Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Casa de Africa museum and gallery, this event (see accompanying photos) was held from January 5-9. It had been anxiously awaited not only by its presenters, but also by the whole community in which the facility is located: the historic district of Old Havana. (29 photos)
Read MoreIn 1512 Spain authorized the bringing into Cuba of black African slaves, who came with their traditions and their religions, which were never abandoned though the masters forced them to practice the Catholic religion. (27 photos)
Read MoreIt’s easier to take him for crazy. To look at his Walt Whitman-style mane, with green leaves sometimes tangled in his white hair; the clothes he wears, as old as he is; the beard, which might remind some people of a confirmed Marxist, and his carefree gait through the streets of Caracas, with his four string guitar on his shoulder, inseparable; one might say, “Look, one more lunatic.”(9 photos)
Read MoreFounded in south-central Cuba in January 1514 by Spanish colonialists, the town of Trinidad — with its cobblestone streets — maintains a colonial air that has transformed it into a city museum. Many of its structures date back to the 18th and 19th centuries but remain in perfect condition thanks to the efforts of the Office of the City Preservationist. (26 photos)
Read MoreBarber’s and Hairdresser’s Day was recently celebrated in Cuba, which was the reason behind the 7th Artecorte Festival taking place in Havana. The festival featured the unusual combination of music, painting and hairdressing. (26 photos)
Read MoreAt this very moment I would be 15 times happier if I were able to be with my family and with my friends, and it wouldn’t matter if it were before or after December 31; what is important is being with them again. (20 photos)
Read MoreIn the Valle de los Ingenios still remain the ruins of the numerous sugar refineries that once gave such splendor to the area but which today constitute little more than archaeological artifacts of that industry. (13 photos)
Read MoreThe year 2010 is coming to a close, one more year that slips through our fingers like sand. For believers and non-believers Christmas is apparent in the two currencies, the “dollar” stores with more fancy decorations and the shops that sell in regular pesos with less color and sparkle. Nonetheless, the “kitsch” is apparent everywhere. (20 photos)
Read MoreOur press reported little on the guests who would be appearing or about anything that occurred following the festival’s opening, all of which compelled saxophonist Bobby Carcasses to jokingly refer to an almost clandestine celebration. (8 photos)
Read MoreDecember 16 is the eve of Babalu Aye (“the father of the world” in the Yoruba language) or, as he’s better known under his syncretized name, San Lazaro. Starting days before — and even weeks or months prior — all those who have made promises to this saint of illnesses and misery begin to walk toward El Rincon. (8 photos)
Read More