We Visit 26th Avenue in Havana
Photo Feature by Ernesto Gonzalez Diaz
HAVANA TIMES – Havana’s 26th Avenue, or simply “26” as it is popularly known, begins at the roundabout of Ciudad Deportiva and ends very close to the Linea Tunnel, at the end of the Havana Malecon. In this work, we present a series of images taken from the beginning of this avenue to the Acapulco Cinema in Nuevo Vedado, one of the most well-known cinemas in the city, which now only offers one daily showing from Thursday to Sunday.
In this stretch of the avenue, among other places of interest, is the Havana Provincial Zoo, popularly known as the Zoo on 26th, which for a long time was the country’s main zoo until the current National Zoo was built in the Boyeros municipality in the 1980s. Something iconic about this place is the sculpture of “los venaditos” (the little deer) created by the renowned Cuban artist Rita Longa.
It is a beautiful avenue, mostly built during the pre-revolution era, which like all of Havana, features very well-preserved buildings in good structural condition and others that unfortunately are very deteriorated.
@Terrance Hill
And this disaster that you now perceive in Havana came from the sky? I agree with you, it doesn’t look good and a lot of what doesn’t look good has to do with home-made problems. But you shouldn’t completely ignore what 70 years of a horrific US blockade have done to this island. And when has Canada credibly distanced itself from this disgusting US policy? Canada is at the forefront of all the US dirty tricks! And as my Spanish teacher in Havana used to say “Canadians come to Cuba for cheap sex”. I’m not accusing you of that, but there are some things you don’t seem to grasp correctly in your interpretation of Cuba’s problems. And the fact that you then end up blaming Cuba for its stance in the Ukraine war shows that you are unable to think outside the box politically. Unfortunately! The war in Ukraine is terrible. But without the actions of the West (US, Canada and the EU), this war, in which hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have already lost their lives, would not exist! What do you think this war is about? Democracy, human values? Come on! I don’t think you’re naive enough to believe that!
But I completely share your obvious sympathy with Cuba!
With best regards from Austria.
These photos make me sad. I’m Canadian and used to bring music and dance students from Canada to perform and study with their Cuban counterparts. These were wonderful cultural exchanges. Our young people learned so much as we visited Cuban schools, communities, making new friendships. It was a very profound soul touching experience for our kids to see and experience Cuba off the tourist track. In the early 2000s I was struck by the vibrancy and beauty, the different architectures. My wife and I rented a car and spent time exploring Havana neighborhoods, back country roads , finding people very friendly and helpful when we would get lost. But now Cuba has changed. The people I used to know are now suffering from shortages of food, electricity, the daily needs of life. Your photos show a once proud, beautiful , world class city, now crumbling into ruins around a populace that is slipping into third world conditions. Canadians worry about our Cuban friends. I worry that Cuba’s current political structure is clinging to a memory while ignoring that the revolutionary Cuba of years ago isn’t working in the 21st century. Canadians, who traditionally have stood by Cuba despite U.S. pressure are now becoming aware of the decline of Cuban people. We are becoming aware how the food we receive as tourists is coming from the mouths of families that struggle to feed their children and elders. We used to feel safe in knowing the primacy of Cuban healthcare, but the stories reaching us now are ones of a collapsing system. Our impressions of Cuba aren’t helped by Cuba’s choice to be on the wrong side of history in the Russia Ukrain conflict. Yes, your photos leave me sad. I am retired now but very worried for the many bright young students and teachers who I met in Cuba. I hope their futures aren’t going to crumble like the buildings in those pictures. Viva Cuba. Viva Canada. Viva Canada/Cuba!g