The practice of teaching courses on issues related to the country’s security isn’t new, at least not in a country like Cuba. The academic transcript for the Biochemistry Major I completed – to the dismay of foreign academic peers – begins with “Marxist-Leninist Philosophy” and ends with “Military Training.”
FIFA president Joseph Blatter’s meeting with top Cuban officials during a recent visit to Cuba suggests that authorities on the island may seriously be considering investing in the development of soccer on the island. The other side of this mutation is the apparent decline in people’s interest in baseball.
I watched a number of reports shown on Cuban television prior to the date when Cuba submitted its official report to the UN Human Rights Council. The series documenting what life is like in Cuba’s prisons was particularly interesting for me. The news emphasized the broad range of occupations that inmates can become involved in.
On the carriage of one of Havana’s bicycle cabs, I saw a veritable coat of arms. Distributed among its four corners, I caught sight of the US and German flags (accompanied by the three stars denoting the world soccer championships won by the latter), the logos of two baseball teams (Havana’s Industriales and the New York Yankees), and the emblem of Spain’s Real Madrid soccer club. At the center, an imperial eagle.
The intersection of Havana’s Monte and Aponte streets was the stage of an extremely unusual incident: a highly mixed crowd of people, convened in this public space, sang the National Anthem and “vandalized” one of the walls of a building. But this story doesn’t start here. We must go some way back in history. (11 photos)
“The party’s over” was the reply of the new Pope, who marked his first public appearance as the newly elected Bishop of Rome. With this, Francis refused to comply with the complicated ritual of putting on the formal outfit worn by previous Pontiffs at their respective times of presentation to the Eternal City.
During the period of revolution, the three kings took a rather long vacation… as would other saints. In recent times there were no indications that the holiday schedule had changed, but… suddenly the Cuban custom of mixing ideas and spirituality prevailed once again.
The title, And the English took Havana, again, makes an allusion to what Cuban children used to study in our 4th grade history classes: that day back in the 18th century when Havanans woke up to find themselves living under the “Union Jack” (the common name for the “Union flag”).
After news concerning our parliament, I was surprised when the Cuban TV announcer started talking about a “Pan-American Contest of All Races.” I wondered whether this was something new related to racial integration… but why such an explicitly biological term?
I’m writing these lines to congratulate the new Cuban soccer movement. My readers know that I don’t buy into nationalism, but Cuba’s under-20-year-old soccer team just came in fourth in a regional competition!