Regina Cano’s Diary

Cuba’s Self-Employed and their Investments

A privately owned 3D theatre, housed by a locale in the commercial center located in Alamar’s Zone 6, stands out among the establishments where the largest investments have been made in the neighborhood. Not long before, the place had been a store that sold imported used clothing, a “rag-store”, as they are popularly known in Cuba.

Sculptures in the Sand of Havana

The tenth edition of Sculptures in the Sand took place on July 27th, in an effort to recover the Fiestas by the Sea that took place in the early years of the revolution during the last week of July.

Contemporary Cuban Art Exhibition in Alamar, Havana

New, neo-expressionist works by contemporary Cuban artists Rigoberto Rodriguez (popularly known as “Rigo”) and Ernesto Cordova, affording us two distinct takes on everyday reality, will be on display at a month-long exhibition entitled “Retaining”, currently mounted at the Fayad Jamis Arts Gallery in Alamar, Havana. (8 photos)

Outdoor Reggae Concert in Havana

This past Saturday, Estudiantes Sin Semilla (“Seedless Students”), a reggae band from Havana, threw a concert at the Parque Almendares amphitheater. Though I’d gotten the flyers announcing the concert only the night before, I was, luckily, able to attend.

Madness in Cuba

Crazy people, those who have lost all touch with reality or their “marbles” (as it is said colloquially), the “mentally insane”, as they are also called, abound in all countries around the world. Well, folks, Cuba has had no shortage of crazies either.

Cuba’s New Ice-Cream Carts

I still remember that, throughout my childhood and until the onslaught of the Special Period in the early 90s, the “Ice Cream Carts”, small trucks that sold ice-cream in the currency one’s salary was paid in (when one could make ends meet with these), would drive around Havana, announcing themselves with Johann Strauss’ “Blue Danube”, and that these were extremely popular in those happier times.

Celebrating a Child’s Birthday in Cuba

Over the years, preparing a child’s birthday party in Cuba has become as elaborate and involved a process as those which people living in industrialized and “developed” nations often undertake to fulfill certain fantasies.