© YEAR VIII THE Nº 7 APR 16, 2018 HAVANA, CUBA ISSN 2224-5707 Price: avana eporter 1.00 CUC H YOUR SOURCE OF NEWSR & MORE 1.00 USD A Bimonthly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency 1.20 CAN Health Convention to Showcase Culture Cuba’s Achievements Cuban Arts Festival in Washington P. 6 Spotlight on Joint Swiss-Cuban Film P. 5 Ready for Premiere P. 7 Photo Feature That Lingering Hemingway Inspiration Hidden Wonders Within Cuba’s Caves P. 2 P. 11 2 TOURISM That Lingering Hemingway Inspiration Text & Photos by RobertoF. CAMPOS A love affair with Cuba commenced in earnest when the young reporter HAVANA.- U.S. writer Ernest returned to the Island the following year, Hemingway’s enduring presence in on board the ‘Anita’ to engage his passion Cuba is such that all his old haunts have for marlin fishing. become a ‘must-see’ for travelers from the He stayed in room 511 of Old Havana’s United States and elsewhere in the world. Ambos Mundos Hotel during the first Hemingway believed himself to be -- years of his increasingly frequent visits and in many ways was -- almost as much to Cuba, a room now open for tourists a Cuban as a North American, something to view, even if the objects within are that can be sensed by visits to the various of no real historical significance. enchanting places he frequented during The room afforded the writer an his 20-year relationship with the Island. expansive view of Havana and he Some have been well preserved and completed some of his works there. are renowned, others have long faded Hotel managers of the time described from the collective memory, but all retain it as his ‘center of operations’. something of that special Hemingway Between 1929 and 1936 Hemingway spirituality. was almost permanently in Cuba, during They include the sapphire seas of which time the Floridita Bar & Restaurant Havana Bay, Old Havana and its Ambos became an important refuge and Mundos Hotel and Floridita Bar and watering hole. Restaurant in particular, the quaint fishing The bar still serves his favorite village of Cojímar, the Hatuey brewery, the “Papa Double” or “Hemingway Special” Hemingway nautical center, his beautifully cocktails, a Daiquiri variant made from preserved Finca Vigía residence and the white rum, lemon, mint and sugar. ocean game-fish rich waters around the Hemingway’s version however is sugar Mégano and Coco keys. free and comes with a generous extra The ‘Bronze God’ of U.S. literature was dash of rum. instinctively drawn to places compatible It is said that he drank about 12 with his driving need to write, drink and such specials in a ‘session’ and never develop vivacious friendships. left without at least two more for the He also studiously selected the best road back to his Finca Vigía home, a ocean currents for fishing and followed grand residence in the San Francisco the routes of German submarines. de Paula neighborhood that was Born in Oak Park, Chicago, on July 21, originally rented by his third wife, 1899, Hemingway first set eyes on Havana Martha Gellhorn, in 1939 and purchased Bay on April 1st, 1928 at 22:50 local time, outright in 1940. on what records of the time describe as a Hemingway’s passion for fishing and cloudy and misty night. the high seas also brought him to places Passenger records from Havana’s like Jardines del Rey (Cayo Coco) in the emblematic Morro Castle reviewed by province of Ciego de Ávila and there, just historians reveal that he travelled on like wherever else he went, something board a British registered steamship of the Hemingway’s spirituality and named the ‘Orita’. elegance still lingers in the air. 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Clancy/Yanely Printing: Imprenta Federico Engels Fax: (53)7833-3068 Interián E-mail: [email protected] CUBA 3 Cuba’s New Parliament to Cuba Strengthens Ties Have More Female Members with African Countries By NicholasVALDES HAVANA.- Cuba’s new parliament, the – of a total of 8,639, 989 registered – cast 9th Legislature of the People’s Power their vote. National Assembly, will be established The second stage of the Cuban general on April 19th, and this time around, more election process was held that day to than half of the 605 members from all elect all 605 national parliamentarians walks of Cuban life, will be women. and one thousand 265 members of the On that date, parliamentarians will Provincial Assemblies. elect the 31 members of Cuba’s Council Twelve thousand 515 delegates to of State, including its president, vice- Municipal Assemblies or city halls were president and secretary. elected at the end of last year. Alina Balseiro, president of the The CEN reported that in the March National Electoral Commission (CEN), 11th elections, 94.42 percent of votes explained that 47.44 percent of members cast were valid – higher than the figure were elected to grass roots city councils for the first stage of the polls. at the end of last year at meetings in all of Having cast his own vote, the president the country’s 168 municipalities. of Cuba’s Parliament, Esteban Lazo, stated Balseiro also told the press that 53.22 that “in the face of interference from percent of the Assembly’s legislators are abroad, unity is our greatest strength. women, which means Cuba is second in the In times like these, we have to show the world only to Rwanda for the level of female world our people’s decision to defend representation in its national parliament. their Revolution.” Some 40.5 percent of National He went on to stress that democracy Assembly members will be of African or is not measured by the number of mixed-race ethnicity and 40.17 percent political parties a society has, but by will be under the age of 50. the active participation of the people The establishment of the Cuban in the country’s social and political parliament follows the constitution of processes. the Municipal People’s Power Assemblies, He cited as examples that “over 38 on December 17th of last year and the thousand young people had exercised Provincial Assemblies convened on their right to vote in Cuba for the first March 25th last. time during these elections and that 17 thousand had collaborated at different MASSIVE VOTER TURNOUT levels with the electoral commission.” On polling day, the Cuban people Polling stations remained open massively endorsed their unflinching for twelve hours on election day and By CossetLAZO support for the project that commenced were guarded by thousands of young on January 1st, 1959, with the triumph of students, a scenario starkly in contrast HAVANA. - During the first three said that “in honor of our founding the Revolution. with many other countries in the region, months of 2018, Cuba welcomed a fathers, we will continue to support the On the 11th of March last, 7, 399, 891 where armed police and military forces number of senior figures from African fight against colonialism, imperialism citizens or 85.65 percent of the electorate are required to undertake that task. nations in order to strengthen bilateral and support people’s sovereignty.” ties. Namibia’s Prime Minister warmly The Cuban president Raúl Castro expressed the respect, love and held talks with his counterparts from admiration her country and African Ethiopia and Kenya, Mulatu Teshome nations as a whole felt for the Cuban Wirtu and Uhuru Kenyatta, respectively, people. and Namibia’s Prime Minister Saara During her visit to Cuba, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila paid tribute to During their visits, the African Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, José Martí, leaders ensured they would defend Mariana Grajales and Fidel Castro at the their friendly and fraternal ties to Cuba Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, in Santiago de and paid tribute to the Island’s national Cuba. heroes. Meanwhile, Cuban Vice President In a moving ceremony at the Mercedes López Acea also undertook a Pantheon of Internationalist Heroes tour of Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, in Havana’s Colon Cemetery, Teshome Ghana and Seychelles, where she was Wirtu recalled that Cuban soldiers welcomed by authorities. had laid down their lives for the During meetings with senior officials independence of Ethiopia. from the nations she visited, López The president also referred to the Acea reaffirmed Cuba’s willingness pacifist vocation of the historic leader of to further strengthen its historic ties the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, who with countries and the people of the always fought for quity and opposed all continent. social injustice. She also expressed Cuba’s The opening of the first Kenyan appreciation for Africa’s staunch embassy in Cuba was one of the most opposition to the economic, important activities on Kenyatta’s commercial and financial blockade agenda here. imposed by the United States on the The Kenyan president also reiterated island for over 50 years. his government’s desire to strengthen ties At the 30th Summit of Heads of State with Cuba in areas such as solidarity and and Government in Ethiopia at the end as part of the Non-Aligned Movement.