Culture

He’s an honest, hard-working young man, a little naïve, but nonetheless he is forced to violate the law to survive. This takes place all over Cuba every day. It’s rare to know someone who doesn’t do something illicit on the side.

The audience knows that in other places you have to pay a lot to see these masters of Cuban percussion. The “family reunion” begins around 6:00 p.m. the third Sunday of every month at the Plaza Cultural Center.

The 25th Jazz Plaza Festival takes over Havana stages from February 12-15. Founded 25 years ago, Jazz Plaza started as a small local event and with the years it gained in popularity until it became Cuba’s most important international jazz happening.

The Ancient Music Festival takes place this year from January 31 to February 8, organized by the Havana Historian’s Office and the Ars Longa ensemble. Pieces recovered from the Cuban repertory from when the country was a Spanish colony are an attraction on the program.

Guess what event in Havana has the record for the highest attendance? No it’s not a championship baseball game or a timba concert, but instead the book fair that takes place each year in February.

For those of you in Havana this week you’ll have the unusual opportunity on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. to attend a koto concert at the San Francisco de Asis Basilica, a beautiful old church used today as a concert hall in Old Havana.

An extravaganza featuring the Los Van Van, Paulo FG and the famous Tropicana Nightclub dancers will usher in the New Year and the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, at a popular outdoor concert venue located near the Malecon seawall in front of the US Interests Section.

A special concert at the Amadeo Roldan Theater by pianists Aldo Lopez-Gavilán and Harold Lopez-Nussa brought rave reviews over the weekend as one of several cultural events taking place in Havana to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution of January 1, 1959.

The Fifth Contemporary Arts Salon has opened a new exhibition that’s drawing a lot of attention at the Visual Arts Center in Old Havana. Contemporary art has a big following in Cuba, especially among the younger generations. The exhibition boasts the best in Cuban contemporary art with previous editions in 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2005. The current event is viewable through January 17.

The 30th Havana Film Festival reached its conclusion this weekend. On Friday night the awards were issued and the winning films were shown again on Saturday and Sunday. Many of us had a good time these days enjoying the magical atmosphere that the 13-day event always brings to the Cuban capital.