Spanish did, but imbuing them with their own
gods’ characteristics. So the super-macho African
God, Shango, became Santa Barbara, a woman
clothed in the red colour associated with her fiery
African counterpart; Oya, the undergoddess of the
Niger River, became the Virgin of Candelaria.
Rumba is more than music and dance—it is the
expression of Cuba’s creole identity. The music
is a hybrid, blending Congolese percussion and
flamenco-style soul-baring singing in the Yoruba
language. It is rhythmic, dark, intense—one of the
island’s first and enduring sounds, and one that has
changed little since the colonial era. I see a man
and a woman doing a rooster-hen dance. Soon,
other dancers join. At some point, it becomes a
drum-fuelled marathon with spectators piling
in. The air is thick and soupy, the beat relentless.
Finally, I’ve had enough and elbow my way out of
the tiny corridor and head toward the work of
local painter Salvador González Escalona, who
started plastering the walls of this back alley with
vivid murals in 1990, bringing a sacred space to
this poorest part of town.
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need to be placated through gifts or, in extreme
cases, animal sacrifice to keep evil from the doors.
There’s a common phrase in Cuba: “Voy a tener que
ir a Guanabacoa” or “I need to go to Guanabacoa.”
But what it actually means is: “I am in trouble; only
a priest can save me.”
This township in eastern Havana, once a major
trading centre for slaves, has a marked Afro-Cuban
musical and cultural identity strongly associated
with Santería; the secret brotherhood of Abakuá
and Palo Monte, a nature-worship cult. It’s one
of those barrios where the potencia—literally,
spiritual potency--is strong. I go there with Tomás,
a Santería practitioner who runs grassroots
Santería tours in Havana for the uninitiated.
The Museo Histórico de Guanabacoa tells a
compelling story of the evolution of Afro Cuban
culture. Here, clever, youthful guides will prep
you on the main deities, from maternal Yemaya to
firebrand Shango. My guide, José, tells me that you
cannot understand Cuba until you know Santería,
which is present in the way Cubans eat, dress,
speak, think and act. He also tells me Santería,
because of its natural-born secrecy, could never
be suppressed during the austere Communist
years in the way Catholicism was.
Over time, they genuinely integrated customs and
beliefs from the Spanish. Some white Creoles—
native born Cubans of European descent—
adopted African practices too, and continue to
do so. Santería is growing in every sector of the
community, more publicly so since the mid-1990s,
as the government started to show a new tolerance
towards religion.
In many Cuban houses, eerie, unblinking dolls form
a mini altar laced with fruit and tobacco offerings,
icons of saints, crosses and seemingly random
objects. You might think this is a deep devotion
to Catholicism. But these are in fact marks of
Santería, still one of the best-kept secrets here.
Next stop is the Babalawo, the high priest. Tomás
takes me to the top guy in his neighborhood,
Diez de Octubre. The Babalawo is a tall white
man in his sixties, who is quietly dignified. I ask
for a consultation and I offer him some money.
(He makes the sign of the cross with it before
pocketing it.) He says he will consult Olorun—the
divination aspect of the great divine entity—about
my past, present and future, and leads me into a
bare kitchen.
He begins by writing details of my name and date of
birth, then embarks on a ritual of chanting in Yoruba
(invoking his ancestors to clarify his mind, Tomás
advises), splashing water from half a coconut shell,
tapping the table, clicking his fingers and throwing
a chain hung with discs of coconut rind on to the
You can spend weeks in Cuba, learn about the
Revolution, cigars, the proportion of Cadillacs to
Chevrolets, and how to live on ration books, and
yet learn nothing about Afro-Cuban culture. This
is due not to the lotus-eating indolence of tourists,
but the secrecy in which Santería is cloaked.
It was born in Nigeria, along the banks of the
Niger River, among the Yoruba people who had a
pantheon as rich as the Ancient Greeks. In Cuba,
about 25 deities remain. Santería says the orishas
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table. He keeps telling me to keep my open palms
towards him. I am slightly distracted by the sound
of a squealing pig somewhere in the house – Tomas
tells me that there is an initiation ceremony going
on as we speak, when the faithful make official
their association with Santería through days of
intense ritual and animal sacrifice. Then his wife
bursts in and makes everyone coffee, he lights up
a cigarette and starts chatting with Tomás . The
famous Cuban pragmatism is not diluted by any
magic at work, and it puts me at ease.
He tells me (Tomás is available to translate for
anyone who cannot speak Spanish) that I am in a
state of positive evaluation, that I have been blessed
with great tranquility in my relationship, gifted to
me by the orisha Oya. I’m feeling quite relieved.
Then he announces: “until the point of marriage.
The trouble is you are very bossy. You seem quiet
now but you could change suddenly and become
like a hurricane, doing something completely out
of character. You are way too demanding and your
husband knows this.”
He leans forward: “You better watch out because
you could become demented.”
Later that evening, slightly perturbed by this
onslaught, I read up on Oya. She is a warrior
woman who raises tornadoes and hurricanes, and
who guards the underworld.
Ever since meeting Tomás, I can’t help noticing
motifs of Santería everywhere I go: discarded
herbs on street corners; “initiated” Cubans wearing
white from head to toe (even their earrings, shoes
and umbrellas); strange artefacts and animal bones
in the surf.
One day, crossing the Rio Almendares, I look down
the lush, iridescent green vista of palm smothered
banks. On a boulder at the river edge is a smiling
woman about to chop a chicken’s head off into the
swirling emerald waters. Santería is everywhere, if
you choose to see it.
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
Getting there
Lydia Bell travelled with Esencia
Experiences (01481 714 898;
esenciaexperiences.com), which offers
a seven-day Santería-themed holiday
to Cuba from £1,590pp, including Virgin
Atlantic flights from Gatwick, B&B at the
Saratoga Hotel in Havana, an expertled half-day Santería tour with a visit
to a rumba and the Museo Histórico de
Guanabacoa.
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The images of Che Guevara and
Fidel Castro seem to watch over a
Santeria shrine.
Santeria, the African roots of Cuba
photos and text Antonio Baiano
I came into contact with Santeria for the first time in 1999. Impressed by the fervor that my Cuban
friends showed for it, I decided to investigate this cult, which may superficially appear as a form
of superstition or witchcraft in its worst meaning. Santeria indeed conceals great complexity in
both active and passive practice. It represents for its believers a guide and a support to their lives,
whose benefits are to be found in earthly life. A limpieza (cleansing) is a way to get rid of negative
influences and self-purify. An ebbò (offer) to an Orisha (the deity), whether a fruit basket or a ritual
sacrifice, is important to maintain closeness to the deity and receive help against the adversity.
Consulting a santero or a santera is a frequent practice, being primarily a moral support to the
daily difficulties.
Many people who have visited Cuba will have
come into contact with some aspects of daily life
intertwined with the culture and traditions of
Africa whether from the complex rhythms of Cuban
music through visual artists and performance art.
Probably the most explicit reference to the African
soul is to be found in Santeria, which represents
the synthesis of the cults of African slaves and the
Catholic religion. This embodies almost all aspects,
mystic and earthly, of the identity of African origin.
Josvani Hernández González,
possessed by Babalú-Ayé,
sprinkles some rum on the
participants to purify them.
I came into contact with Santeria for the first time
in 1999. Impressed by the fervor that my Cuban
friends showed for it, I decided to investigate this
cult, which may superficially appear as a form of
superstition or witchcraft in its worst meaning.
Santeria indeed conceals great complexity in both
active and passive practice. It represents for its
believers a guide and a support to their lives, whose
benefits are to be found in earthly life. A limpieza
(cleansing) is a way to get rid of negative influences
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page 26
In the first part of the ceremony,
the musicians play for the Orishas
facing the shrine.
and self-purify. An ebbò (offer) to an Oricha (the
deity), whether a fruit basket or a ritual sacrifice,
is important to maintain closeness to the deity
and receive help against the adversity. Consulting
a santero or a santera is a frequent practice, being
primarily a moral support to the daily difficulties.
When strolling the streets of Havana or of another
Cuban city, it is possible to be reached by the
echoes of drums and songs and eventually run
into the house from which they come. It is likely a
Toque de Santo (or de Tambor), one of the rituals
that I consider among the most fascinating and
engaging. This is one of the rites where the African
roots occur with their greatest intensity. Facing
the participants and the altar erected for the rite,
musicians play the sacred batàa drums and other
percussion, weaving complex polyrhythms of
African origin and singing chants to the Orishas
in the Yoruba language. Under the guidance of
drums and singings, one can see the trancelike
state of some participants. For the believers this
is the Oricha, who, through the possession of the
body and mind of the person, shows himself to the
participants and gives them support and advices.
It is this ritual as well as those involving the
sacrifice of animals, which provoke the most
critical reactions in non-believers. The trance can
generally provoke distrust, fear or charm, while
the ritual sacrifices often generate indignation and
pity. Critics often claim that Santeria is a means
to deceive and suck money from believers. In my
opinion, clearly there are some less than honest
santeros, which combined with naïve tourists may
contribute to a superficial appearance in some
instances.
We should not however go from this observation
to a general condemnation especially when this
is based on our own prejudices and our cultural
filters. This religion is one of the essential aspects
of Cuban culture, influencing the daily life of a large
part of the population. Understanding Santeria and
its rites is one of the ways for the comprehension of
the primary rhythms of everyday life in the island;
without forgetting that this cult is the testimony
of an identity that in vain conquerors attempted
to obliterate.
The “akpwon” (singer) “calls” the
Orishas in the ancient language
of the slaves to the rhythm of
batás, the ritual drums.
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Leading a santero to trance.
Antonio Baiano
Born in Naples (Italy) in 1962, Antonio has lived in Turin,
Italy since 1990. He began his photography career in 1997
shooting jazz concerts. His main interest is in reportage and
travel photography, which he sees as a mean of exploration
and knowledge of social themes and cultural diversities
and identities. He has attended several workshops with
David H. Harvey, Kent Kobersteen, Tomasz Tomaszewski
and Alexandra Boulat, which he considers fundamental in
developing his photo skills.
Antonio started the project “Roots” based on the AfroCaribbean religions, in 2001 and traveled various times until
2007 to Cuba and Brazil to shoot Santeria and Candomblé
rites and people. The photos from these reportages have
been exhibited in Cuba, France and Italy and a copy of them
is stored in “Casa de Africa” museum in Havana.
Antonio has also published pieces in various magazines and newspapers, and is a member since 2002 of
American Society of Media Photographers.
Antonio is an Italian reportage and travel photographer who has put together the ‘Roots’ project on
Santeria in Cuba and Candomble in Brazil.
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page 28
Photo Y. Monte
Summer Fashion: Iyawó Style
by Isabella Ramos
“Santo Iyawó.” That’s what a young man on the
street said to me as I walked by him one afternoon
dressed in white. White skirt, white blouse and
white sneakers identified me as an Iyawó. In Cuba,
the branch of the Yoruba religion called Regla de
Osha designates an initiation period for a person
who will become a Santero or Santera that begins
with the initial ceremony and lasts one year. A
guardian angel, holy father or mother is crowned
to look after their person and they are delivered
to the rest of the deities in the pantheon. The
ceremony lasts seven days and that is what they
call “hacerse santo”. According to the santo and
along with the prophesy dictated by the “Diloggun”
of the babalosha, the person receives advice that
they must follow for the rest of their life. Along
with this, there are some rules that they must
follow during the “iyaboraje” stage.
At this time, the initiates are considered to be
newborns. They are persons who, even though
they have just received a great power, are in a
fragile process of purification. That’s why they
must dress entirely in white and always wear
protective head gear and clothing to protect the
feet and the back. This includes everything from
caps, stockings, closed shoes, skirts and shawls for
women, even walking-stick parasols. The “layette”
of these initiates refers to morality and social
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less accepted by the religion such as using shorts
and low-cut blouses or t-shirts.
Many Iyawós also start to personalize their
clothing with small white handbags, white Ipods,
white headphones, white wallets, white earrings
and even white SmartPhones.
A certain baroque element is also introduced with
the wearing of multicolored necklaces that denote
the santos they have received, often up to a dozen
at a time. The special necklace that announces
the guardian angel always matches the bracelet
or “iddé” worn on the left wrist. Nowadays, the
designs are undergoing modernization. Materials
used in the religious costume jewelry have started
having more “bling” and sequin decorations, and
the beads emulate Swarovski crystals that are
symbolic of popular luxury.
projection. Such customs have nothing to do with
fashion trends and they form part of the sacrifice
the person undertakes with pride.
On many Havana streets, you will find private
stores that sell this kind of clothing. Even though
the dress code is quite strict, the way of wearing
white as well as the ritual and the “being Iyawó” gets
established depending on each “house of saints”
(casa santoral) because, as the saying goes, “every
person writes their own ticket.” Within all these
customs, however, certain esthetic tastes can be
identified: women prefer lace shawls, pantyhose
or ankle socks with frills and embroidered skirts.
Men use pointy shoes, berets, sports caps, long
sleeved shirts, guayaberas, kerchiefs, etc. It’s no
news that wearing all these clothes is a serious
challenge during the long hot Cuban summers, and
whoever wears it stands out in any crowd. These
articles are a reflection of a recycled esthetic that
belonged to the rules of being well-dressed in the
mid-twentieth century. There is a certain vintage
feeling to all this brilliant white.
When the year ends, the worn-out clothing stops
being the rule. Many never wear them again. Some
will just put them away in some drawers while
others will show them off to family and friends, or
give them away. What is certain is that after the
party and the offerings to the gods have come to
an end, the clothing remains as evidence of the
sacrifice.
And although I am not Iyabó, I wear white, and
while I walk around Havana, I enjoy the blessings
of those who have made this style a cult.
The initiation period for an Iyabó is divided into
different periods according to the ceremonial
phases characterizing them. They are cleansing
and purification ceremonies that eliminate the
rigidity of the clothing after the first three months
until finally the year has passed and the person
is considered to be grown up and can abandon
the regime. Iyawós then start mixing articles
of clothing with colors, such as blue jeans, and
the women use ribbons in their hair instead of
headscarves. Some even assume behavior that is
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Visual Arts
Cundo Bermúdez: pasión y
lucidez
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.
Edificio de Arte Universal
Through Oct 13
With this selection of 25 pieces from 1940 and 1964,
the National Museum of Fine Arts has organized,
for the first time, a solo exhibition of one of the
leading artists of the so-called School of Havana
and of the second Cuban artistic avant-garde,
who, according to Roberto Cobas Amate, curator
of the exhibition, “deserves that both critics and
the public recognize the validity and strength of
his art.”
2x2
Galería La Acacia, Opens Sept 17
Works by artists who participated in two
exhibitions that were landmarks in Cuban visual
production: Once pintores y escultores (1953) and
Volumen uno (1981).
En colección
Factoría Habana, Opens Sept 26
Conceived as part of the 6th Salón of Cuban
Contemporary Art, this exhibition includes works
by artists representative of the 1980s which are
part of the Ella Fontanals-Cisneros collection: Juan
Francisco Elso, Tomás Esson, José Manuel Fors,
René Francisco, Flavio Garciandía, Félix GonzálezTorres, Ana Mendieta, Glexis Novoa, Gustavo
Pérez Monzón, Ricardo Rodríguez Brey and Lázaro
Saavedra. The exhibition is supplemented with
texts and videos on collecting.
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page 31
Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín
Through Sep
15
Galería Diago
Crónicas de una existencia.
Paintings by Dimas Bencomo in
which—through irony, parody and
suggestions—different objects are
witnesses to the material scarcity
of some sectors of Cuban society.
Opens Sept
12
Galería El Reino de este Mundo
Opens Sept 5
Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam
Opens Sept 13
Las otras narraciones: una década
de animación independiente. As
part of the 6th Salón of Cuban
Contemporary Art, this exhibition
explores a decade of the work of 50
Cuban artists involved in animation
films through TV spots, messages
for the public, cartoons, music
videos, installations, videogames,
visual experimentation, interactive
works and mapping.
Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura
Opens Sept
12
Cómplices y testigos. Yoan Pérez
plays ironically with the symbols
of power and manipulates them to
provoke different interpretations.
Consejo Nacional de las Artes Plásticas
Sept 19, 8pm
Noche de galerías. Exhibition
by artists from the Génesis:
Art Gallery Catalogue plus the
performance of Aires de Concierto
Jazz Group. Works will be sold
with a 20% discount for those
accredited to the event.
Un
día
cualquiera.
Felipe
Dulzaides, essential figure in
Cuban photography, video art,
installation and public art, explores
everyday commonplaces.
Galería Servando
Opens Sept
12
En el mismo tiempo, en el mismo
lugar. Group exhibition by artists
Frank Mujica, Eduardo Ponjuán,
Léster Álvarez, Yornel Martínez,
Alejandro Campins and José E.
Yaque, who all have in common
the conceptual approach as the
ultimate intention of their work.
Memorial José Martí
Sept 19-Oct
16
Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas y Diseño
Through
Oct 3
Solo exhibition by José Yaque, who
has a taste for the hybridization
of formats and the complicity of
the works with the space around
them.
Galería Habana
Throughout A ambos lados del Atlántico.
September
Exhibition of 25 illustrations and
drawings made by 20th-century
Spanish, Mexican and Cuban
artists, such as Picasso, Miró and
Saura; Rivera, Orozco, López Loza
and Eloy Tarcisio; and: Amelia
Peláez,
Arístides
Fernández,
Carlos Enríquez and Fidelio Ponce,
respectively.
Exhibition of naive art.
Tribute to the poet, ethnologist
and painter Samuel Feijóo (19141992) who found in Cuban Nature,
popular fables and what is simple
in appearance an inexhaustible
source for his creation.
Museo Nacional de la Cerámica Contemporánea
Opens Sept
19
Eros. An exhibition by artist Aisar
Jalil.
Taller de Serigrafía René Portocarrero
Opens Sept
12
Exhibition of graphic arts. Group
show of young graphic artists who
will present and sell silkscreen
posters from the CACA (Club
Amigos del Cartel) Project
Galerías Collage Habana y Galiano
Opens Sept 12 Post-it. Competition and expo-
sale of works by artists under 35.
Through
Oct 27
Artistas afronorteamericanos y
abstracción. Thirty-eight works
by nine artists make up this
selection, which was curated by
Nanette Carter, Melvin Edwards
and Ben Jones.
contents
page 32
Alicia Leal: A universal mysticism
by Victoria Alcalá
In Alicia Leal’s work, in which one can
appreciate the appropriation of medieval color
theory, spatial layout and a decorative delight
in fabrics, floors and curtains reminiscent of
Matisse, women play a central role, providing
refuge, as in the recurring image of the
Virgin of Charity, patron saint of Cuba and
eternal protector of mariners and fishermen
syncretised with the sensuous Ochún of AfroCuban religions. Victoria Alcalá sits down with
her to find out what makes her tick…
Fascinated by the mystery and magic of the
work of Alicia Leal, I visited the studio-gallery
that the artist shares with her husband, painter
Juan Moreira, at 262, 8th St. in El Vedado. The
spacious, high-ceilinged house with pale walls
has typical Creole inner doors that partition
off the rooms where wooden and wicker
furniture are predominant. The location of
the studio, very close to Línea Street—one of
Havana’s main thoroughfares—and the park
dedicated to John Lennon, seems to relate
to Alicia’s work, full of universal symbols in
a harmonious symbiosis with Cuban nature,
mythology and idiosyncrasy.
contents
page 33
Born in the central region of Cuba—where
16th century chronicles depict the presence of
hundreds of demons that possessed the bodies
and souls of terrified inhabitants, and the site
of an important colony of immigrants from the
Canary Islands—Alicia admits her debt to the
rich popular tradition that spontaneously, and
not consciously, emerges in her work. During
her beginnings, after graduating from the
San Alejandro Academy, the oldest art school
in Cuba, she wanted to be an expressionist
painter, but did not succeed in channeling
her creative urges into this style. The search
for her own personal expression led her to a
primitive, naïve manner of bringing forth an
inner world populated by symbols, tales and
the desire to commune with nature.
In Alicia Leal’s work, in which one can
appreciate the appropriation of medieval color
theory, spatial layout and a decorative delight
in fabrics, floors and curtains reminiscent of
Matisse, women play a central role, either
providing refuge, as in the recurring image of
the Virgin of Charity, patron saint of Cuba and
eternal protector of mariners and fishermen
syncretised with the sensuous Ochún of Afro-
Cuban religions; in the poignant Death of Martí,
where the Apostle of Cuban independence, in
the arms of an angel embarks on the journey to
immortality; in Chagallesque flying beings, who
refer to other dimensions different from what
is depicted; and even in the series dedicated
to the circus where women participate in a
microcosmic world in which the painter seems
to perceive subtle similarities with society,
behind the show’s lights and masks.
Alicia’s work is of a markedly narrative nature;
her characters speak intensely, not only
amongst themselves, but with the onlooker,
who becomes an active participant and
even protagonist of the painter’s unsettling
scenarios. Intensely subjective, symbolic,
exploring the subconscious and dreams, Alicia
Leal’s work establishes a magnetic relationship
with the viewer; the critics’ task is to determine
where the secret of this magic is concealed.
Perhaps the key lies in the profound humanism
and in the warm compassion, admixed with
humor, with which Alicia Leal approaches the
heartbreaks and pleasures of the everyday
adventure of dreaming and living.
Alicia Leal Veloz (Zaza del Medio, Sancti Spíritus, Cuba, 1957) graduated in 1980
from Havana’s San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts. She has held solo shows in Havana,
Matanzas and Sancti Spíritus in Cuba, and in Kuala Lumpur; Kingston; Houston and
Berlin, and she has taken part in collective exhibitions in numerous countries. Her work
forms part of permanent and private collections in many countries internationally. She
has illustrated a number of Cuban and foreign books and cultural magazines.
contents
page 34
photography
Eso que anda
Throughout September
Solo show of photographer Iván Soca as a tribute
to Juan Formell and his popular orchestra Van Van.
The photographer has accompanied the band on
tours and concerts over the last ten years.
Silencio roto
Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín , Opens Sept
12
In the 16 black and white pictures by Annia
Leyva and Aníbal de la Torre, the human figure is
combined in the forefront with objects associated
with everyday life.
xl´2.
Fototeca de Cuba, Opens Sept 12
Focused on the concern of young artists in relation
to the meaning of communication in everyday life,
this exhibition, which is part of the 6th Salon of
Cuban Art, deals with the impact of alternative
forms in information flow in Cuba.
contents
page 35
dance
Lago de los cisnes
Ballet Nacional de Cuba
photo by Alex Mene
Taller coreográfico del
Programa de concierto del
Teatro Nacional de Cuba. Sala Avellaneda
Sept 6, 8:30pm; Sept 5, 5pm
Sept 12 & 13, 8:30pm; Sept 14, 5pm
Performance of works by the Choreography
Workshop organized by the National Ballet of
Cuba, including Concerto by Carlos Luis Medina;
Preludios de la noche by Maysabel Pintado; El
relato by Regina Hernández; SDOS by Ariadna
Suárez; 3D by Juan Carlos Hernández; Piazzolla X
6 by Tania Vergara (all of these world premieres);
SAFE by Raúl Reinoso; Sobre un hilo y Retrato by
Lyvan Verdecia.
Concert program with Les silphidés (choreographed
by Alicia Alonso based on Mijaíl Fokín’s original
version with music by Chopin), Dido abandonada
(choreographed by Alicia Alonso based on the ballet
of the same name by Gasparo Angiolini with music
by Angiolini), and the Tchaikovsky pas de deux
from the Third Act of Swan Lake (choreographed
by Alicia Alonso based on Marius Petipa’s original
version with music by Tchaikovsky).
Habana Rakatán
Del Caribe soy
Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht. Sala Tito Junco
Sept 12 & 13, 8:30pm; Sept 14, 5pm
Cine teatro Miramar
Open to a wide diversity of styles within modern
and contemporary dance, the Rakatán Dance
Company harmoniously combines African dances,
flamenco and Cuban rhythms in its repertoire.
Show by the Ban Rará Company with an
interesting dramatization of the Tumba Francesa
with expression of yoruba origin, campsino dance
styles and different forms of Son.
contents
page 36
dance
Danza Teatro Retazos
photo by Ana Lorena
Momentos
Posible imposible
Sala las Carolinas
Sept 12 & 13, 8:30pm; Sept 14, 5pm
Sala Las Carolinas
Sept 19 & 20, 8:30pm; Sept 21, 5pm
Based on fragments of works from the Danza
Teatro Retazos repertoire, Momentos potentiates
the expressiveness of the body and the integration
of dance with visual arts, music, cinema and
literature.
By Danza Teatro Retazos, Possible Impossible
takes off from a landscape where the known laws
of time, space and power have ceased to be valid…
In this surprising world of dreams, the door opens
to other universes where the mind is free and the
impossible becomes possible.
ShowRoom
Programa de concierto
Sala de El Ciervo Encantado
Teatro América
The brilliant contemporary dance company Danza
Abierta performs ShowRoom, choreographed by
Susana Pous with music by X Alfonso.
Concert program by the Ballet of Cuban Television,
a company that can undertake choreographies of
different Cuban and international musical genres.
Presentación del grupo
Persona
Cine teatro Miramar
Sept 16 &17, 8:30pm
Concert program by the Neotango Company with
attractive modern versions of tango.
Teatro Trianón
Sept 19 & 20 8:30pm; Sept 21, 5pm
Presentation of Persona, a company directed by
Sandra Ramy that erases the boundaries between
dance and theater.
contents
page 37
dance
Y lo español se baila así...
De la misma rama
Teatro Mella
Sept 16 & 17, 8:30pm
Teatro América
An anthology of the work carried out by the Ballet
Español de Cuba, whose repertoire includes
Spanish regional dances, flamenco and fusion,
incorporating techniques from classical, modern
and contemporary dance.
Show by the Ecos Dance Company, which
combines traditional and contemporary flamenco
with contributions from the music and dance of
Cuba.
Fusión y pasión
De Cuba y el Caribe
Cine teatro Miramar
Teatro América
Sept 16 &17, 8:30pm
Habana Compás Dance performs an exciting and
original combination of rhythms and dances which
merges the essence of Spanish dance with Afro
Cuban rhythms and contemporary dance.
Show by the Santiago Alfonso Company, which
integrates modern and contemporary dance,
theatre codes and popular dances into shows
conceived both for the stage and nightclubs with a
fresh and experimental spirit
A escena
Teatro Mella
Sept 19 & 20, 8:30pm; Sept 21, 5pm
Sept 19 & 20, 8:30pm
Concert program by the Conjunto Folklórico
Nacional, the first professional folkloric dance
company created in Cuba to delve into and recover
certain manifestations of traditional popular
Cuban culture.
A selection of works by the Ballet Lizt Alfonso, a
successful dance company that features a fusion
of Spanish and Cuban dance within contemporary
choreographic and theatrical work.
contents
page 38
MUSIC
Contemporary Fusion
Club Habana Party
Photo Alex Mene
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
(Wed: Interactivo, Sunday: Déjá-vu) and El Sauce
(check out the Sunday afternoon Máquina de la
Melancolía) as well as the newly opened 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 Cangreco featuring good live
music (Kelvis Ochoas and David Torrens alternate
Fridays), Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and
El Palio and Melem bar—both featuring different
singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues.
Ernán López Nussa and
his group in Concert
Frank Delgado and
Buena Fe in Concert
September 20, 8:30pm
Teatro Nacional. Sala Covarrubias
September 15, 10pm
Teatro Karl Marx
contents
page 39
Contemporary Fusion
Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional
Fresa y Chocolate
Wednesdays Performances by Qva Libre
Sundays
5 pm
10 pm
Thursdays
Elaín Morales
Havana Hard Rock
5 pm
Sept 19
Isis Flores
5 pm
5 pm
La Máquina de la Melancolía, with
Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto
García
Thursdays
Mucho Ruido
9 pm
Sept 15
Luna Manzanares and Alejandro
Falcón
DJ Alejandro Nuñez and guests
Gretel Barreiro
Tesis de Menta
Sept 18
Grupo Síntesis
Sept 20
Interactivo
Tesis de Menta
9 pm
Sept 12
Estigma
Zeus
9 pm
Eddy Escobar
9 pm
Wednesdays Roberto Carcassés and Interactivo
10 pm
Sept 15
Congregación
9 pm
Sept 15
Deja Vu
La Vieja Escuela
9 pm
10 pm
Sept 15
Dead Point
9 pm
Escaleras al Cielo
Miriela Moreno and her group
Aceituna sin Hueso for inclusión,
diversity and difference.
Sept 15
Combat Noise
9 pm
Sept 15
Fábrica de Arte Cubano
10 pm
Frank Delgado
6 pm
Sept 14
Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht
Sept 14
Yerbabuena
6 pm
Sept 13
7 pm
10 pm
Deja Vu
9 pm
Casa del Alba Cultural
Fridays
Grupo Síntesis
6 pm
Sept 11
10:30 pm
Sundays
Sept 11
Maxim Rock
Café Corner
Sept 20
Jardines del Teatro Mella
Sept 14
9 pm
Thursdays
Cover bands
6 pm
Deja Vu
9 pm
Sept 17
Sat & Sun
Sept 14
9 pm
Sept 12
Soul Train, a show of soul music
6 pm
10 pm
Sept 11
Every other
Friday
10 pm
Café Concert El Sauce
Sundays
Aceituna Sin Hueso
David Blanco
9 pm
Síntesis and Family
Sept 15
Síntesis
9 pm
contents
page 40
Contemporary Fusion
Submarino Amarillo
Sept 11
Piano bar Diablo Tun Tun
Ernesto Blanco
9 pm
Sept 12
5 pm
Tierra Santa
Fridays
9 pm
Sept 13
La Vieja Escuela
Gretel Barreiro
Dimensión Vertical
9 pm
Sundays
9 pm
Los Tackson
Concert Con sello urbano
11 am
Eddy Escobar and his group
9 pm
Sept 15
Sept 14
Sept 16
9 pm
Sept 19
Rap with El Urbano
11 am
Los Tackson
9 pm
Sept 18
Sept 12
11 am
Miel con Limón
9 pm
Sept 16
Gens
5 pm
9 pm
Sept 15
Wednesdays Gerardo Alfonso
Los Kents
Sept 11
Aldo López-Gavilán
9 pm
Sept 17
Gerardo Alfonso
9:30 pm
Tercera y 8
Mondays
Baby Lores
11 pm
contents
page 41
Photo by Alex Mene
los Van Van
Salsa / Timba
Casa de la Música Habana
Casa de la Música de Miramar
5 pm
11 pm
5 pm El Noro y 1ra Clase
11 pm NG La Banda
Mondays
Thursdays
5 pm Pupy y los que Son Son
11 pm Charanga Latina
Tuesdays
5 pm Habana D’Primera
11 pm Pedrito Calvo y La Justicia
Fridays
5 pm Tania Pantoja
11 pm Azúcar Negra
Wednesdays
5 pm Juan Guillermo
11 pm Adalberto Alvarez y su Son
Thursdays
5 pm Juan Guillermo
11 pm Adalberto Alvarez y su Son
Fridays
5 pm El Niño y La Verdad
11 pm NG La Banda
Wednesdays
Saturdays
Sept 12
Sept 19
11 pm Adalberto Álvarez y su Son
11 pm Manolito y su Trabuco
Café Cantante Mi Habana
Sept 16
Arnaldo y su Talismán
5 pm
Sept 19
Saturdays
Sundays
Caribe Girls
11 pm
Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional
Mondays
11 pm
Manana Club
El Micha
Sur Caribe
5 pm Tumbao Habana
5 pm Lázaro Valdés y Bamboleo
11 pm Azúcar Negra
Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Salón 1930
Sept 11
Orquesta Jorrín
10 pm
contents
page 42
Salsa / Timba
Salón Rosado de La Tropical
Sept 11
Teatro Karl Marx
Adalberto Álvarez y su Son
9 pm
Sept 12
Laritza Bacallao
Sept 13
NG La Banda
Elito Revé y su Charangón
Pablo FG y su Élite
Yumurí y sus Hermanos
Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco
Pachito Alonso y los Kini Kini
Haila Mompié y Vania Borges
9 pm
Diablo Tun Tun
Mondays
Sept 20
Sept 21
Sept 13
Sept 20
Los Van Van
9 pm
Wena Onda
Fridays
Azúcar Negra
10 pm
Sundays
11 pm
10 pm
Dancing casino with Moncada
José Luis Cortés y NG La Banda
Tercera y 8
11 pm
5 pm
Isaac Delgado
9 pm
Wednesdays To Mezclao
Saturdays
Charanga Habanera
Jardines del 1830
11 pm
Thursdays
Pablo FG y su Élite
10 pm
9 pm
Sept 21
Maraca y su Familia
10 pm
9 pm
Sept 20
Laritza Bacallao
10 pm
9 pm
Sept 19
Sept 14
Sept 19
Van Van
9 pm
Sept 18
Habana D’Primera
10 pm
9 pm
Sept 17
Pachito Alonso y sus Kini Kini
10 pm
9 pm
Sept 16
Sept 12
10 pm
9 pm
Sept 14
Van Van
10 pm
9 pm
Sept 13
Sept 11
Manana Club
Wednesdays Alain Daniel
11 pm
contents
page 43
MUSIC jazz
Café Jazz Miramar
Shows: 11 pm - 2am
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.
Jazz Café
Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra
A, Miramar. +53 (07) 209-2719
Shows: 10:30pm - 2am
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.
La Zorra y el Cuervo
Shows: 10:30pm - 2am
The ‘Fox & Crow’ offers an intimate environment
in this basement venue notably marked by a red
English telephone box at its entrance. Top jazz
players perform here on a nightly basis. Dark,
cramped, low ceilings and an absolute firetrap this
has much more atmosphere of the gritty kind than
the Jazz Café, which seems too pretty and sterile
by comparison.
Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical
Sept 18
6 pm
Alexis Bosch (pianist) and Proyecto
Jazz Cubano.
Teatro Karl Marx
Saturdays
10 pm
Sept 11
Jardines del Teatro Mella
Roberto
Carcassés
&composer) and his trio
(pianist
Aires de Concierto
10 pm
Sept 15
6 pm Carlos Miyares (saxophon)
Sept 12
Sept 17
6 pm PMelvis Santa (singer)
10 pm
Harold
López-Nussa
(pianist
&composer) and his band
Sept 20
6 pm Sexto Sentido
Sept 16
Lynn Milanés (cantante) y su grupo
Sept 17
Casa del Alba Cultural
Sept 13
8 pm
10 pm
Ruy López Nussa (percussion) and
La Academia
9 pm
Sept 18
10 pm
Bellita
Expósito
(pianist
&
composer) and her Jazztumbatá
William Roblejo (violinist)
Alejandro Moroño
and
contents
page 44
MUSIC Bolero, folklore, son & trova
Casa Memorial Salvador Allende
Asociación Yoruba de Cuba
Saturdays
Los Ibellis (Folkloric group)
4 pm
5 pm
Café cantante, Teatro Nacional
Saturdays
Waldo Mendoza
4 pm
Sept 12
Sept 26
Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima
Sept 28
5 pm
Juego de Manos
4 pm
Fridays
Plus Trova with Charly Salgado
and guests.
Adrián Berazaín
Tony Ávila
Sept 13
3 pm
Homenaje a las dos aguas: Yemayá
y Ochún, a cargo del grupo
Síntesis.
Gala didáctica dedicada a Ochún,
Yemayá y Obbatalá, con el grupo
folclórico Obiní Batá
Casa del Alba
Sept 18
6 pm
5 pm
Peña El Canto de Todos, with
singer-songwriter Vicente Feliú
Get-together with trovador Ireno
García.
Peña with Marta Campos.
7 pm
3 pm
Conjunto de Arsenio Rodríguez
Fridays
Rumberos de Cuba
5 pm
Sundays
Timbalaye
5 pm
Hotel Telégrafo
Ivette Cepeda.
Hurón Azul, UNEAC
Sept 13
Mundito González.
10 pm
Pabellón Cuba
Fridays
Peña Tres Tazas with trovador
Silvio Alejandro
Piano Bar Tun Tun (Casa de la Música de Miramar)
Thursdays
Peña with trovador Ray Fernández
5 pm
Centro Cultural Habaneciendo
Sundays
Thurdays
5 pm
Casa de la Cultura de Plaza
Sept 13
trova.
9:30 pm
Casa de la Cultura Comunitaria Mirta Aguirre
Sept 28
5 pm
Fridays
Polito Ibáñez
8 pm
Sept 25
5 pm
5 pm
Casa de África
4 pm
Sexteto Habanero
Wednesdays Trovando, a meeting with good
9 pm
Sept 6
Son del Nene
5 pm
Tuesdays
10 pm
Sept 19
El Jelengue de Areíto
Mondays
Frank Delgado
11 pm
Sept 18
Marta Campos
4:30 pm
8 pm
El Jardín de la Gorda with trovadors
from every generation.
Centro Memorial Martin Luther King, Jr.
Aug 21
Tuesdays
Peña La Juntamenta, with trovador
Ángel Quintero.
Fausto Durán and guests
Salón Rosado de La Tropical
Sept 15
Orquesta Aragón y Juego de M
5 pm
contents
page 45
Bolero, folklore, son & trova
Palacio de la Rumba
Sept 11
Teatro Raquel Revuelta
Estrellas Cubanas
Sept 18
6 pm
Sept 12
6 pm
Sept 13
8:30 pm
Fausto Durán y Septeto Habanero
Sept 19
Timbalaye
8:30 pm
10 pm
Septeto
Piñeiro
Sept 14
Clave y Guaguancó
Nacional
de
Ignacio
Orquesta de Barbarito Diez
9 pm
Sept 16
Yoruba Andabo
6 pm
Sept 18
Sept 20
Orquesta Sensación
6 pm
Sept 21
Timbalaye
9 pm
Sept 21
9 pm
Jardines del teatro Mella
Sept 12
Habana C
6 pm
Sept 13
Sept 13
9:30 pm
Conjunto de Arsenio Rodríguez
Sept 20
Yoruba Andab
Liuba María Hevia
Agrupación Compay Segundo
10 pm
Leo Vera and Beatriz Márquez
Plaza de San Francisco de Asís
Sept 17
Rumba
4 pm
Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht
Tania Pantoja
Centro Memorial Martin Luther King, Jr.
8:30 pm
Sept 18
Marta Campos
4:30 pm
UNEAC
2 pm
Vocal Sampling
Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Salón 1930
Sept 13
9 pm
Sept 11
William Vivanco
9:30 pm
Casa de 18
Sept 18
Dúo Jade
6 pm
Clave y Guaguancó
5 pm
Sept 15
D’Corazón
Edificio de Arte Cubano
Los Papines
Casa de la Música Habana
Sundays
Adrián Berazaín
6 pm
10 pm
Sept 20
Tony Ávila
8:30 pm
Sept 19
Sept 19
Polito Ibáñez
8:30 pm
6 pm
Sept 15
Pedro Luis Ferrer
Peña La Esquina del Jazz hosted by
showman Bobby Carcassés.
contents
page 46
classical MUSIC
Photo by Ivan Soca
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
6 pm
Soprano Ivette Betancourt and pianist Mayté Aboy, with guests soprano Cristina Rodríguez,
tenor Roger Quintana and flutist Niurka González will play works by Hector Berlioz, Gabriel
Fauré, Ernest Chausson, Jules Massenet, Nadia Boulanger, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy,
Francis Poulenc, André Caplet and Albert Roussel.
Sept 13
Concert by pianist Ernán López-Nussa and his trio
Sept 6
5 pm
Sept 13
5 pm
Concert in honor of Leo Brouwer by the guitar orchestra Sonantas Habaneras conducted
by Jesús Ortega. Guest musicians Yalit González, Alexander Álvarez and Luis Ángel Chouza
(guitarists) and the Contraste.duo.
Biblioteca Nacional José Martí
Saturdays
Performances by soloists and chamber ensembles.
5 pm
Casa del ALBA Cultural
Sept 7
En Confluencia, conducted by guitarists Eduardo and Galy Martín.
5 pm
Sept 14
Tarde de Concierto, conducted by soprano Lucy Provedo.
5 pm
Sept 21
De Nuestra América, conducted by pianist Alicia Perea.
5 pm
Sept 28
Concert by guitarist Rosa Matos.
5 pm
contents
page 47
Sept 13
Conert by Schola Cantorum Coralina conducted by Alina Orraca.
5 pm
Iglesia de Paula
Sept 5
7 pm
Sept 12
7 pm
Sept 19
7 pm
Sept 26
7 pm
Concert Las cortes europeas del siglo XVIII by cellist Alejandro Saúl and guest musicians
Anolan González, Maite Rodríguez, Alberto Rosas and Yanner Rascón.
Concert by students of the Convivium Musicum academic program led by the Ars Longa Early
Music Ensemble.
Concert Música en mujeres. Siglos XVII y XXI by the Ensemble Vocal Luna and sopranos
Lucelsy Fernández and Vanessa Herrera.
Concert by the Ventus Habana quintet conducted by Alina Blanco with guest musician, the
Móviles trio.
Museo Nacional de Bella Artes. Edificio de Arte
Sept 20
Concert by guitarist Luis Manuel Molina
4 pm
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
Sept 6
4 pm
Sept 18
The Promúsica duo has announced a program with works by Cuban composers Amadeo
Roldán, Juan Piñera and Javier Iha.
Concert by Cuban pianist Víctor Díaz.
7 pm
Sept 25
7 pm
Concert by Cuban pianist Fidel Leal, Cubadisco prizewinner in the concert soloist category
for his album Cuatro por uno.
Sala Covarrubias, Teatro Nacional
Sept 12
Camerata Romeu.
8:30 pm
Sept 13
Frank Fernández and the Música Eterna chamber orchestra.
8:30 pm
Sept 14
National Symphony Orchestra.
5 pm
Sept 19
Aldo López-Gavilán, Ernán-López Nussa and Chamber Orchestra.
8:30 pm
Sala Gonzalo Roig. Palacio del Teatro Lírico Nacional
Sept 28
Cuerda Dominical with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina.
5 pm
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Theatre
Antigonón, un
contingente épico
Teatro El Público / by Carlos Díaz, Teatro
Trianón, Fri & Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 5pm
Antigonón, un contingente épico, Carlos Diaz
and his troupe, Teatro el Publico’s most recent
performance involves a trip back to the classics,
guided and partnered by Rogelio Orizondo who
wrote Antigonón, un contingente épico especially
for them. Carlos is the most well-known and
brilliant Cuban theatre director with a reputation
for directing plays with abundant nudity,
transvestites and subtle winks at the Cuban
national reality. Antigonón does not disappoint–
go see it for yourself!
Delirio habanero
Teatro de la Luna / Directed by Raúl Martín
Sept 14, 17 & 18, 6pm, Sala Adolfo Llauradó
A prize-winning play written by Alberto Pedro in
which three delirious characters who believe they
are Varilla (a former waiter at La Bodeguita del
Medio Restaurant), Benny Moré and Celia Cruz
meet every evening at a run-down building to
recall a long gone Havana, or to plan a future that
will never be.
Que el diablo te acompañe
Teatro Pálpito / Directed by Ariel Boza
Sept 19 & 20, 8:30pm; Sept 21, 5pm
Sala teatro El Sótano
Based on the famous literary myth of Don Juan,
this pleasant comedy by Cuban playwright
Abelardo Estorino delves into a recurring theme
on the Cuban stage and society—machismo, and
reflects on defects like slander and prejudices that
weigh down the fulfillment of man.
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For kids
La Cucarachita Martina y
los Van Van
Compañía infantil de teatro La Colmenita,
Sept 19, 6pm; Sept 20 & 21, 10;30am, Sala de
teatro de la Orden Tercera
Another version by La Colmenita based on a
classical children’s story as a tribute to the popular
Los Van Van band, whose songs are interpreted by
the children with great self-assurance.
Mowgli, el mordido por los
lobos
Teatro La Proa, 9-10 de agosto, 10am, Teatro
de la Orden Tercera
This puppet show, written by Erduyn Maza, based
on Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, tells about
the adventures of Mowgli, the jungle boy when he
returns to a human village.
La Cenicienta según los
Beatles
Compañía infantil de teatro La Colmenita,
Sept 12 & 14, 10:30am; Sept 13, 6pm, Sala de
teatro de la Orden Tercera
Agustín (Tin) Cremata, director of La Colmenita
Children’s Theater Company, has created this
version of Cinderella with songs by The Beatles
sung by the company’s child actors.
En Buena Compañía
Carpa Trompoloco
Sat & Sun, 4pm & 7pm
The magical and adventurous world of the circus
continues. Cuba’s prime circus venue, Carpa
Trompoloco, presents “En Buena Compañía” (In
Good Company), the new show featuring, among
other acts, tightrope walkers, acrobats, clowns,
gymnasts, trained animals, and the fascinating
flying trapeze, which was awarded the Grand Prix
during the past CIRCUBA 2013 Festival.
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Photos by Alex Mene
events in havana
6th Leo Brouwer Chamber Music Festival
September 26-October 12, 2014
Karl Marx, Mella, Martí, Miramar theaters; Basílica Menor del Convento de San
Francisco de Asís, Charles Chaplin Cinema, Fábrica de Arte Cubano, Café Miramar,
Habana Café, Centro Cultural El Sauce, Casas de la Música de Miramar y Habana
Alternative and integrating, the Leo Brouwer
Chamber Music Festival Festival, named after the
greatest Cuban musician ever, aims to “make the
perfect combination of different kinds of intelligent
music” integrating, free of any bias or exclusion,
genres and many types of rhythms. The organizers
have announced the participation of over 300
musicians and artists from 16 countries, including
Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud, US
vocalist Bobby McFerrin and Argentinean singersongwriter Fito Paez, as well as other musicians
from Brazil, Mexico, Spain, the Czech Republic,
Colombia, Paraguay, Italy and Uruguay. More than
40 world and national premieres will take place,
featuring music from the Renaissance to remixes
as a tribute to leading names in popular music. part
from the main attraction, which is the concerts, the
event has also scheduled lectures, master classes,
film screenings, video art, exhibitions, flashmobs,
jam sessions, tributes to Cuban and international
artists and cultural institutions, launching and sale
of CDs, books and sheet music.
The Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, who has
been acknowledged as one of the living geniuses
of classical music in the international arena, has
been, since its inception, the heart and soul of
the festival through his supervision and total
devotion. With regard to the festival, Brouwer has
said: “Our policy is not figure-oriented, but rather
repertoire-oriented…We have the privilege of
having excellent Cuban musicians and first-rate
young artists performing the best versions that
exist in this regard, perhaps not the only ones, but
certainly the best.”
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Program
6th Leo Brouwer Chamber Music Festival
Sunday, Sept 28
Friday, Oct 3
Teatro Mella, 11am
Las Aventuras de Elpidio Valdés y Los Van Van
Compañía de Teatro infantil La Colmenita (Cuba)
Teatro Martí, 5pm
Concert Noruega en su música
Henning Kraggerud (Norway), Orquesta de Cámara
de La Habana and Schola Cantorum Coralina (Cuba)
Café Miramar, 7pm - 2am
Noche blanca del Jazz (dedicada a Julio Cortázar)
Chucho Valdés, Ernán López-Nussa, Rolando Luna,
Yasek Manzano, Ruy López-Nussa and La Academia
(Cuba), Pancho Céspedes (Cuba-Mexico)
Monday, Sept 29
Teatro Martí, 8:30pm
Concert En la ruta de la danza oculta
Schola Cantorum Coralina (Cuba), Gorgias Sánchez
and Gabriel Meneses (Venezuela)
Tuesday, Sept 30
Teatro Mella, 8:30pm
Concert Sonidos de la América oculta
Orchestra of native instruments
technologies (Argentina)
and
new
Teatro Miramar, 2:30pm-5:30pm
Clase magistral de Leo Brouwer
Kcho Estudio Romerillo. Laboratorio para el Arte,
5:30pm
Exposición Praga, ciudad de la música
Photos: Jiří Všetečka
Casa de la Música Miramar, 7pm-2am
Noche Blanca del Flamenco
Aceituna sin Hueso, Josué Tacoronte, Reynier
Mariño, Gabriel Elizondo, and others
Concert Les Voix Humaines
Jordi Savall (Spain)
Saturday, Oct 4
Teatro Martí, 5pm
Concert Donna in Musica. Compositoras italianas
ss. xvi-xvii
Anna Aurigi y Giovanni Bellini (Italy), Vocal Luna
(Cuba) and guests
Concert Vivaldi siglo xxi.
Sinfonity (España)
Sunday, Oct 5
Wednesday, Oct 1
Teatro Karl Marx, 9pm
Concert Fito Páez Esencial
Leo Brouwer, Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana
(Cuba) e invitados
Teatro Mella, 5pm
Concert Del medioevo al danzón
Horacio Franco, Victor Flores and Santiago Álvarez
(Mexico)
Monday, Oct 6
Thursday, Oct 2
Teatro Miramar, 9:30 am-12:30pm
Clase magistral de Leo Brouwer
Concert Palabras
Haydée Milanés, Ernán López Nussa, Enrique Plá,
Gastón Joya, Nam Sam Fong, Edgar Martínez,
Roberto García, Molote, Carlos Frank, Schola
Cantorum Coralina and Cuarteto de Cuerdas Presto
(Cuba) e invitados
Concert De Praga a La Habana
ArteMiss Trio y Pavel Steidl (Czech Rep.), Niurka
González, Gretchen Labrada and Orquesta de
Cámara de La Habana (Cuba), Leo Brouwer
Tuesday, Oct 7
Concert Jenny Q Chai & Friends
Jenny Q Chai (US), Niurka González and Orquesta
de Cámara de La Habana (Cuba) and guests
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Saturday, Oct 11
Wednesday, Oct 8
Concert Tras las huellas de Mangoré
Berta Rojas (Paraguay), Arístides Porto (Cuba),
Ricardo Gallén (Spain), Josué Tacoronte (CubaMexico), Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana (Cuba)
and guests
Thursday, Oct 9
Basílica Menor del Convento de San Francisco de
Asís, 10am
Cello Plus (el cello más largo)
Professional cellists and students of the instrument
throughout the Island will play the longest cello
Concert Las cartas de Julieta
Cuarteto Latinoamericano (Mexico),
González and Augusto Enríquez (Cuba)
Niurka
Centro Cultural El Sauce, 7pm-2am
Noche Blanca de la Trova
Friday, Oct 10
Cine Charles Chaplin, 5pm
Presentación del documental Festival Leo Brouwer,
sus raíces de Joel Ramírez
Teatro Mella, 8:30 pm
Alas
Ballet Lizt Alfonso
Basílica Menor del Convento de San Francisco de
Asís, 6pm
Concert El amor en el baile. Inéditos pianísticos
cubanos del s.xix
Liana Fernández, Lianne Vega, Milagros de los
Ángeles Soto, Lisa María Blanco and Gabriela Pineda
(Cuba), Josué Tacoronte (Cuba-Mexico),
Concert El arco y la lira
Carlos Prieto (Mexico), Yo-Yo Ma (US), Ricardo
Gallén (España), Brasil Guitar Duo (Brazil)
Sunday, Oct 12
El Ciervo Encantado, 11am
Musica electroacústica: 50 años del primer concierto
en Cuba
Quinteto de Viento Nueva Camerata, Ricardo
Martínez and Victor Piverno (Cuba)
Teatro Karl Marx, 5pm
Concert de los ancestros
Leo Brouwer, Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana,
Chucho Valdés, , Cuarteto Presto, Rodney Barreto,
Gastón Joya, Yaroldy Abreu, Dreiser Durruthy and
Reinaldo Melián (Cuba), Ricardo Gallén (Spain)
Casas de la Música de Miramar and Habana 10pm6am
Noche Blanca del Son (homenaje a Juan Formell)
For more information:www.festivaleobrouwer.com
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events in havana
El papel de la cultura en el
Caribe hoy
Casa de las Américas, September 29-October 3
Organized by the Center for Caribbean Studies
of Casa de las Americas in collaboration with the
Goethe Institute, Germany) the French Institute and
the Cultural Services of the Embassy of Germany
and France in Cuba, the Seminar includes lectures
by Dr. Anja Bandau, Richard Price, Sally Price and
Felix Valdés, plus panels and workshops that will
foster the conception and sharing of projects. The
themes that will be addressed are “Contemporary
Caribbean: A Multicultural, Transterritorial
Cultural Context,” Transdisciplinary Approaches:
Popular Religiousness, Community, Marginality
and Exclusion in the Caribbean,” “The Role of
Culture and Critical Debate in the Caribbean
Today: Artistic Creation and Institutionalization,”
Knowledge Perspectives and New Dissemination
Networks in the Era of Global Communication.”
VI Congreso
Latinoamericano y del
Caribe sobre Calidad
e Inocuidad de los
Alimentos
September 15-18
Palacio de las Convenciones
Organized by the Food Science and Technology
Association of Cuba, the 6th Latin American and
Caribbean Congress on Food Safety and Quality
will be held under the theme “Nutritional Culture
in Food Science, Gastronomy and the Media.” The
event will include the Expo-Fair Latin American
and Caribbean Salon for the Food Industry (SIALCUBA, 2014) in which Cuban and international
companies involved in food processing,
equipment, state-owned and private restaurants,
as well as educational and health institutions will
exchange experiences and discuss new trends in
the preparation of foods, gourmet cuisines and
molecular gastronomy.
Another
associated
event
will
be
Cubalumieregourmet 2014, which aims to facilitate
the union of the science and technology sectors,
food tourism and culture with the participation
of actors, filmmakers, filmgoers, gourmets, visual
artists, musicians, craftspeople, journalists,
technologists, chefs, sommeliers, barmen and
maître d’.
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Around Cuba
Festival Nacional Metal HG
September 18-21, Casa del Joven Creador
Armando Mestre Martínez, Holguín
One of a kind in the eastern part of the country,
this festival promotes a space in which different
generations of Cubans, who decades ago defended
a music considered as “resistance music,” can
exchange experiences with more recent bands
under absolute freedom of expression and
aesthetics.
Jornada Pinar Hip-Hop
September 4-7, Pinar del Río
Meetings, concerts and talks on Hip-hop and Rap
with musicians, critics and other participants
from all around Cuba.
III Encuentro Amigos del
Jazz
September 25-28, Santiago de Cuba
Important jazz musicians from areund Cuba
will participate in concerts, jam sessions and
theoretical meetings. Guests include, among
others, Bobby Carcasses, National Music Award
2012; César López, Yasek Manzano, Alfred
Thompson, and Arruan Ortiz, who lives in the
United States.
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The word on the street
by Conner Gorry
Anyone who speaks a language foreign to their
own knows what an embarrassing, ego-crushing,
confusing and even dangerous proposition it can
be. If you’ve poked around my blog a bit, you know
I’ve had my share of missteps, malapropisms, and
foot-in-mouth moments. Trust me: it sucks.
with slang and dichos, oblique (for non-Cubans)
historical/cultural/political references, and island
particular vernacular, it can get tricky. Few people
believe me, let alone heed my counsel (see note 1).
I figure I suffer more than most in this foreignlanguage-learning struggle for three reasons: 1)
there’s a lot of static in that part of my brain wired
for music and language (luckily I make up for lack
of natural ability with pure tenacity); 2) as a writer,
words are my medium and I’m spoiled in English,
where I have many and varied options to express
myself clearly and precisely (not that it always
works). When you’re learning a foreign language,
for instance, it takes time to learn how to say
sneaker, stiletto or ballet flat, obligating you to
default to the generic ‘shoe’ in the meantime; and
3) Cuban Spanish is far removed from the español
I learned in university, Guatemala and the streets
of NYC.
“¿Que bolá asere? Tengo pincha y me hace falta
una botella. Tírame un cabo y te doy un pescao.”
I can hear some readers scoffing across the World
Wide Web. But take this exchange for example:
Very simply, this translates to: Hey man. I have to
get to work and need a lift. Help me out and I’ll give
you 10 pesos.
See what I mean? Tricky.
I often advise native Spanish speakers to
prepare themselves for a different linguistic
experience here, adding that they may encounter
problems understanding Cubans. Clearly, asking
directions, exchanging pleasantries, or ordering
a meal/drink/bit of fellatio will be (or should be)
straightforward enough for hispanoparlantes.
But once conversations get cooking, seasoned
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Of course, every country has its own terms for
this, that, and the other thing. Vocabulary varies
from region to region and between cities as well.
For instance, I recently took a straw poll amongst
friends from across the USA, asking what they
called the type of sandwich sold at Subway. In
New York, we call it a hero. In other parts of the
country, you’ll hear it referred to as a submarine, a
sub, grinder, or po’ boy (which really is in a class by
itself, as anyone who has feasted in New Orleans
will tell you).
But although we have regional differences on the
island, it’s much more complex. This way-withwords business goes beyond variable regional
vocabulary since Cubans pepper their Spanish with
terms of African origin (like the aforementioned
asere); many American English words are in daily
use, including lager, homerun, and brother, all
uttered in a sultry accent; and entire syllables
are regularly dropped (e.g. ño), while other words
are contracted (e.g. equivoca’o). Needless to say,
this complicates matters, as does Cuban-specific
vernacular. Some of these words may be used in
other Spanish-speaking countries, but probably
not in the same way Cubans use them. Have
insights? Drop me a line or submit a comment.
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Almendrón – Old US car; almendra means almond.
Almendrón is a big almond, which these cars
resemble.
Bala, bata, petaca – Cigarette
Caña, fula and tabla – Every day terms, these are
used to denote CUC or ‘kooks,’ the hard currency
here. Other terms include chavitos (which I hear
infrequently in Havana) and morrocota, used
exclusively for the 1 CUC coins. ‘Fula’ has other
meanings as well; see below.
Curda – Alcohol; can also be used as an adjective
for someone who’s drunk.
Faster – Bicycle; also called a chivo.
Fula – Screwed up, twisted, somehow malevolent
or damaged. Used to refer to situations or people:
“¿Ella? Tremenda fula.”
Gabo – Slang term for house or home; also a
diminutive of Gabriel, used most famously for
García Márquez.
Guagua – Bus
Jama – Food; grub
Jeva/o – girlfriend/boyfriend
Nescafé – Nothing doing; no way, as in ‘did you two
hook up?’ ‘¡Nescafé!
Pincha – Work, job
Run run – Word on the street; rumor; grapevine.
Synonyms include radio bemba and la bola.
I could go on (and on), but I’ve got other work to
do, deadlines to meet, and dreams to realize.
Me voy en fa’.
Notes 1. Anyone planning a visit here will benefit from
learning a few phrases and sayings with the Cuban
dichos app.
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El Gato Tuerto
Calle O e/ 17 y 19, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-2224
Cover CUC 3
Open 12m-4am
Performances from 10pm
Photos Y. Monte
El Gato Tuerto – 54 years old and still
packing it for ‘filin’
by Lily Moreno
I had been told that this was a favorite hangout of
Elena Burke and one of the clubs where she gave
her last performances before her untimely death.
Nicknamed “Lady Sentiment,” she seemed to
have left part of her feelings and emotions in that
small space called El Gato Tuerto—The One-Eyed
Cat. Other artists who have been protagonists
here include Omara Portuondo of Buena Vista
Social Club fame, the late Moraima Secada (Elena,
Omara and Moraima all came from the Cuarteto
d’Aida), Lino Borges, César Portillo de la Luz and
José Antonio Méndez, just to name a few. These
voices of “filin” (see note 1) will always be part of
the spirit of the iconic bar, which this past August
31 celebrated its 54th anniversary with a big bang.
the charismatic editor and cultural promoter Felito
Ayón (who rubbed shoulders with the avant-garde
of Havana) who put El Gato Tuerto on the map
turning it into an intimate, glamorous and select
place, chosen by Havana intellectuals for their
nocturnal meetings. The house was refurbished
and when it reopened on August 31, 1960 it had
already become famous for being the place to
enjoy the best “filin.”
Throughout the years, the club’s walls have been
graced with paintings by renowned Cuban artists,
like Acosta León, Mariano Rodríguez, Luís Mariano
Pedro, Alberto Falcón, Tomás Marai and Raúl
Tickets had been sold out early that week, but I
never suspected that such a small place could
pack so many people, who effectively bumped into
one another. Sitting at the tables, people chatted,
laughed or shared intimate moments. I chose to
sit at the bar and ordered a mojito. Settled there,
with cocktail in hand, I felt like I too was part of the
history of this place.
Before 1959, El Gato Tuerto was one of the two
bars in Havana that opened 24/7. The owner would
sometimes delight guests with trumpet solos,
and in time, the club began to attract popular
musicians as well as artists of all kinds. But it was
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Tapia. And the restaurant’s first dinner service
was designed by Amelia Peláez (author of the
spectacular mural on the façade of the Habana
Libre Hotel).
on the tall building next to the club that said “I love
El Gato Tuerto” amidst colors and lights, the work
of the Cuban video mapping group *.IMG.
But August 31 was special. Musicians and singers
filled the stairs are tuning up their instruments
and their voices. The show was presented by the
popular Cuban TV host Julio Acanda, who is also the
artistic director of El Gato Tuerto. He has managed
to bring El Gato back into the spotlight with a new
generation of musicians who, although continuing
to perform songs from the filin repertoire, have
also incorporated other rhythms, aesthetics, lyrics
and thoughts that are making El Gato a place of
renewal that takes pride in good Cuban music.
The restaurant on the second floor, which faces
the sea, had been decorated with works by painters
Fabelo, Mendive, Lara and Maikel Herrera, as part
of an exhibition on occasion of the anniversary.
Passersby around the Malecón, O Street or the
Nacional Hotel could easily make out a projection
The party ended with cheers and a toast to the club’s long life, which was honored by the countless
musicians who performed that evening at El Gato Tuerto and the enthusiastic crowd who were lucky
enough to take part in the celebration.
Note 1: filin, a renovating movement in Cuban song that evolved from bolero and trova, and was influenced by jazz.
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Photos Y. Monte
El Litoral – An inspiration on the Malecón
by Margaret Atkins
Would you like to feel like you owned a little piece
of the Havana Malecón, even if only for a little
while? Well, that’s exactly what I felt this afternoon
as I sat under one of El Litoral’s umbrellas. The
location can’t be beat: Malecón Ave. on the corner
of K Street, where a solitary piece of the seawall is
visible. It’s just you, the blue sky and the vastness
of the sea. The place is unrivaled if you want to
watch how the sun, turned into a red rubber ball,
is swallowed by the sea at sunset while you dine or
sip your favorite cocktail. And in the evening, you
might catch the flickering lights of some distant
ship.
Alain, the chef was busy in his kitchen, I decided I
would explore the place. When you cross the glass
door, which bears the name of the restaurant, you
enter into an air-conditioned area that is much
appreciated in the August heat. To your left, you
will find the bar and to your right, a half-lit waiting
room. There is lots of black, white and gray. The
first impression is of elegance and comfort. “The
interior of a luxury boat, that’s what we wanted to
achieve,” said Mae, who along with her husband
Alejandro, has created this lovely restaurant in what
was once her husband’s family home. Remodeling
the place took them an entire year, but scarcely
eight months after they first opened to the public,
El Litoral has a loyal clientele. The central hall
leads to the main dining room with six tables,
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And now we come to the main dishes, and this
being a sea-themed restaurant, it is only natural
that the specialty of the house is fish, like the cava
style lobster, stir fry shrimp or fish stew. But if
you’re more of a meat person, then you should go
for the filet mignon served on a timbale of roasted
potatoes and onions, which, like almost every dish
here, comes with steamed vegetables in a tropical
color scheme. But if you are undecided as to what
to choose, then close the menu and talk to your
waiter. Tell him what you would like to eat and
how you would like it to be prepared. Your waiter
will then go to the kitchen, he will talk with Alain,
and will do everything possible to come back with
a dish that will meet your expectations, even if it’s
not on the menu.
The maitre d’ personally chooses and trains all
the waiters and bartenders, and the chef takes
care that no ingredients are missing, despite
the unstable and variable Cuban market. Alain is
proud of his menu, which is not only stable, but
expanding. Proof of this is a project they have
in mind for late this year involving avant-garde
cooking techniques, also known as molecular
gastronomy.
It is really difficult to capture the enthusiasm and
commitment of the people that make El Litoral,
not just a business but also an inspiration.
while the private room retains somewhat the spirit
of the dining room you would find in a large Cuban
home. They have also set up a room for smokers in
what was once the garage and lateral courtyard..
A mural of sea motifs in relief created by Cuban
artist Rafael Consuegra graces the sand-colored
wall. The decor here is coherent, a feature that is
hard to find in the many new restaurants that are
gradually populating the city. At last I come to the
kitchen and I meet Alain.
Proud of his sanctuary, Alain takes me to where
the hors d’oeuvres are prepared. For a fixed price,
guests may choose from a number of cold starters:
four different kinds of cheese; salads made of
truly organic vegetables; fish escabeche, shellfish,
sushi, salmon, smoked fish, ham, sausages, olives,
dressings, breads from the in-house bakery and so
much more.
If you liked the cold starters, then you will simply
have to come back another day and choose from
the tapas (more like hot entrees) menu: beef and
salmon carpaccio; bruschetta topped with tomato,
ham and mozzarella; crunchy focaccia topped with
octopus; croquettes in cheese fondue (mmm!);
chorizo casserole in wine, risottos (which the chef
tells me are made with the high-starch, mediumor short-grain white rice that this dish requires,
and so much more.
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Ice Ice Baby
by Sophia Beckman
Cuba has remained largely immune to the Ice
Bucket Challenge fever that has swept the rest
of the world over this summer. There are a few
exceptions including British Ambassador to
Havana, Tim Cole whose daughter put him under
the gun to pay up or suffer the consequences.
Then again in Cuba’s endless summer having
a bucket of ice cold water poured over one’s
head actually sounds quite refreshing. Hold my
checkbook and let me ponder my options.
In any event we spent the day with Alex Mene
looking for the right Cuban alternative to the Ice
Bucket Challenge. Lets call it Ice Ice Baby since we
are skipping the video upload and going straight
to stills.
We will donate US$ 100 to charity of the Winner’s
Choice for the best still photo of someone getting
the Ice Ice Baby treatment in a Cuban context!
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The Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, is an activity involving dumping a bucket
of ice water on someone’s head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage
donations to research. The challenge dares nominated participants to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured
on their heads and then nominating others to do the same. A common stipulation is that nominated participants have
24 hours to comply or forfeit by way of a charitable financial donation
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Nazdarovie
Havana’s best places to eat
El Atelier
CA
5
Bella Ciao
CA 5
Café Bohemia
CA
5
Café Laurent
CA 4+
Experimental fusion
Homely Italian
Café
Spanish/Mediterranean
Beautiful décor, interesting
menu.
Great service, good prices. A
real home from home.
Bohemian feel. Great
sandwiches, salads & juices
Beautiful penthouse restaurant
with lovely terrace.
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
Calle M #257, e/ 19 y 21, Vedado
(+53) 7-831-2090
La California
Carboncita
La Casa
Casa Miglis
CA 5+
CA 4+
CA 5
CA
Cuban-Creole/International
Italian
Contemporary fusion
Swedish-Cuban fusion
Beautiful C19 colonial building.
Great fresh pastas.
Walter’s place. Great pizza.
Quick & reliably good
VIP service. The Robaina family
place. Thurs Sushi night.
Oasis of good food & taste in
Centro Habana
Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro
y Refugio, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-863 7510
Ave. 3ra #3804 e/ 38 y 40,
Miramar
(+53) 7-203 0261
Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo
Vedado
(+53) 7-881-7000
Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y
Lagunas, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-864-1486
Chanchullero
Le Chansonnier CA
Cocina Lilliam CA
El Cocinero
CA 5
4+
4+
5
CA 5+
Contemporary fusion
International
International
Fabulous value hole in the wall
tapas. Trendy.
Stylish & contemporary with
good food. Not cheap.
Beautiful garden setting, quite
posh.
Teniente Rey #457 bajos, Plaza
del Cristo, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-872-8227
Calle J #257 e/ Línea y 15,
Vedado
(+53) 7-832-1576
Calle 48 #1311, e/ 13 y 15,
Miramar
(+53) 7-209-6514
Spectacular industrial chic
alfresco rooftop with a buzzing
atmosphere
Corte Príncipe CA
Il Divino
D. Eutimia
5+
CA 4+
Italian
International
Sergio’s place. Simple décor,
spectacular food, excellent
service.
Set in huge gardens outside
town. Great for the kids.
Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado.
(+53) 7-832-2355
CA 5+
Esperanza
CA 4+
Cuban/Creole
Cuban fusion
Absolutely charming. Great
food.
Intimate, idiosyncratic &
charming (although not cheap).
Calle 9na esq. a 74, Miramar
(+53) 5-255-9091
Calle Raquel, #50 e/ Esperanza
y Lindero, Mantilla, Arroyo
Naranjo
(+53) 7-643-7734
Callejón del Chorro #60C, Plaza
de la Catedral, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7 861 1332
Calle 16 #105 e/ 1ra y 3ra,
Miramar
(+53) 7-202-4361
La Fontana
La Guarida
Iván Chef
El Litoral
CA 4+
CA 5+
CA 5+
CA 5+
International
International
Spanish
International
Consistently good food,
attentive service. Old school.
Justifiably famous. Follow
footsteps of Queen of Spain &
Beyonce.
Brilliantly creative and rich
food.
Watch the world go by at the
Malecón’s best restaurant.
Aguacate #9, esq. a Chacón,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-863-9697
Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-2201
Piccolo
Río Mar
Calle 46 #305 esq. a 3ra,
Miramar
(+53) 7-202-8337
Nautilus
CA 5
Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y
Escobar, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-866-9047
Nazdarovie
CA 5
CA 4+
CA 5
French/Mediterranean
Soviet
Italian
International
Imaginative, tasty and
innovative menu.
Cuba’s first true Soviet style
restaurant. Beautiful view,
great food.
Kitsch pizza place with animals.
Great after the beach.
Contemporary décor.
Wonderful sea-view.
Calle 5ta A #50206 e/ 502 y
504, Guanabo, Habana del Este
(+53) 7-796-4300
Ave. 3raA y Final #11, La Puntilla,
Miramar
(+53) 7-209-4838
Starbien
El Templete
Calle 84 #1116 e/ 11 y 13, Playa.
(+53) 5-237-3894
(+53) 5-4001068
San Cristóbal
CA 5+
Malecon #25, 3rd floor e Prado
y Carcel, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-860-2947
Santy
CA 5+
CA 5
CA 5-
Cuban/Creole
Sushi/Oriental
Deservedly popular.Consistently
great food. Kitsch décor.
Authentic fisherman’s shack
servicing world-class sushi.
Fabulous.
Spacious. Serving some of
Havana’s best food at present.
Overlooking harbor. Good
quality but expensive.
Calle 29 #205 e/ B y C, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-0711
Ave. del Puerto #12 esq. a
Narciso López, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-866-8807
San Rafael #469 e/ Lealtad y
Campanario, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-860-9109
Calle 240A #3023 esq. a 3ra C,
Jaimanitas
(+53) 5-286-7039
.com september 2014
contents
page 74
La Guarida
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Contemporary fusion
CostExpensive
www.laguarida.com
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
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
Iván Chef Justo
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Spanish
CostExpensive
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Spectacular innovative food. Light
and airy place where it always seems to feel
like Springtime.
Don’t Miss The lightly spiced grilled mahimahi served with organic tomato relish.
Try the suckling pig and stay for the cuatro
leches.
Aguacate #9, Esq. Chacón, Habana Vieja.
(+53) 7-863-9697 / (+53) 5-343-8540
El Litoral
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
International
CostExpensive
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
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
Santy
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Sushi
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Fabulous sushi, wonderful ambience
overlooking fishing boats heading out to sea.
World class.
Don’t miss Getting a reservation here.
Calle 240A #3023 esq. 3raC, Jaimanitas.
(+53) 5-286-7039
.com september 2014
contents
page 75
La California
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Cuban-Creole/International
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Beautiful C19 colonial building.
Popular place with quality food and great
service. Love the fresh pastas.
Dont’t Miss The interesting history of the
neighbourhood, where Chano Pozo (legendary Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist) hung out.
Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro y Refugio,
Centro Habana
(+53) 7-863-7510
Casa Miglis
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Swedish-Cuban fusion
CostExpensive
www.casamiglis.com
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
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.
(+53) 7-864-1486
Nazdarovie
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Soviet
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Getting a flavor of Cuban-Soviet history along with babuska’s traditional dishes
in a classy locale.
Don’t miss Vodka sundowners on the
gorgeous terrace overlooking the malecon.
Malecon #25 3rd floor e/ Prado y Carcel, Centro
Habana
(+53) 7-860-2947
Starbien
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Eating some of Havana’s best food
at present. Consistently good, excellent
service
Don’t miss The fish terriaki is to absolutely
die for. Get a reservation on the main
terrace.
Calle 29 #205 e/ B y C, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-0711
.com september 2014
contents
page 76
Atelier
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Experimental fusion
CostExpensive
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Interesting menu, beautiful building
with great décor and service.
Don’t miss Dinner on the breezy terrace
during summer.
Calle 5ta e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado
(+53) 7-836-2025
atelierdedecuba@yahoo.es
Café Bohemia
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Café
CostModerate
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Bohemian feel. Great sandwiches,
salads & juices
Don’t miss Thursday night happy hour
(7-9pm)
Ground floor of the Palacio de la Casa del Conde
de Lombillo, Calle San Ignacio #364,
(Next to Factoría Plaza Vieja)
bohemia.plazavieja@gmail.com
http://www.havanabohemia.com
El Cocinero
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
International
CostExpensive
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Fabulous industrial chic alfresco
rooftop with a buzzing atmosphere, great
service & good food.
Don’t miss The best parties in Havana, held
on the rooftop attracting a new crowd of
Cuban entrepreneurs.
Calle 26, e/ 11 and 13, Vedado.
(+53) 7-832-2355
La Casa
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
International/sushi
CostExpensive
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Warm hospitality and openness
from the four generations of the Robaina
family. Quality food.
Don’t miss Thursday night sushi night.
The Piña Colada.
Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado.
(+53) 7-881-7000
alerobaina@restaurantelacasacuba.com
.com september 2014
contents
page 77
Sloppy Joe’s
Havana’s best Bars & Clubs
Traditional Bars
El Floridita
CA 4+
Hemingway’s daiquiri bar.
Touristy but always full of life.
Great cocktails.
Obispo #557 esq. a Monserrate,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1299
Factoría
Plaza Vieja
CA 5
Microbrewery. Serves ice
chilled bong of light locally
brewed beer. New locale as
well overlooking Havana bay.
Sloppy
Joe’s Bar
CA 4+
Recently (beautifully)
renovated. Full of history.
Popular. Lacks a little ‘grime’.
Ánimas esq. a Zulueta, Habana
Vieja
(+53) 7-866-7157
San Ignacio esq. a Muralla,
Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-866-4453
Cervecería
CA 5+
Antiguo Almacén
Madera y el Tabaco
de
la
Stunningly well done larger
version of the microbrewery
on Plaza Vieja. Located by
the waterfront area. Simply
brilliant.
Avenida del Puerto y San
Ignacio, La Habana Vieja
Contemporary Bars
El Cocinero
CA 5+
Fabulous rooftop setting, great
service, cool vibe.
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado
(+53) 7-832-2355
Espacios
CA 5-
Laid back contemporary bar
with a real buzz in the back
beer-garden.
Esencia
Habana
CA 4+
Spacious modern bar. Good
service and nice cocktails. Nonsmoking inside.
Calle 10 #510, e/ 5ta y 31,
Miramar
Calle B e/ Línea y Calzada,
Vedado
(+53) 7-836-3031
(+53) 7-836-3031
Contemporary bars/clubs
Don Cangrejo CA
4+
Love it/hate it—they have at
least filled in the pool—this is
the oldest Friday night party
place and is still going strong.
Outdoor by the sea.
CA 4
Über modern and stylish indoor
bar/club. Miami style crowd
and attitude.
Calle 94 #110 e/ 1ra y 3ra,
Miramar
(+53) 7-206-4167
Ave. 1ra e/ 16 & 18, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-3837
Other
Meliá Sports Bar CA
Kpricho
4
Big-screen sports-bar in
modern outdoor terrace
with cooling air jets (when
working!). Good for sports
and live music, not cheap for
drinks/food.
El Gato Tuerto CA
Up & Down
CA 5
From the team that brought
you Sangri-La. Attracting
a young party crowd, very
popular.
Calle 3ra y B, Vedado
4+
Late night place to hear
fabulous bolero singers. Can
get smoky.
El Tocororo
CA 4+
Expat favorite hangout. Small
indoor bar with live music and
eclectic clientele.
Fábrica
de Arte
CA 5+
X Alfonso’s new cultural center.
Great concerts, funky young
scene.
(next to the Puente de Hierro)
(+53) 5-329-6325
www.facebook.com/fabrica.
deartecubano
Sangri-La
CA 5
For the cool kids. Basement
bar/club which gets packed at
weekends.
Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar
(+53) 7-264-8343
Bertolt Brecht
CA 5
(+53) 7-833-2224
Calle 18 e/ 3ra y 5ta, Miramar
Think MTV Unplugged when
musicians play. Hip, funky and
unique with an artsy Cuban
crowd.
Humboldt 52
Fashion
Bar Havana
Café Bar
Madrigal
Meliá Habana Hotel
Ave. 3ra e/ 76 y 80, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-8500
Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-1354
Gay-friendly
Cabaret
Las Vegas
CA 4
Can get dark and smoky but
great drag show (11pm) from
Divino—one of Cuba’s most
accomplished drag acts.
Infanta #104 e/ 25 y 27, Vedado.
(+53) 7-870-7939
CA 5
One of the hottest venues
for gay nightlife in Havana at
present.
Humboldt #52 e/ Infanta y
Hospital, Centro Habana.
(+53) 5-330-2989
CA 5
A superb example of
queer class meets camp,
accompanied by a fantastic
floor show.
San Juan de Dios, esq. a
Aguacate, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1676
.com september 2014
CA 4
Pop décor, fancy cocktails, and
the staff’s supercilious attitude,
this is a gathering spot for all
types of folks, including gay
men and women.
Calle 17 #809 e/ 2 y 4, Vedado
(+53) 7-831-2433
contents
page 79
Bertolt Brecht
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar/clubs
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Hanging out with hip & funky
Cubans who like their live music.
Don’t Miss Interactivo playing on a
Wednesday evening.
(+53) 7-830-1354
Espacios
CA 5-
CA TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
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
Sangri-La
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar/CLUB
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on
the Havana Farundula in the most popular
bar/club.
Don’t Miss The best gin and tonic in Havana.
Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar
(+53) 5-264-8343
Don Cangrejo
CA 4+
CA TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Interesting venue with good décor
and great bands. Busy.
Don’t Miss Friday night attracts a LGBTI
crowd. Great bands, hip crowd, pole
dancing—what more could you want?
(+53) 7-204-3837
.com september 2014
contents
page 80
Humboldt 52
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Gay friendly
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Hot staff, comfortable setting, and
welcoming vibe at Havana’s first full-time,
openly-gay bar
Don’t Miss The disco ball, a talented opera
duo performing Wednesdays and karaoke
and drag performances other days of the
week
Humboldt #52 e/ Infanta y Hospital,
Centro Habana.
(+53) 5-330-2989
Fábrica de Arte
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for X Alfonso’s superb new cultural
center has something for everyone
Don’t Miss Ne pas manquer Les meilleurs
musiciens cubains
(next to the Puente de Hierro)
Fashion Bar Havana
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Gay-friendly
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for A superb example of queer class
meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic
floor show.
Don’t Miss The staff performing after 11pm
San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1676
Kpricho
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Contemporary Bar/CLUB
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Über cool & stylish indoor space
where Havana’s coolest DJs keep the party
going.
Don’t Miss ‘Mas que una noche es un kpricho’
94 e/ 1ra y 3ra #110, Miramar.
(+53) 7-206-4167
barkpricho@gmail.com
Kpricho Facebook
.com september 2014
contents
page 81
Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
Havana’s best live music venues
Concert venues
Karl Marx
Theatre
CA 5
World class musicians perform
prestigious concerts in Cuba’s
best equipped venue.
Calle 1ra esq. a 10, Miramar
(+53) 7-203-0801
Jazz
Café Jazz
Miramar
CA 4+
This newish club is clean,
modern and atmospheric
where Cuba’s best musicians
jam and improvise.
Cine Teatro Miramar
10:30pm – 2am
Ave. 5ta esq. a 94, Miramar
Salsa/Timba
Café Cantante
Mi Habana
CA 4
Attracts the best Cuban
musicians to play including for
matinees. Recently renovated
with an excellent new sound
system.
Ave. Paseo esq. a 39, Plaza de la
Revolución
(+53) 7-878-4273
Contemporary
Café Teatro
Bertolt Brecht
CA 5
Think MTV Unplugged when
musicians play. Hip, funky and
unique with an artsy Cuban
crowd.
(+53) 7-830-1354
Trova & traditional
Barbaram
Pepito’s Bar
CA 4+
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
Basílica Menor CA 5 Fábrica de Arte CA 5 Sala CovarrubiasCA
de San Francisco de X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Teatro Nacional
Great concerts inside (small
Recently renovated, this is
Asís
and funky) and outside (large
A truly beautiful church,
which regularly hosts fabulous
classical music concerts.
Oficios y Amargura, Plaza de
San Francisco de Asís, Habana
Vieja
Jazz Café
CA 4
A staple of Havana’s jazz
scene, the best jazz players
perform here. Somewhat cold
atmosphere wise.
Galerías de Paseo
Ave. 1ra e/ Paseo y A, Vedado
Casa de la
Música
CA 4
and popular!). Great mix of
people.
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next
to the Puente de Hierro)
Privé Lounge
CA 5+
Small and intimate lounge
club with great acoustics and
beautiful decor. Jazz groups
play Sunday night.
Calle 88A #306 e/ 3ra y 3raA,
Miramar
(+53) 7-209-2719
Casa de la
Música
CA 4
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. This is an institution
in the Havana salsa scene
although probably seen better
days.
Galiano e/ Neptuno y
Concordia, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-860-8296/4165
Don Cangrejo CA
Calle 20 esq. a 35, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-0447
4+
Love it/hate it—they have at
least filled in the pool—this is
the oldest Friday night party
place and is still going strong.
Outdoor by the sea.
(+53) 7-204-3837
Gato Tuerto
CA 4+
Late night place to hear
fabulous bolero singers. Can
get smoky.
Calle O entre 17 y 19, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-2224
El Sauce
CA 5-
Great outdoor concert venue to
hear the best in contemporary
& Nueva Trova live in concert.
Ave. 9na #12015 e/ 120 y 130,
Playa
(+53) 7-204-6428
Legendarios
de Guajirito
CA 5
See Buena Vista Social Club
musicians still performing
nightly from 9pm. Touristy but
fabulous.
Zulueta #660 e/ Apodaca y
Gloria, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-861-7761
.com september 2014
5
one of Cuba’s most prestigious
venues for a multitude of
events.
Paseo y 39, Plaza de la
Revolución.
La Zorra y el
Cuervo
CA 5
Intimate and atmospheric,
this basement club, which
you enter through the Red
telephone box, is Cuba’s most
famous jazz club.
Calle 23 e/ N y O, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-2402
Salón Rosado
de la Tropical
CA 5
The legendary beer garden
where Arsenio tore it up in
the 40s Look for a salsa/timba
gig on a Sat night and a Sun
matinee with an older crowd.
Ave. 41 esq. a 46, Playa
Times: varies wildly
(+53) 7-203-5322
Teatro de
Bellas Artes
CA 4+
Small intimate venue inside
Cuba’s most prestigious arts
museum. Modern.
Trocadero e/ Zulueta y
Monserrate, Habana Vieja.
CA 4+
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
contents
page 82
Havana’s Best Hotels
Hotel Nacional de Cuba
Simply the best…
CA
Iberostar
Parque Central
5+
Luxury hotel overlooking
Parque Central
Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-6627
Santa Isabel
CA 5+
Luxurious historic mansion
facing Plaza de Armas
Saratoga
CA 5+
Stunning view from roof-top
pool. Beautiful décor.
Narciso López, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-8201
Terral
CA 5
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
CA 5
Beautifully restored colonial
house.
Obispo #252, esq. a Cuba,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-862-4127
Business Hotels
Meliá Cohíba
CA 5
Oasis of polished marble and
professional calm.
Ave Paseo e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado
(+53) 7- 833-3636
Palacio del
Marqués...
CA 5
Cuban baroque meets modern
minimalist
Oficios #152 esq. a Amargura,
Habana Vieja
Meliá Habana
CA 5
Attractive design & extensive
facilities.
CA 4
A must for Hemingway
aficionados
Mercure Sevilla CA
4
Stunning views from the roof
garden restaurant.
Calle Obispo #153 esq. a
Mercaderes, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7- 860-9529
Trocadero #55 entre Prado y
Zulueta, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-8560
Economical/Budget Hotels
Bosque
CA 3
On the banks of the Río
Almendares.
Calle 28-A e/ 49-A y 49-B,
Reparto Kohly, Playa
(+53) 7-204-9232
Deauville
CA 3
Lack of pretension, great
location.
Galiano e/ Sán Lázaro y
Malecón, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-866-8812
5+
Immensely charming, great
value.
Oficios #53 esq. a Obrapía,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1037
Occidental
Miramar
CA 4+
Good value, large spacious
modern rooms.
Ave. 3ra y 70, Miramar
(+53) 5-204-8500
For a sense of history
Ambos Mundos
Hostal Valencia CA
Conde de
Villanueva
CA 5
Delightfully small and intimate.
For cigar lovers.
Mercaderes #202, esq. a
Lamparilla
(+53) 7-862-9293
H10 Habana
Panorama
CA 4+
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
Hotel Nacional
Riviera
CA 5
Eclectic art-deco architecture.
Gorgeous gardens.
CA 3
Spectacular views over wavelashed Malecón
Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado
(+53) 7-835 3896
Paseo y Malecón, Vedado
(+53) 7-836-4051
Saint John’s
Vedado
CA 3
Lively disco, tiny quirky pool.
Popular.
(+53) 7-833-3740
.com september 2014
CA 3
Good budget option with a bit
of a buzz
(+53) 7-836-4072
contents
page 83
Havana’s
best private
places to stay
Maison Cuba
For Help reserving any Private Accommodation (Casas Particulares) in Cuba please contact
CubanCasas@gmail.com
Mid range - Casa Particular (B&B)
1932
CA 4
Carlos in cuba
CA 5
Gay Friendly BED and
Breakfast in Havana
Visually stunning, historically
fascinating. Welcoming.
Campanario #63 e/ San Lázaro
y Laguna, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-863-6203
Calle 2 #505 e/ 23 y 21, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-1329
(+53) 5-295-4893
carlosincuba@yahoo.com
www.carlosincuba.com
Habana
CA 5
Beautiful colonial townhouse
with great location.
Julio y Elsa
CA 5
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
Artedel
Hostal Guanabo
Up-scale B&Bs (Boutique hostals)
Rosa D’Ortega
CA 5
Beautiful and welcoming large
home
Patrocinio #252 esq. a Juan
Bruno Zayas, 10 de Octubre
(+53) 7-641-4329/5-263-3302
info@larosadeortega.com
www.larosadeortega.com
Vitrales
CA 5
Hospitable, attractive and
reliable boutique B&B with 9
bedrooms.
Habana #106 e/ Cuarteles y
Chacón, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-866-2607
CA 5+
Ydalgo Martínez Matos’s
spacious and contemporary
3-bedroom penthouse is
magnificent.
CA 5
Beautiful 4 bedroom seafront villa in sleepy Guanabo.
Excellent food.
Calle I #260 e/ 15 y 17, Vedado
(+53) 5-830-8727
Calle 480 #1A04 e/ 1ra y 3ra,
Guanabo
(+53) 7-799-0004
Habana Vista
Suite Havana
Apartment rentals
Bohemia Hostal CA
5+
Gorgeous 1-bedroom
apartment beautifully
decorated apartment
overlooking Plaza Vieja.
San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla
y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja
Habana Vieja
(+53) 5- 403-1 568
(+53) 7-836-6567
www.havanabohemia.com
Luxury Houses
Villasol
CA 5
Rent Room elegant and wellequipped. Beautiful wild
garden and great pool.
Calle 17 #1101 e/ 14 y 16, Vedado
(+34) 677525361
(+53) 7-832-1927
(+53) 5-360-0456
Casa Concordia CA
5+
Beautifully designed
and spacious 3 bedroom
apartment. Spanish colonial
interiors with cheerful, arty
accents.
CA 5
Two-storey penthouse b&b
with private pool
Calle 13 # 51 esq. a N, Vedado
(+53) 5-388-7866
Lamparilla #62 altos e/
Mercaderes y San Ignacio,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 5-829-6524
Concordia #151 apto. 8 esq. a
San Nicolás, Centro Habana
(+53) 5-254-5240
www.casaconcordia.net
Casablanca
CA 5
Elegant well-equipped villa
formerly owned by Fulgencio
Batista. Beautiful wild garden.
Morro-Cabaña Park. House #29
(+53) 5-294-5397
www.havanacasablanca.com
CA
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
.com september 2014
CA 5
Elegant 2-bedroom apartment
in restored colonial building.
Quality loft style décor.
5
Residencia
Mariby
CA 5
A sprawling vanilla-hued
mansion with 6 rooms
decorated with colonial-era
lamps, tiles and Louis XV
furniture
Vedado.
(+53) 5-370-5559
contents
page 84
Artedel Luxury
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
3 Bedroom penthouse
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for Stylish and contemporary furniture
along with a beautiful 360-degree view over
Havana
Don’t Miss Ydalgo – an impeccable host,
discreet or gregarious, as you prefer
Calle I #260, e/ 15 and 17, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-8727
Bohemia Hostal
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Gorgeous 1 bedroom apartment
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for Independent beautifully decorated
apartment overlooking Plaza Vieja.
Don’t Miss Spending time in Havana’s most
atmospheric Plaza.
San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza
Vieja, Habana Vieja
bohemia.plazavieja@gmail.com
(+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567
www.havanabohemia.com
Maison Cuba
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
3 Bedroom apartment
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for The terrace with a view of Havana
and its people.
Don’t Miss Getting in touch with the
architecture and splendor of a Cuban
colonial home.
Cienfuegos #207 altos e/ Misión y Arsenal,
Habana Vieja.
(+53) 5-412-0166
www.lamaisoncuba.com
Rosa D’Ortega
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Boutique Villa
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for Large elegant villa away from the
bustle of downtown Havana. Gracious hosts,
beautiful rooms.
Don’t Miss Exploring the off-the-beaten
track neighbourhood.
Patrocinio #252 esq. a Juan Bruno Zayas, 10 de
Octubre
(+53) 7-641-43-29 / (+53) 5-263-3302
http://www.larosadeortega.com
.com september 2014
contents
page 85

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