The most common thing one hears young and not-so-young people say is that they prefer watching European films, because “they’re not in the mood to see so many social problems.” That’s a curious thing to say during the 35th Havana Film Festival, an opportunity to see the latest films made in the continent and, in the meantime, have a look at films from other parts of the world.
Margarita had always wanted to be a doctor and had been willing to practice anywhere in the world, even in Havana’s Calixto Garcia Hosptial, where she’s been working for several years now. “It’s like a relative one watches deteriorate slowly and progressively,” she told me.
The news has been going around since last Monday morning when the central part of a building located on Carmen, between Cortina and Figueroa streets, in Havana’s neighborhood of La Vibora, collapsed. The building was once a school and, well before that, a convent. Eleven families were living there. (9 photos)
Much is being said about Cuba’s recent yellow-ribbon campaign. What was most striking about the whole process, for me, was seeing how easily people buy into a given product or message. Of course, everything depends on how such a product is advertised.
Old Havana’s Center for the Development of the Visual Arts hosted an interesting exhibition titled Drapetomania: A Homage to Cuba’s Grupo Antillano. When I told a friend I wanted to go see the exhibition, I was surprised by her reply: “Yes, more of the same. I’m a little bit tired of African culture, to be honest.” (19 photos)
Turning fifteen stirs up conflicting emotions in Cuban teenagers. Every young girl knows that her family will throw her a party no matter what the cost, even if this family, as is most often the case, doesn’t have the financial means to do so. The parents, for their part, look at the festivities as an obligation, for their daughter “is not beneath the rest.”
Some time ago, my friend Ivet was approached and asked to take part in a documentary about the lives of lesbian women in Cuba. Ivet is a little camera shy and turned down the offer. We didn’t hear anything about the documentary after this and thought the film hadn’t gone through.
On the 3rd of June of 1979, a bullet ended the life of the young Basque woman we see in the photograph. I have just gotten to know the story of this dark-haired girl who stares at us so serenly. Her name was Gladys del Estal Ferreño, and she had a future to look forward to.
Octavio Paz’ interests were not limited to Mexico’s past and present. The writer also explored the works of great personalities, of renowned painters, writers, bards and politicians. Paz felt he was a part of the world and would express his sincere opinions on issues he considered at once political and human.
Today, Venezuela is a politically effervescent country, divided into two, well-defined camps: those who support Maduro’s presidency because they are followers of Chávez’ ideas, and those who support Capriles because they are detractors of Chávez’ national project.