Irina Pino’s Diary

On the night of February 25, The Dead Daisies played at Havana’s rock-and-roll venue the Maxim Rock. The much-awaited performance began at 9:30 pm. and the band was welcomed with euphoric screaming and thunderous applause.

Days ago, I received the sad news that Havana’s Charles Chaplin Theater had ceased to be Cuba’s Cinematheque. The cinema operated as such for over fifty years and, in my view, fulfilled its task.

In 1985, at the end of a party, a friend invited me over to listen to a Bob Dylan album. At first, the music surprised me. Then I felt that it was something different. The songs, played with a guitar and a harmonica, were endless.

Last night, while channel surfing, I put on Pasaje a lo desconocido, a show aired by Cuban television. Though I don’t make a habit of watching the program, I did this time because the issue addressed was both interesting and controversial: euthanasia.

“Aren’t you going to watch Panfilo?” This is what someone in my family always says to get us together to watch the sitcom Vivir del cuento, the only Cuban comedy show aired by Cubavision these days.

What people look for in the “package” is variety: people choose what they want to watch. There may be a lot of trite stuff in it, but one can also find interesting documentaries, the occasional film with artistic merit, etc.

Obispo is one of the busiest streets in Havana’s old town: throughout the day, the city’s self-employed work vigorously to compete with State establishments. People’s toing-and-froing makes the street difficult to walk through.

Having had the opportunity to write for Havana Times is the most important thing for me in this year’s balance (I don’t know whether I’ve already told readers I tried to become a regular contributor several times before accomplishing this).

Everyone is talking about the same thing: the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States. Though some are optimistic and others skeptical, the truth is that the news has stirred everybody up.

A few days ago, pianist Frank Fernandez and flutist Niurka Gonzalez performed classic pieces by Mozart, Bach, Gluck and Tchaikovsky at the San Francisco de Asis Convent in Old Havana. I made the trip down to the old town to attend the concert.