Walking down the main arteries of the Cuban capital, one can appreciate the vestiges of the Art Deco style. This architectural legacy was documented by architect Maria Elena Martin in her book Havana Art Deco: Architectural Guide.
Young Eduardo Sandoval considers himself the heir of Cuban trombonist Juan Pablo Torres, who passed away in 2005 at 58. When Eduardo speaks of the late musician, his eyes light up in a very special way. The work of Torres was actually one of the sources of inspiration for Eduardo’s first album, titled Caminos abiertos (“Open Roads”).
Imagine you had the chance to decide, at a neighborhood meeting, how part of the public budget should be spent to improve and transform your community. Imagine your apartment building was governed by rules that all tenants knew and followed to the letter.
Cuba libre, Cuban filmmaker Jorge Luis Sanchez’ third feature, had to wait many years to reach the big screen and swell the list of domestic films to compete at the 2015 Havana Film Festival (Dec. 3-13).
Four years ago, she traded the heat of the tropics for the icy temperatures of Switzerland. Her name is Susana Orta Lopez and she is the lead singer of Siga Volando (“Keep On Flying”), a band treating the European country to Cuban and Latin American rhythms through traditional Cuban charanga.
In one of Havana’s poor neighborhoods, where a bit of spiritual uplifting is most needed, puppeteer Adalett Perez Pupo (Holguin, Cuba, 1947), continues to do his missionary work.
Seeing him at work, one would never suspect he studied 10 different foreign languages, let alone that he holds a degree in social sciences, history and economics.
Today, El Tavel only belongs to the group of buildings that will be remembered by a slight few. It began to show clear signs of deterioration in the late ’60s. During the decades that followed, its inhabitants held on to the hope of seeing it one day restored to its former glory.
Wally Collins, winner of the 2014 “Papa” Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, is once again in Havana. His presence at El Floridita bar causes a great stir among the patrons.
I’ve captured a magnificent Pterois volitans specimen. I dared kidnap the fish because of its small size (which made the task rather simple). This species, characterized by long, needle-like fin rays, blindly trusts its venom and therefore does not require a quick escape.