Like the frantic cry of “Land!” from a lookout atop a mast or the excited exclamation of a watchtower vigil, this is how the elderly in Cuba call out to let the neighborhood know that chicken has been delivered. Likewise, they get terribly stressed out if the delivery is late.
Located 25 kilometers from the city of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba’s National Transportation Museum (or Automobile Museum, as it is also known) is one of the better attractions of Baconao Park. It houses old automobiles that were popular in their day or belonged to renowned figures. (33 photos)
The ballet has always been one of the cultural activities I enjoy attending the most. Once again, Santiago de Cuba had the pleasure of staging a performance by a prestigious company at the main hall of its renowned Heredia Theatre.
The month of July is a joyous month in Santiago de Cuba full of celebrations. First came the weeklong Caribbean Fire Festival. The Children’s Carnival, which concluded on Sunday, is the subject of this photo feature. The main Santiago Carnival takes place from July 22-28. (30 photos)
For over a month, the people of Santiago de Cuba have been working day and night to repair and add a touch of glitter to those places where the main ceremonies for Cuba’s 26th of July festivities are to take place. It’s been 60 years since the Moncada Barracks was attacked by the 26th of July movement. (14 photos)
For several decades this “miraculous” island appears to go nowhere, as though under a dark spell. It is as though something has gone motionless. The popular phrase that begins with the words “no one in the lead is safe” comes to mind. I should make it clear that I am not bothered by the prosperity of others. It’s just that, sometimes, one can’t help but make comparisons.
The paltriness of Cuban salaries is the topic which is most repeatedly discussed in all gatherings on the island, formal and not. This is because basic articles of crucial importance continue to be prohibitively expensive for most of the Cuban population.
In past centuries on a hill very close to the port of Santiago de Cuba, groups of foreigners founded the neighborhood known as the Tivoli, a treasure of cultural tradition. It was an area of markets and fairs. There were cigar factories, print shops, dry cleaners, hostels and lots of night life. In modern times, the Tivoli Fair takes place each year. (20 photos)
Santiago de Cuba is often called a musical city. It’s a place where it’s commonplace to walk the streets and find yourself in any park, square or corner filled with troubadours, singers, comedians and dancers. Usually, on the weekends, esplanades and plazas are sites for shows of all types. Here’s a photo feature of the local chapter of the children’s theater group La Colmenita. (16 photos)
Over the past couple of weeks — with the media full of tributes and reports on the funeral of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — I’ve heard more than one comparison between that Latin American leader and his former counterpart and friend Fidel Castro.