The most personal travel experience to Oncuba Travel specializes in creating unique experiences through a plethora of products and services that allow international travelers to experience the real Cuba. Simply said, we understand and speak Cuba better than anyone else. We’ve extensively explored, connected, and have developed an extensive network of professionals in Cuba that allow us to create unforgettable curated experiences and lifelong memories for our travelers.

Imagine driving down a street in a vintage Chevrolet, Nobody knows Cuba better than us . Foodies love our cooking class Ford, Buick, Cadillac, Mercury, Dodge, Oldsmobile or Pontiac

Cuban art is diverse and our tours will allow you to experience Discover the remarkable history of . Colonial life and the island’s talent and maybe even meet some of the artists behind it modern time are all part of this unforgettable tour of Cuba’s capital, Havana

Miami Office

3250 NE 1st Ave Suite, 310

Miami, 33137 Call: (305)602-0219 Learn about the powerful African influence in Cuba, [email protected] Havana Highlights, and Cuban Cigar discovery www.oncubatravel.com UNREPETEABLE SPACES AND A DIFFERENT MEAL Calle 5ta., No. 511 altos entre Paseo y 2, , Ciudad De La Habana, Cuba (+53) 7 8362025 [email protected]

EDITOR´S LETTER

PRESIDENT HUGO CANCIO [email protected] EDITORIAL DIRECTOR TAHIMI ARBOLEYA [email protected] EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ARIEL MACHADO [email protected] DESIGN & LAYOUT ELIZABETH PÉREZ DIZ JOSÉ MARTÍ, PATRICIO HERRERA VEGA PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR EL BENNY, AND OTMARO RODRÍGUEZ COPYEDITING MY GRANDFATHER CHARO GUERRA TRANSLATION ERIN GOODMAN A graduate of the teacher-training college of Havana, my grandfa- We left Prado and went down Empedrado Street toward Plaza ther, Nano, taught mathematics to thousands of people. I suspect de la Catedral. Abuelo made up stories along the way, mixing the WEB EDITOR CUBA that he was an unforgettable teacher. When I tell people my last sublime with the ridiculous, talking about José de la Luz y Cabal- MÓNICA RIVERO name, sometimes I’m still asked if I’m related to Mr. Arboleya. lero, Cecilia Valdés, Conrado Marrero, or Mongo Tres Chapitas. [email protected] He was born in Batabanó, a humble fishing village south of When we were approaching the Plaza, before our much-antic- Havana. He was the only one of his many siblings who managed ipated lunch at El Patio, my sister and I prepared for embarrass- to study and have a career. He established his family in El Pilar ment—which we later remembered with mischievous complicity. —a “hot neighborhood” in Havana— where he earned the re- Abuelo stood in the center of the imposing Plaza de la Catedral spect of the people. On the street people called him “Maestro” and dedicated a song by El Benny at the top of his lungs: I don’t (Teacher). know / I can’t tell you how it happened / I can’t explain what hap- My grandfather’s gift was teaching, so he didn’t think twice, at pened / but I fell in love with you.... age 50, about participating in the literacy campaign in a little vil- José Martí: poet, cultured patriot, a free and sensitive spirit, lage in the interior of Pinar del Río. His 12- and 13-year-old children loyal, white son of Spaniards, the soul of ’ thirst for inde- did the same. He had a reputation as a “tough guy”, but if you pendence. El Benny: self-taught musical genius, drinker, dancer, didn’t learn mathematics with him, you could give up the battle. good friend, sharer of everything he had, black descendant of Every year my grandfather, my sister, and I made the same the king of a Congo tribe, his voice was deep. tour of Havana. He took us along the Paseo del Prado, we sat Every year Abuelo would tell me “Come on, let’s go eat the on a bench, and he recited different poems by José Martí. Each best bread croquettes in Havana.” In fact, he was teaching me COVER: Photo: May Reguera year he told us a different story that placed a young Martí sit- about the place where I come from. ting on that bench and each year, my sister and I believed him. Articles may be reproduced, in whole or in part, as long as the source is cited. Reproduction of Little did it bother me when I learned later that, although Martí photographs without the editor’s permission is prohibited. Any views or opinions expressed are those of the articles’ authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of OnCuba. must have walked along the tree-lined dirt road that was, in his time, the Paseo del Prado, he never sat on that bench. The Paseo > OnCuba and the OnCuba logo are registered® trademarks of Fuego Enterprises, Inc., its subsidiaries or divisions. we toured, with its beautiful central promenade, its stone and > OnCuba Travel is a trademark™ of Fuego Enterprises, Inc., its subsidiaries or divisions. marble benches, its lampposts and its laurels, was inaugurated > Oncuba Travel a publication of Fuego Media Group, a division of Fuego Enterprises, Inc., a publicly traded company (FUGI). on October 10, 1928, thirty-three years after the poet’s death. > OnCuba © 2012 by Fuego Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. BENNY MORÉ: CALLEJÓN DE HAMEL: ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF GENIUS ENCHANTED ALLEY 53 Rosa Marquetti Michel Hernández

Anyone interested in Cuba must Those who travel to Havana ONCUBA know Benny Moré’s music—El interested in Afro-Cuban culture Benny is Cuba. should plan a visit to this site where African knowledge is transplanted on the island. TRAVEL It’s not merely a place for tourists—this space showcases 20 the creative and transformative MUSIC MAGAZINE spirit of a vital element of Cuban culture. 30 MADE IN CUBA

14 COVER

GAZES OF THE BLACK WOMAN

TENTS Odette Casamayor Cisneros 24 CINEMA 36 What does it mean to be black INTERVIEW in Cuba? To be a descendant of slaves in the ? What strength is transmitted to us LIMARA MENESES, HAYDÉE MILANÉS: by our ancestors? Discover BEFORE AND AFTER EL BENNY the experiences of runaway MUSIC FROM WITHIN slaves throughout the centuries Cecilia Crespo Michel Hernández through very particular ways of examining and recreating reality Limara is one of the most Haydée Milanés is an artist who in the works of black Cuban successful Cuban actresses of her unleashes her whole self in each artists Sara Gómez, Belkis Ayón, generation. Mother, immigrant, song. This interview focuses María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Afro-Cuban, producer…. she on the poetic connection with Gertrudis Rivalta and Susana effortlessly takes on new her father, a founder of Cuban Pilar Delahante Matienzo. challenges across the straits. nueva trova music. CON WOMEN BOXERS. FEMINIST PORTRAITS THE DIVINO REVOLUTION.... ¡SÍ! Danay Nápoles Alicia García

Beyond investigating this RETRATOS (Portraits) is the If you want to leave the city story, the closest Christopher continuation of a performative and feel the greenery of the Baker –recipient of the 2008 series of photographs of Cuban Cuban countryside, go to Lowell Thomas Award for Travel artists who, from the image and Divino restaurant in the humble Journalist of the Year– ever got from our mutual and enriching neighborhood of Mantilla, very to boxing was having his ears exchange, share part of their close to where the most famous boxed as a kid. life and work. Cuban contemporary narrator, Leonardo Padura, was born and lives to this day. 46 56 CUBA WITH PHOTO FEATURE CHRISTOPHER B. 66 GASTRONOMIC REVIEW

62 LIGHT 52 & SHADOWS COMING SOON! 42 OLAZÁBAL: DEFENDING THE ART & CULTURE ALEJANDRA ESTEFANÍA IS INSPIRED: HERITAGE OF MY ANCESTORS THE "GLADYS PALMERA" "I'LL TRAVEL TO CUBA TO MEET THE Estrella Díaz COLLECTION: A LATIN AND CUBAN BOY WITH THE FLOWER" Santiago Rodríguez Olazábal MUSICAL TREASURE TROVE Marita Pérez Díaz is an artist who cultivates a 70 deeply figurative work, which Milena Recio A Latin artist seeks inspiration is immediately evident when BILLBOARD June / July for her work on the Cuban visiting his beautiful home-studio Ale R. Chang In the hills of San Lorenzo del culture surrounding her in in the municipality of Playa. Escorial, in Madrid, a mansion Miami. She invites us to an On canvases hanging from the For these hot months, we of light treasures the wonderful exclusive trip to Havana with walls, the human figure is central suggest some 100 % Cuban ¨Gladys Palmera Collection OnCuba Travel in November. because, as he states, "Man cultural events. They’ll make you of Latin and Cuban music, She’d love to uncover the story appears in Ifá's entire body of forget the suffocating summer compiled by Alejandra Fierro behind a photo in which a literary work and even plants heat in Havana. Eleta over decades. Cuban boy holds a flower. acquire a human dimension!". ALICIA GARCÍA ROSA MARQUETTI My admiration for my father – founder CHRISTOPHER BAKER of the famous Rancho Luna and El Aljibe Contrary to what many think, I would restaurants, philosopher of gastronomy have liked to live the Havana nights Travel journalist, photographer, author, and of all things about life – has enabled of the sixties. I try to do it as much as adventure motorcyclist, tour leader, me to value the culinary and food culture possible, traveling through music and romantic (and single). Cuba—exotic, not just to delight myself but also as a its interesting characters. But someone eccentric, and enigmatic—feeds my fundamental space to understand the always comes and wakes me up from TRI insatiable curiosity and passion. I feel like human essence. I am a co-founder of the my dream! I’m Cuban in my heart and soul. Gourmet Festival and author of several books on Cuban food. Benny Moré: One Hundred Years of Genius Women Boxers. P. 20 FEMINIST REVOLUTION.... ¡SÍ! P. 46 Divino P. 66 MICHEL HERNÁNDEZ Mick Jagger assured me that he was never going to retire from the stage, but the heart fails even in immortality hopefuls. Ozzy Osbourne told me that he wanted to move to Havana and that DANAY NÁPOLES he loved The Beatles above all else. But ODETTE CASAMAYOR Within photography, my passion is TORS I only believe in the verse by Leonard Cohen: "There is a crack in everything, portraiture. I try to capture the essence From anywhere in the world: writing, that's how the light comes in." of the human being beyond the images being, loving. Messily and, if possible, of the artists who tell me their story and near the sea. Callejón de Hamel: Enchanted Alley P. 30 reveal part of their lived experiences. Gazes of the Black Woman P. 14 Haydée Milanés: Music from Within P. 36 Portraits P. 56

CECILIA CRESPO MARITA PÉREZ DÍAZ ALEJANDRO R. CHANG There are times when I talk nonstop, Master in Magazine, Newspaper I was born in Guanabo, but I don’t like although I also listen. My silent and Online Journalism. If you ask me the sun. On the other hand, I could never aspect is only seen when I cling to my something, I may reply with another be far from the sea. That’s why I continue keyboard. I have a passion for my family question. I am telling your story and clinging to the Malecón doing journalism, looking for answers, but in the end, I and for a long time for Cuban culture which is what I more or less do best. and a delicious book I am writing to am just trying to understand my own. distribute among my friends: Practical Billboard Jun-Jul | 2019 and Exotic Cooking Handbook. Alejandra Estefanía Is Inspired: "I'll Travel to P. 70 CON Cuba to Meet the Boy with the Flower" Limara Meneses, Before P. 52 and After El Benny P. 24 MILENA RECIO ESTRELLA DÍAZ I am still perplexed about the course of My great-grandfather was a lighthouse my life and the signs I receive from the keeper in the Morro, my mother was born world. I understand less and less, and in a wooden house with a red roof built at ask more and more questions. the foot of the lighthouse. I’ve always found La Giraldilla enigmatic and beautiful…I feel The "Gladys Palmera" Collection: A Latin very linked to Havana and I believe it is and Cuban Musical Treasure Trove P. 42 because of my relation with the sea: could it be because I am a daughter of Yemayá? BU Olazábal: Defending the heritage of my ancestors P. 62 14 COVER

GAZES OF THE

Odette Casamayor Cisneros

We think that we’re the ones looking at her, but it’s she, the young black woman, who gazes at us from the cover. Before sitting down to write, I wanted to know her name, because I refuse to propagate the anonym- ity in which black women are generally kept in the Western world. She’s not a doll. She’s not a fetish. She’s beautiful, but she’s not just a beautiful black woman either—that’s not what defines her. I imagine her name is Isabel or Inés. Marta or Julia. In any case, a Spanish name, if she was born in Cuba. Her surnames also can orient the imagination toward towns, meadows, and vineyards in Spain. But there’s much more than His- A panic heritage in this young woman. Her gaze, inviting us to open this magazine, shouts out that other, essential part of her existence, even if there’s no trace of it in her still-unknown name. It’s a gaze that allows B us to look upon her with pleasure, but in the same gesture she returns the blow and fixes her gaze on us, as if questioning us. She wants us to know. She wants us to give L her a name. Let’s do it. CKWOMAN is more than white, more than mulatto, were concentrated on a small island south Africa, encoded with the discovery of more than black.” In reality, black Cubans, of Havana called Isla de Pinos (renamed the original secret —the voice of Tanze, already citizens at the time, continued to in 1978). The first Cu- the sacred fish— by Princess Sikan, then be relegated to the same social inexis- ban black filmmaker, Sara Gómez, arrived sacrificed and turned into a religious tence and economic indigence suffered there, camera-in-hand, to shoot a docu- foundation. Since then, this society has under slavery; and they had to fight for mentary trilogy depicting the experiences remained closed to women, which natu- their civil rights from the early days of of these young people. In one of them, Una rally prevented Belkis Ayón from being the Republic. Their demands would be isla para Miguel (1968), a scene in which privy to the perspective of a practitioner. silenced with blood; in 1912 President Rafael, a young black man, denounces Her pieces don’t reveal to us the Abakuá José Miguel Gómez ordered the killing of the persistence of racial prejudices within liturgical secret but the representation members of the Partido Independiente de the revolutionary society, has remained of the condition of the secret. She uses Color and its supporters. It’s estimated anthological in Cuban cinema. Facing the minimalist silhouettes barely revealing that between 2,000 and 6,000 blacks and camera, Rafael’s gaze, like that of the generic belonging, in which what’s essen- mestizos were killed in just two months. young model on the cover, interrogates us, tial is often a gaze. Furthermore, the fig- Toward mid-century, some theories demanding action, a real change. ures lack mouths: they can’t speak. Only that examined and confirmed the mestizo Sara Gómez is one of the maroons who a thick mystery inhabits them, advancing constitution of Cubans were consolidat- never stopped fighting for social justice from the hollow of the gaze towards the ed: poet Nicolás Guillén introduced the and who, even after her death, compels spectator, provoking restlessness. notion of “Cuban color” when he present- us to continue the battle. As does another Sometimes, a gaze is not even neces- ed his book Sóngoro cosongo in 1931 as great black Cuban artist, Belkis Ayón, sary. Artist María Magdalena Campos- “mulatto verses”; and in 1940 lawyer and whose work often recreated the founding Pons keeps her eyes closed in the po- ethnologist Fernando Ortiz developed the myths of the Abakuá, a secret mutual aid laroid series that comprise one of the concept of transculturation, creating from society. The founding myth of the Abakuá pieces from When I Am Not Here, estoy the melting pot the myth par excellence comes from the Calabar region in West allá. This message is written on her torso: of national miscegenation. During those years, black Cubans’ efforts to attain Belkis Ayón (La Habana, 1967-1999), “Sikán” (1991) certain political influence was also tena- cious. Important union leaders appeared, such as Lázaro Peña, and intellectuals such as Rafael Serra and Gustavo Urrutia. The work of societies for black people — such as the Aponte and Atenas clubs in and Havana— was also notable. They encouraged the formation of common civic and political fronts, from which to advocate for their rights. The 1959 Revolution brought the im- plementation of policies that offered all Cubans, regardless of their race, equal access to health, education and culture, Sara Gómez (Havana, 1942-1974). Filmmaker, screenwriter, and journalist. housing, and employment. Institutions The first Cuban woman to direct a feature-length film, “De cierta manera” (One Way or another). Photo: Archive were founded in the 1960s in which the various sectors of the population should There’s a gaze like that on my phone once again she recounts her story that I have no exact memory of the stories of be grouped — let’s consider the Federa- screen. It’s of my great-great-grandmoth- half-know: that the last enslaved person the fugitive Lucumí that were told in my tion of Cuban Women, the Committees for er, Cecilia Wilson, and it was taken at the in my family was a very tall man dressed family, nor of any of our African ancestors. the Defense of the Revolution, and clubs end of the nineteenth century or the be- in white, who came from a Lucumí African We do, however, have memories of the for workers and professionals. As a re- ginning of the twentieth century. Uncer- tribe and lived somewhere on the east- flesh; and from there out to the world, in sult, the structures that had previously tainty dominates the history of people of ern part of the island. One day he took to our gaze. organized institutional life were declared African descent in the Americas: Precisely the woods bordering the river and never That former slave who escaped follow- obsolete. Clubs for blacks were closed, where in Africa were our ancestors kid- appeared again. There are no names, no ing the clamor of the river, travels to my because the equality of all Cubans had napped? What were their names, then? places, no dates. However, generation era through my great-great-grandmother’s been officially proclaimed: only one iden- How did they live before being thrown after generation in the family we have be- gaze on my phone screen. From the past, tity, the revolutionary one, would prevail. into the slave ship in which they would lieved this origin story because there’s no her eyes propel me to the future. Each day Nonetheless, racial inequality did not cross the Atlantic to start their new lives other option — blacks in Cuba, in one way they bring the strength that a black woman disappear altogether. as non-men, and non-women? Despite or another, we all come from outright vio- must rely on. This is our history. At that time, schools proliferated where the unknown, I embrace the certainty lence, to being nothing more than objects Slavery was officially abolished in young people would be molded like “mal- that this photograph was taken so that for labor, pieces of ebony marked with a 1886, and in 1902 the Republic of Cuba leable clay,” aspiring to their emergence my great-great-grandmother could look at red-hot iron on a rib, a shoulder, an arm. was born, following to a great extent as “new men” as defined by Ernesto “Che” me every time I turn on my phone. And so And they were given Spanish names. We the legacy of José Martí, for whom “Man Guevara in 1965. Many of these centers

18 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 “Identity Could Be a Tragedy”; but the and the transformations of Cuban society na Campos-Pons alludes to those women image progressively disappears under have increased racial inequality, making in “Spoken Softly with Mama,” when she a white spot, until it disappears almost visible a phenomenon previously circum- reproduces old carbon plates on glass, completely in the last photo. Spectators scribed to private or family spheres. To- while the artist’s ancestors seem to ob- asks themselves, what could be that day, the rare presence of black Cubans in serve us from the bottom of the installa- “here” and “allá” (there)? — her native spaces where the most privileged groups tion —always that same gaze— through Cuba, the United States where the artist usually gather, attests to the undeniable photos projected on ironing boards. has lived, or Africa, which is also part of existence of these inequalities. The maroons continue to use whatever her history? The tragedy derives from the If in the urgent daily survival there they find within their reach — not just to sur- impossibility of identity, which never fully are few pathways open to the majority of vive, but to strive. Artist Susana Pilar Delah- expresses everything we are. blacks, we also have an invaluable capital in ante Matienzo created the character of Flor It’s impossible to grasp the experiences our maroon tradition. The maroons emanci- Elena as an avatar in the game Second Life, of black Cuban women within a simple im- pate themselves, they don’t wait for anyone where she is a financial dominator (Findom). age, to catalog them all under an identity to come set them free. In the woods, they Her image was presented at the 2015 Venice label. That is why we fall into a whirlwind find a way to survive and defend their free- Biennale in the piece “Dominio inmaterial.” from whose background we are absorbed dom, using whatever tools and knowledge The artist was able to travel there thanks to by the grim look of the “Quinceañera con they find along the way. They invent their the virtual slaves of Flor Elena, who provid- Kremlin,” where artist Gertrudis Rivalta own modes of subsistence. ed the funds to buy a plane ticket. The black alludes to a more recent reality: Cuba af- This maroonage is often transmitted Flor Elena, a virtual character, then had an ter the collapse of the socialist system in by black women, from mothers to daugh- impact on the real life of its creator, also Eastern Europe, in the 1990s. The disap- ters, using means never mentioned in black. Without a doubt, maroon methods. pearance of economic support from the history textbooks or in famous speeches. But the action is right-on; and its power, socialist bloc countries led to an acute Time and again we have sustained the inescapable. Just like the nameless young crisis on the island, known as the “Special home given the traditional occupations black woman’s gaze on the cover, from Period.” Since then, economic difficulties allowed to black women. María Magdale- which we can’t escape.

Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo (La Habana, 1984), “Dominadora inmaterial” / “Inmaterial Dommes”, Second Life (Net Art), 2012-2013

Gertrudis Rivalta (La Habana, 1971). “Quinceañera con Kremlin” (2004)

20 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 20 MUSIC BENNY MORÉ: ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF GENIUS

So this voice outlives the man and that man is now albums, portraits, tears, Rosa Marquetti enny Moré is like a god time he would burst through the door to mía or Mi amor fugaz is enough for any Photos: Archive in Cuba. He is spoken of unleash the frenzy. No one could resist contained feelings to surface. He has a hat in the present tense, as his incomparable voice, his charisma, been the soundtrack to so many celebra- if he were a close friend his unique way of making them dance. tions. To the rhythm of Qué bueno baila with huge flying wings or neighbor, as if he had Cubans the world over talk about him, usted, Santa Isabel de las Lajas, or Ma- never left, as if his voice calling him simply “El Benny,” or “El Bár- racaibo oriental, the madness of rhythm —and a cane! Bstill shakes the Ali Bar, the nightclub baro,” or “El Bárbaro del Ritmo.” is unleashed and, at that moment, the that he turned into a personal haven There isn’t a Cuban who, in a nostalgic certainty that El Benny is timeless is con- (Fragment from the poem “Oyendo un disco de Benny Moré,” and where his followers used to wait for moment, doesn’t put on one of his great firmed: his sones, and by Roberto Fernández Retamar) him night after night, no matter at what boleros. To hear him sing Cómo fue, Alma resist the passage of time. Benny Moré is a popular genius whose innate talent prevailed— Subsequently he brought his music to Venezuela, , before his death and in terrible physical he was always compelled to sing, and from the beginning he Peru, and Panama, as well as Puerto Rico, Los Angeles, and condition, he didn’t cancel a contract at a Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré, “Bartolo,” sang on street corners as a traveling musician, earning pennies . He performed in 1960 at the Hollywood Palladium in dance in the town of Palmira, more than to help alleviate the poverty he lived in. He must have been very a unique show, accompanied by and his orchestra. 200 kilometers from the capital. He gave sure of his own genuine talent and courage, when he arrived in Puente, like Machito and his Afrocubans, would accompany him his all on stage until he finished singing Havana to try his luck with only a few pesos and his guitar on his again and again at the famous Palladium in New York. With these and then coughed up blood, foretelling “Benny” Moré, “El Bárbaro del Ritmo” shoulder. His voice resonated in dodgy bars, cabarets of dubious performances, Benny began a sort of conquest; initially few peo- his imminent end. reputation, cheap restaurants, and canteens, until Miguel Mat- ple there knew him—his fame on those stages had been limited Those who lived through it remember amoros discovered him singing in a restaurant on Avenida del to the Latin community and to assiduous Americans, where the that unparalleled and spontaneous mani- was born in Santa Isabel de las Lajas, Puerto and Benny quickly agreed to join the band that the great mambo and the cha-cha were all the rage. festation of popular mourning. People sonero was forming to tour in . But he would not return to those venues. He would die at forty- accompanied him with deep pain along That was a turning point in his life and the beginning of a his- three, in the midst of a triumphant career that only a terrible cir- the funeral route from the capital to his province of Las Villas, on August 24, torical musical career—his time in Mexico, his first recordings for rhosis of the liver could put an end to. Alcohol and a fast lifestyle, beloved native Santa Isabel de las Lajas, the RCA Victor, his work on albums with Pérez Prado and his incur- that he both enjoyed and despised, accelerated his end. Legend in . sion in films of the so-called rumberas cinema, during the golden has been fierce in emphasizing his informality and his inability He had enough time, however, to leave 1919, and died in Havana, age of Mexican cinema, which placed him at the beginning of the to stick to a chronometric discipline, characteristic features of a legacy that places him without a doubt international emergence of the mambo. Benny was the voice of the great Cuban musician. However, a definitive critical judg- among the greatest Cuban and Latin the big band where Bebo Valdés premiered his batanga rhythm, ment would also be contradictory here; just forty-eight hours American musicians. on February 19, 1963 a decisive reference to which Benny himself would turn to later when he formed the incomparable Banda Gigante. HIS RECORDINGS, MOSTLY WITH Benny is equally excellent singing a , a guara- cha, a , or improvising some country décimas. But what RCA VICTOR, ENCAPSULATE is even more amazing is his ability to direct his great orchestra of seasoned musicians; he makes brilliant arrangements and HIS VOICE AND HIS PERSONAL WAY orchestrations based on sound, without having studied music, nor being able to read music. Benny asked his musical director OF BEING CUBAN and friend, the great trombonist Generoso Jiménez, what he wanted from each instrument in a given piece. The result is those Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré had no extraordinary and modern arrangements, which Jiménez articu- precedent, nor has he had a successor, giv- lated and transferred to the score. During the 1950s, en his unparalleled genius and talent. With his passing, a cycle in Cuban music was closed that wouldn’t be reopened, because BENNY MORÉ WOULD INCITE AN Benny is unique—a natural and rare genius. Benny Moré’s definitive absence estab- lished the perception of his genius, and also AUTHENTIC MADNESS the truth and myths surrounding him, never so resounding and accurate, and increas- ingly fueled by a love that only a dancing- and bolero-singing country is capable of. FOR CUBAN POPULAR MUSIC. If he read this, Benny would probably respond with an incredulous and carefree smile, because, for him, singing and en- NO ONE WHO LISTENED TO HIM tertaining were the most natural things in the world, whether in Havana, Los Ange- SING WAS LEFT WITH ANY DOUBT: les, or New York. BENNY MORÉ WAS AN UNPRECEDENTED MUSICAL PHENOMENON, CUBA’S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS

24 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 25 24 CINEMA LIMARA MENESES Before and After El Benny Cecilia Crespo

The play "Bicycle Country," by Nilo Cruz (2017). Photo: Chris Bartelski imara Meneses is one of My most transcendental characters in the most important ac- film have had to do with the world of the tresses of her generation. stage: feature films or shorts related to For a while she was a very music. There’s an element of mystery in recurrent face in Cuban my life tying cinema to music, and also media. She has been liv- to Mario Guerra, a great friend and actor ing outside of Cuba for a with whom I always find myself in films, few years and has been not inactive per se, specifically in this genre. Our harmony is apparent. El Benny threw me into the Lbut a bit distanced from acting, for a good world of film; Oda a la Piña was a success- reason: motherhood. She has two daugh- ful short film that was at many important ters and is expecting a third, to be named festivals, one of them was the Küstendorf Isabella. She expresses her great acting Film and Music Festival organized by Emir potential and qualities on the set, although Kusturica. The same thing happened with she has also worked behind the scenes. Chico y Rita, for which we received a Goya A graduate of the Higher Institute of and an Oscar nomination. We could be Art (ISA), she has worked with great film- talking for a long time about this mysteri- makers such as Fernando Trueba in Chico ous and beautiful relationship I have with y Rita, about the life of Bebo Valdés. She the world of music in film. I should consid- has “a pact” with music, because almost er taking singing lessons, don’t you think? all of the characters she plays are linked to the stage and to our musical heritage. What have been the biggest challenges you faced in your career? I met Limara before her film debut, when Exposing my nude body, and the moment we were studying at the same high school. when I decided to create my family. Then we met again at the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry, when How do you take on the role of mother, I was writing about the film she starred in, immigrant, and professional? El Benny. Today, thanks to technology we Being a mother is really complex for me, es- meet again to talk about her career: she in pecially since I became one too early. I have Atlanta and me in Havana. yet to find the idyllic part of being a mother “Jorge Luis Sánchez gave me the op- [laughing], though I respect those who see portunity to give a 400-degree turn to my it as something magical. I feel it’s a complex life. El Benny is well-remembered in and struggle and a clash of tremendous emo- outside of Cuba and my character, Aida, tions. Maybe I see it this way because of be- was also beloved. I still receive beauti- ing an immigrant: I’m alone, without family ful messages. I remember the experience nearby. Although I have a lot of support from with joy and a lot of nostalgia, almost 15 my in-laws when they come to visit, from my years ago when I was 17. Imagine.” father indulging his grandchildren’s whims, and from my mom. We’re all scattered around the world, you can imagine.... To continue, or After so much time, how do you see Aida, at least, try to continue with my profession, a that character that catapulted you? lot of it is a labor of love, because here I have Oh, wow, time passes so quickly. I always to pay childcare in order to participate in the say that the role marked a before and after theatrical process. in my life. It was the discovery of a profes- Limara playing Aida, in El Benny (2006). Photo: Pedro Abascal sion that I had never considered before. Aida represented the trust of a lot of peo- Let’s talk about techniques, tactics, and tantly, I work with my emotions. When you Marlon Brandon once said that he resented from a collective need to make theater, strategies. How do you get into your ple, starting with the director Jorge Luis work with emotions, obviously there will those people who, when they met an actor, from me and three other actresses here. characters? And how do you manage to Sánchez, producer Ihojamil Navarro, and be specific moments when something will thought they were facing a stupid celebrity It was really written, produced, and direct- detach yourself after interpreting them? the technical production team. In the case affect you, or vice versa.... It’s not all about who wasn’t interested in normal things like ed among the four of us, along with Ona If you see my scripts someday, you’d go of Jorge Luis, he was putting his debut in suffering! But up to now I don’t usually the rest of us. What do you think of the link Gutiérrez. We were able to take the play to crazy, sometimes I don’t even understand the hands of someone who came from the stay attached to anything beyond what’s between an actor and everyone else? Mexico and then put it on again twice here myself. I start working on the character countryside, with no knowledge of acting normal. I have my own life and that’s the I think that people are free to think what in Atlanta, which is a complex market for from the moment I go to casting, I write or cinema. I became Aida (Benny’s wife). one I have to live. they want about others until they’ve had the our theatrical concept. But all eight shows everything that comes to my mind as I be- Honestly, I’m not yet fully aware of every- chance to meet them. I believe that the bond here were very successful, which led me to gin to observe, listen, and think like the thing that I owe to Aida, I’m convinced that What must a good actor be made of? between human beings and with everything a bigger project for next year. character. I read the scripts over and over. much or almost everything that came later What can’t be lacking? surrounding them should be cordial and re- Everything I studied at the ISA has helped in my life is thanks to her. Courage, humility, and honesty. I say those spectful. It doesn’t matter if they’re actors, me a lot —Uta Hagen, Lee Strasberg, How are you able to not be typecast, three because one is not enough to be an ac- doctors, architects, or astronauts. Stanislavski, Eugenio Barba—, although which has happened to many actresses? It has been said that you have a pact with tor. Whether it’s good or bad, I’m not the one it seems that they’re all from the theater, Do you know why I haven’t played many music. Many of your successful roles have to decide. But for anyone who’s an actor or How did Cuatro mujeres —the successful when I take from each one what helps me, I more characters? Precisely because of the been linked to this exciting universe. Tell decides to be an actor, I think it’s very beauti- play you wrote and acted in— come about? create my own technique and, most impor- damn stereotype. In life you have to know us about this harmonious relationship. ful that they have one of these qualities. Cuatro mujeres was a project that arose how to say NO, even if that means working

28 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 29 Being a “producer” is a big word. I like to negotiate, I like money, I love processes in full development. But what I like the most is feeling like I’m doing things that motivate me. That’s how I started looking for clients so that, like in the case of Cuatro mujeres, I could appear in theatrical spaces. Then I had an idea and I made several proposals to develop an artistic movement with a club here. And from there I had the possibility, with my husband, to direct and produce something that was more in the developmental phase. With that financial support, I started directing and producing, and we created a company so that every time I was going stir crazy, I wouldn’t have to wait to be called for work. To know that I have something of my own that I can do whenever I want.... We’ve already completed the first project, the play ¿Quién le teme al mundo de Santa? (Who’s Afraid of Santa’s World?).

Will you act again in Cuba? Without a doubt. It’s one of my greatest wishes. But it seems more and more dis- tant all the time. It would have to be some- one who wants to have me in their project, or I could spend a while there and try to be- come integrated once again, which seems difficult. There’s also a new generation working hard, with very good actors and actresses. I see it as a remote possibility, but not impossible. The answer is an em- phatic YES. It’s a repressed desire of mine.

What Cuban directors would you like to work with? I would like to work with Jorge Luis Sán- chez, Hugo Reyes, and with Daranas, I haven’t forgotten the way he treated me in one of his castings. I never had the oppor- tunity to work with Fernando Pérez, and I’m also very curious about working with Pavel Giroud, Carlos Celdrán, and Raúl Martín. But I’d be happy to work with who- ever wants to have me in their project, and if it’s in Cuba, all the better.

El Benny (2006.) Photo: Pedro Abascal Let’s talk about the future. After you have the baby, what’s next? as a cashier in a supermarket or earning a has affected me for better or worse. Not After Isabella is born: recover. Find a space living by studying something else that is even for selecting which castings to go to. and contact my agency to go back to cast- financially viable, when you can’t practice My agency sends me to all the castings ings. And I have a seminar at an important your profession. that fit my profile; sometimes they ask for university here, Kennesaw University. They blacks, sometimes they only need to speak have a program where they always show How have you experienced being an Afro- good Spanish. I’ve really integrated very Chico y Rita, and they met me at Cuatro Cuban actress in the United States? well to this city; I feel like just another resi- mujeres. Well, as a result of that seminar, I’m Afro-Cuban and of other mixed descent dent. It’s my experience, I think, that when we’re going to start a nice project with as well. In the United States, there’s a a director likes you, labels don’t matter. theatrical exchange, cinema, etc. And I’ll strong history of Afro-descendants. I live in continue with my two workshop series at the South, in Atlanta. So far, I haven’t felt You’re also a producer. Tell me about Emory University, another university here, that being Afro-Cuban or Afro-Latin, black, that other aspect, that way of living art which has a theater department and I’ll mulatto, or whatever they want to call me, beyond the cameras? collaborate with a class. With her daughters in Atlanta. Photo: Lianet Fleites

30 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 31 30 MADE IN CUBA

Enchanted Alley

Michel Hernández Photos: Otmaro Rodríguez hose in the know say that to re- ally experience Havana, a visit to “Several years ago, I took rumba les- the Callejón de Hamel is a must, sons in Denmark with a friend who has a at least once. Founded in 1990 in Cuban music and dance school. It was a Cayo Hueso in Havana, the neigh- great learning experience that showed me borhood has become a hub for Cuba’s musical wealth. I think that was one TAfro-Cuban culture and a reflection of its of the reasons why I traveled to Havana for influences on the island. the first time,” this 41-year-old Dane told Callejón de Hamel was an initiative of OnCuba Travel in perfect Spanish. the sculptor Salvador González Escalona,​ The tourists are scattered throughout who had taken some short drawing cours- the area. The group mostly stands in front es at the Escuela de Dibujo in Camagüey, of a kind of open-air gallery where Cuban and had done anthropology and ethnology paintings are exhibited. Then they shoot research at the Casa de Africa, in Havana. a barrage of questions about religion to Salvador remembers that he was always a local man in his 70s, who explains the encouraged by the idea of ​​doing work that necklaces he is wearing, representative of contributes to social transformation and re- several Yoruba deities. He answers each spects our heritage. “At first, it wasn’t easy question with an ancestral wisdom. He because of the scrutiny, but I never gave up talks about the arrival of Africans to Cuba, trying to demonstrate the value of Cuban the meaning of the clothes he wears, and culture,” he tells OnCuba Travel. sends them off with some life advice. Salvador González Escalona

This living museum is visited daily by Cubans and tourists from all over the world. They walk around to the sounds of drumbeats, and they are transfixed by the brightly painted, colorful walls with African religious motifs. Others delve into the Afri- can dances performed by groups of danc- ers who seem transplanted from Africa. The Callejón de Hamel is a hive at dawn on Saturdays. A bus has just arrived at the corner, where the sound of a drum is heard. A tour guide exits the bus, fol- lowed by a diverse delegation of tourists. The guide introduces them to the place and they quickly disperse toward the adventure. One tourist, George Hula, ap- proaches musicians who quickly step up their percussion. In a few minutes, Hula is the one beating the drums at full force, to the surprise of many.

Callejón de Hamel, a place to experience Afro-Cuban culture

34 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 35 Salvador González Escalona, ​the sculp- tor, chats with the visitors, explaining a bit about the origin of this “alley” and then he leaves to follow up on a project that is tak- ing up his time in recent months. He walks near phrases sculpted in stone and the heat that the dancers give off, accompanied by the incessant drumming. A photographer takes some pictures and the artist thanks him with a bow of his hands. This space is recognized nationally and internationally. In Cuba, Salvador has won several awards, but he says that the great- est recognition is that of the people, of his people. The Callejón has also provided work for several of the residents from this busy intersection near the central avenues of San Lazaro and Infanta. Katherine is another tourist who arrived in the morning. She’s from Canada and talks animatedly with Hula, who already blends into the community. He shows her some of the casino steps he learned in Denmark, and tells legends of Afro-Cuban rituals.

Everyone bears the scorching midday heat as best they can, drying sweat from their foreheads and continuing to explore. In one corner, an artist has carved the rep- resentation of a religious deity in wood. Be- side him, a man dances rumba while remind- ing me that bands such as Los Muñequitos de and Clave y Guaguancó have played in the Callejón. “The good rumba,” he says, while waving colorful scarves. The project has brought art closer to much of the neighborhood. There are paintings and music workshops for children and other events. One of the students, almost 15 years old, says that ever since he saw the Cuban film Esteban —which tells the story of a child from a humble neighborhood with a great apti- tude for the piano— he wants to be like Chucho Valdés. Another, however, says that he only dreams of being behind the drum on steamy days in this community project. Both live with the certainty that in this enchanted alley, anything is possible. Callejón de Hamel receives visitors every day

36 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 37 36 album, AmorDeluxe. form aspromotional materialforhernew video clipsrequested by theiTunes plat rez. They’ve justfinishedfilmingsome manager, photographer Alejandro Gutiér in the’80s.Nexttoherishusbandand Bolek andLolek, sobeloved by thoseborn characters withthe Russian cartoon shirt dressed completely in black wearing a T- vana municipalityofNuevo Vedado. She’s ting inherlivingroom athomeintheHa- tile musiciansofhergeneration. Sheissit Haydée Milanésisoneofthemostversa Pérez Izuky Photos: Hernández Michel INTERVIEW MUSIC - - - - HAYDÉEwas hard, butittaughtmealesson.” as ifhethoughtnobody waswatchingus.It of everyone totellmeproject myvoice, sing asong. Then hecameuptomeinfront was apianoplayer andmydadaskedmeto musicians. There with alotofimportant sing. We at my dad’s were ataparty house she says, “and I was very shy. I wasafraid to member oneafternoon.Isangvery softly,” eral generations of Cubans. “I especially re- an indispensablesinger-songwriter forsev known astheNewSongMovement) and founder of the Cuban she talksaboutherfather, Pablo Milanés, We beginourconversation andrightaway nueva trova (also

- MILANÉS: Music from Within Haydée is in full promotional mode for Amor Deluxe. It’s the second album she has recorded of her father’s songs. It’s a double album that includes the album Amor, which she premiered with him to a full house at a concert at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana. On the album with 16 tracks, there are collaborations with a plethora of top European and Latin Ameri- can musicians: Joaquín Sabina, Chico Buarque, Lila Downs, Fito Páez, Silvia Pérez Cruz, Pancho Céspedes, Julieta Ven- egas, Ibeyi. Several of them watched her grow up from a little girl to the excellent performer and composer she is today. Together with these internationally rec- ognizable artists, the album includes a selection of songs from different time pe- riods and across a diverse musical range, with elements of son, rumba, rock, and trova. “It’s a great opportunity to introduce younger generations to my father’s songs and to reach young people,” she says. The album premiered on May 30th at a concert at the Lunario de México and will be pro- duced in Cuba by the Bis Music label. She recalls one track in particular, for its emotional and symbolic significance: “I had sent two songs to Chico [Buarque] to choose from. Then he told me to give him another option. ‘The ones you sent me make me very sad,’ he confessed. So I asked my father what he thought would work best for Chico and without hesitat- Haydée with her father, Pablo Milanés, in a photo taken by her mother, Zoe Álvarez ing he said, ‘Todos los ojos te miran.’” The response could not have been better: the Brazilian felt that the song “The international music labels ask It’s nearly 3pm and the singer’s daugh- We teach them, but our children are con- resonated within him. “He was crazy you to remove a song, or incorporate ter —little Haydée, age 6—comes closer to stantly teaching us. They teach us to play about the song and he said, ‘That song another. The freedom that Casete gives listen to the conversation with an overflow- again, to be purer. They also make us is mine.’ It was magical,” Haydée remem- me.... is one of the reasons why I work ing curiosity. She plays with her little one’s more responsible. It’s a very interesting bers, while revealing that Chico would with them. I’m not interested in being told curls, and Alejandro calls little Haydée to the process. I enjoy it very much.” like to sing in Cuba and that she’d like to what to do, but I can accept suggestions. table and gives her some crayons to color At 38, the singer says that her main help organize that potential concert. However, I feel that the big labels are with. The girl sits down, plays a bit with the fear is to not feel afraid. “Nerves always Cuban and Brazilian music occupy a becoming more open about this kind of crayons and then flutters around the house. do their thing. It’s the commitment with place of honor in the soundtrack of her thing. Sony is signing very interesting art- Haydée laughs and says that her daughter the need to do a good job. People who’ve life. “I sing music that moves me. Harmo- ists who don’t have a massive following. reminds her of herself as a child. “I was al- been on the stage for a long time tell me niously and melodically rich music with They’re opening up a bit when it comes to ways playing hide and seek, climbing trees, that the fear never goes away. I prefer to rhythm, like Cuban music, for example artists making their music.” or running around. I was very mischievous. feel those butterflies in my stomach be- —Miguelito Cuní, Cotán, El Albino— or The founder of the It seems she got that from me,” she jokes. cause it helps you do your best. If I didn’t the cadence of Brazilian music that I project Instituto Mexicano del Sonido, Haydée says that being a mother has feel them, I’d be worried.” heard as a child, by Elis Regina, Gilberto Camilo Lara, has played a key role in changed her life and opened new horizons She has produced six albums: Haydée, Hay- Gil, and Chico Buarque himself.” Haydée’s creative trajectory. He was a in her perceptions of reality. “Motherhood dée Milanés en vivo, A la felicidad, Palabras, For some years, the singer has been director at EMI when she released her is the most beautiful thing that has hap- Palabras en vivo and Amor, and has broad part of the catalog of the independent first record with that label. When Lara pened to me. It is the greatest love in the national and international recognition. It Mexican label Casete Digital. She explains turned his sights to independent pro- world, the greatest happiness. It has also hasn’t been easy to stay on that path with- that she chose this platform because duction in 2014, he called her to pro- been my greatest lesson. Through our out making concessions, she says, and she she’s not interested in complying with the pose that they work together. That’s children we learn a lot about ourselves, has even gone through tough economic situ- impositions of some major labels. how their collaboration began. our limitations, our prejudices and fears. ations to defend the work she believes in.

Photo: Leandro Feal

40 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 41 “This is the path I’ve chosen. I don’t make music that doesn’t convince me or that has a different projection than mine. Artists must be consistent with themselves, not with the labels, and even before pleas- ing the public I have to feel good about myself. This is a more certain path, even if it doesn’t lead to selling millions of albums, it does allow you to have a loyal following, which is very important,” she says. She gives the duos in Amor Deluxe as an example. “I feel that I’ve earned respect with my work and perseverance. I don’t think any of these great musicians have come to sing with me because I’m Pablo’s daughter, but because they know the fruit of my work,” says the singer, who was recently selected by The New Yorker magazine as one of the five best jazz performers in Cuba. Being the leader of her own band has led her to rise above the prejudices of the deeply rooted macho tradition on the island. “Being a woman is always a challenge, in any field. Women have gradually come to occupy their rightful place. In my case, I lead a group of men, and that can sometimes be a bit tricky for some men who still find it difficult for a woman to lead or guide them. But these are things that one learns to deal with, they don’t go away from one day to the next. There are many issues that we’re not aware of, even as women. We must be very clear that we have to love and respect ourselves, and also among ourselves. You also have to train and study, because as a woman, you have to prove many things. And even more so if you’re the daughter of a celebrity,” she jokes. She becomes emotional when she watch- es a Cuban series or movie with her father’s music. She gets a strange feeling that runs through her body and that goes from pain together. She believes it could be a turning imagined my dad backing me up on vocals. to nostalgia and nostalgia to pain. point in the Cuban music scene, that it could He used to do it wonderfully. They were a “Those were beautiful years. Ugly influence the musical consumption of some duo like Simon and Garfunkel,” she says. things happened, too, and big mistakes young people. “If that happened, it would The singer talks with her fans at every were made. I was born in the year 1980 be like going back to that time. We would concert, and agrees to take pictures with and I have beautiful memories of what live an incredible moment, as a recognition them. She even affectionately receives things were like. I get nostalgic and sad of all that music that we grew up with.” A those who manage to cross security in that this country hasn’t been able to find few weeks ago she gave a concert at the order to greet her. a better direction. There was the chance National Museum of Fine Arts and played The singer of “Libélula” says that to do it, there was the material to build it, songs by her father, Silvio, Carlos Varela, she needs public affection in order to and we lost opportunities. But now what and Santiago Feliú, among others. breathe, and she likes to know what we need is for Cubans to finally prosper.” “They were protagonists during intense people are thinking. “I don’t like to go Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés moments in Cuban music. They made an on stage as a star. Being a public figure were a quintessential Cuban musical duo, incredible duo that produced magic. [At doesn’t mean that you must see people but they haven’t performed together in that concert] I sang ‘Óleo de una mujer from afar. People deserve the love and over 30 years. Personal issues distanced con sombrero’ (by Silvio Rodríguez), and I closeness that I also need.” them. Haydée, nevertheless, is optimistic that they’ll once again put on concerts

42 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 43 42 ART & CULTURE

THE ˝GLADYS PALMERA˝ COLLECTION: A LATIN AND CUBAN MUSICAL TREASURE TROVE

Milena Recio Photos: Courtesy of Alejandra Fierro

At age 60, Alejandra Fierro Eleta continues to transform into Gladys Palmera, day after day. With an intense and challenging sort of musical metamorphosis, over time both Alejandra and Gladys are becoming music.

44 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 45 AS FOR CUBAN MUSIC, SHE DOESN’T curious about this collection can review DISTINGUISH BETWEEN MUSIC technical data, lists of topics included in CREATED BY CUBANS ON OR the albums, and photos of the covers and OFF THE ISLAND, OR BEFORE vinyl plates. Many musicians, producers, and scholars have benefitted from these OR AFTER 1959. AND sources for years, to compose their rep- THAT MAKES HER ertoires, devise remixes, or plan albums. COLLECTION What Alejandra Fierro Eleta has pur- UNIQUE sued above all, as truly transcendent col- lectors do, is to serve. Few Cubans still know that we have in her an exquisite safe-guarder of part of our culture—keep- ing it from being forgotten through care- “My brother Guillermo, who accompanied lessness or ignorance. my father a lot to Venezuela, always used “I’ve always been interested in Cuban to joke that all the secretaries there were music, for its romantic side and for its named Gladys.” And the day Alejandra de- rhythm. The tear-jerking boleros have cided to begin working seriously in radio, seemed to me to be the most authentic,” she had to promise her father that her sur- want to make a radio show where I’d take she comments, explaining her vocation. names would not appear. She saw herself calls from listeners. I was interested in go- But when Alejandra is asked why among as ‘Gladys,’ and she says that she had a vi- ing deeper into that music, spreading it.” all Latin music she prefers Cuban music, sion of the word ‘Palmera’ in her mind, rep- At that point was the epicenter she surprises with an unexpected adjec- resenting the world of the Americas, which of that diffusion, as new batches of Latin tive: because it’s “elegant.” had produced the music that would inspire American migrants had arrived —many of to. The first was to convert a hobby —in her on the other side of the Atlantic. them to work on construction for the 1992 her case, radio and music— into a lifestyle. Alejandra Fierro (Gladys Palmera) That’s how Alejandra, of Spanish and Olympics— encouraging Barcelona and The second was to dedicate her financial RARITIES IN THE “GLADYS Panamanian descent, became a radio- its surroundings to dance. resources, derived from a family inheri- The “Gladys Palmera” Collection con- PALMERA” COLLECTION woman under the pseudonym of Gladys Internet came onto the scene just tance, to creating a new patrimony com- tains treasures as diverse as the discog- tion represented in pieces of Caribbean Palmera. At age 26, she founded her when Alejandra was feeling the need to prised of musical notes, tumbao, and the raphy of the New York label Fania, an un- craftsmanship or art naïf, where colorful 1. The green vinyl album by Arsenio Rodríguez, a curious example of the materials used after Sabrosura program on a radio station in put forth her best effort to continue col- memories and feelings of many peoples: abated catalogue of Latin divas, and a and kitsch posters from films, musical World War II. Pozuelo de Alarcón, west of Madrid, at a lecting the music that interested her and the largest existing collection of Latin mu- very important collection of African and shows, and tours from those prodigious time when ballads and pop music were to spread it all over the world. She had al- sic, and Cuban music in particular. non-Spanish-speaking Caribbean music. decades of Latin music, the ‘40s and ‘50s. 2. The uncut live recording from the Manhattan what was primarily listened to in Spain. ready become a full-blown collector, one Her collection includes some 60,000 All this wealth is physically located The collection has been organized Town Hall with Cuban musician Alberto Socarrás, Then she went to Barcelona and, in of the few women collectors in the world. vinyl records, approximately 35,000 CDs, within the greenery of San Lorenzo del with modern digitization and catalog- pioneer of Latin music in the United States. 1999, managed to get 14 hours on the air “Radio Gladys Palmera” originated as and about 3,500 photos, as well as posters, Escorial, north of Madrid, in a house with ing techniques so that it appears on the 3. The early productions of the Cuban label through the 96.6 FM radio station. Us- an online-only oasis for music lovers — songbooks, specialized magazines, objects light flooding the interior, decorated in web. Those who need to research or are Panart, recorded around 1942. ing albums acquired here and there, she a project that was already well-known related to musicians and record labels, white and with accents of joy and celebra- played both “historic” and current music, among musicians and connoisseurs of sheet music, letters, and other documents. 4. The first Chano Pozo albums, the only ones whether folkloric or more urban songs Latin rhythms and melodies. recorded in Cuba and with limited circulation. from Mexico, Havana, or New York. In her life, Alejandra has managed to 5. The demo tape of the Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite On that radio station, where Alejandra/ enjoy two freedoms that very few are able by Chico O’Farrill with Charlie Parker, a key piece Gladys played “everything,” she came to in Latin jazz. have 30 programs specializing in Latin music, with many collaborators. “I didn’t 6. Eddie Palmieri’s first recording, at age 14. 7. The 78 rpm albums recorded by Bola de Nieve in New York, Mexico, Argentina, and Spain.

8. Original advertising recordings by and Benny Moré for beverage brands.

9. The lost recording of Cheo Feliciano and Cuban pianist Lino Frías.

10. Héctor Lavoe’s first recording of with La Newyorker.

11. Tito Puente’s non-commercial recordings for the North American Social Security.

12. The first album by La Lupe, when she was part of Los Tropicuba.

Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 47 46 CUBA WITH CHRISTOPHER BAKER FEMINIST REVOLUTION…

Christopher Baker FOR CUBA’S FEMALE BOXERS, Photos by author ¡THE BIGGESTSĺ FIGHT ISN’T IN THE! RING “Cuban women are meant to be beauti- women boxers is growing. Some, such as ful, not get hit in the face,” Pedro Roque, fisiculturista (body-builder) Caridad Villa former head coach for the Cuban boxing Castro box purely for the cardio workout team, declared a few years ago. and muscular toning. Others, such as Don’t tell that to Legnis Cala Masó. Her Masó and her friend, sparring partner, nose is already broken. and would-be fellow Olympic fighter Ida- Despite which this 28-year-old mum lemys Moreno, 27, are motivated by a de- and boxeadora is a knockout. With legs sire to deal Cuba’s lingering machismo a like Ciara, lips like Naomi, and a body as knock-out blow. lean as a whippet, she looks out of place Hidden amid the sagging, mildewed in the post-apocalyptic semi-ruin that is walls and half-collapsed balconies of the open-air Gimnasio Rafael Trejo. Her southern Habana Vieja, Gimnasio Rafael rainbow-hued braids and necklace fly Trejo occupies a space where a building around wildly as she jabs the air, bobbing collapsed long ago. It’s pretty Spartan, de- and dancing around the gym’s cracked spite being dolled up for Princes Charles’ concrete floor. All the other boxers visit in March 2019, when a new ring re- are Afro-Cuban men. Hulking fighting placed the cobbled plywood contraption machines of pure muscle, perspiring topped by ripped canvas sheets. Gone, heavily in the heat of Havana in May. too, thanks to a new royal silver paint Masó is wearing a black tank-top with job, is the centuries of grime soldered by the word “Angel” written in sequins. Her tropical heat into faded pastel paint peel- rhinestone earrings sparkle in the tropical ing from the walls like scrofulous skin. sunlight lasering down through gaps in the Despite the Potemkin village treatment, corrugated tin roof. I watch in awe as she Gimnasio Rafael Trejo—named for a Cuban carefully files the flaking ends of her long law school student killed while protesting turquoise nails, then bandages her hands against the 1930s Machado presidency— before slipping on a pair of Adidas gloves. still has serious attitude. (It’s also a photographer’s heaven. I never fail to bring my Legnis Cala Masó Caridad Villa Castro

photo tour groups here.) It’s been the cradle of virtually every great Cuban boxer, from Kid Chocolate to Félix Savón. Many among Cuba’s 37 Olympic gold medal winners have trained here, despite the antiquated, makeshift, and bare-bones equipment. It’s inspirational Utterly sexy and feminine. But she boxes gym because, said the government sports to watch. Especially as a new generation with two-fisted guts… and a goal. “I want official, “female boxing is not allowed.” of female boxers punches its way in on the to represent Cuba at the 2020 Olympics in Wait! What? In Cuba? The country that action in pursuit of a dream to compete for Tokyo,” she tells me, wiping the sweat from has done as much as any to advance gender glory in the “sport for men.” her brow. “That’s my dream!” There’s just equality and women’s rights? “Left! Right! Right! Left!” shouts 66-year- one problem. While Cuban women bring “We don’t train female boxers for po- old coach Nardo Mestre Flores, demonstrat- home international medals in such combat litical reasons,” admits four-time world ing a one-two punch. A former member of sports as wrestling, karate, and judo (Olym- welterweight champion Juan Hernández the Cuban boxing team for nine years, Mes- pic gold medalist and three-time World Sierra, a member of the National Com- tre—el profesor—and fellow coach, Olympic Champion Driulis González is considered mission of the Cuban Boxing Federation. silver medalist Emilio Correa Jr., have taken the best judoka of the 20th century in the “As a boxer myself, I would not like to Rafael Trejo’s female boxers to heart. Lucía Americas), female —where see women’s boxing. While I do respect González, 66, who runs the gym, manages all sports figures are either hobbyists or women’s rights, I personally wouldn’t like Masó, Moreno and 21-year-old Erisnelsy state employees—is not endorsed. It’s a it. Women are not meant to be hit. Women Torres Castillo, the three women who train man’s sport. Masó and several other female are for caressing and affection.” here for hours every day with their eyes boxers were even ejected from a state-run Political sounds a lot like male sexual pride. firmly fixed on Olympic gold. Nonetheless, the number of Cuban “Our daily struggle is to get the same op- portunities as the men,” Moreno told corre- spondent Kelefa Sanneh for HBO’s The Fight Game: Breaking Barriers in Cuba. “That’s our greatest desire. It’s why we train every day. To represent Cuba just like them.”

Coach Nardo Mestre Flores

50 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 51 sports,” Correa told Associated Press reporter Andrea Rodríguez. “The motor skills, the explosive nature and the en- ergy of Cuban boxers are also present in these women.” Correa inspired Masó, Moreno, and Castillo to take things into their own carefully-wrapped hands and petition for a green light from government offi- cials, including the powerful Federation of Cuban Women (created in 1960 with the objective of promoting political and social reform to achieve full gender equal- ity for woman in all areas and levels of society). Dishearteningly, they received no response. Officials such as Cuban Box- ing Federation president Alberto Puig de la Barca sound like an old broken record with their refrain: “It’s a matter that’s un- der evaluation.” Changing the minds of Cuba’s govern- ment burro-crats is a process slower than rigor mortis. “If in Cuba the moment comes when women can box, Hatzumy will be the first,” says boxing Luis Pérez Duverg, proudly. Pérez coaches at Gimnasio La Cuevita. A true gimnasio del barrio, this humble extemporized space in Centro Habana makes Gimnasio Rafael Trejo seem like Madison Square Garden.

Namibia Flores Legnis Cala Masó sparring

They’re the protégés of Namibia Flores, subject of Boxeadora, as well as Namib- ia: Cuba’s Female Boxing Revolution and Two Beautiful: Our Right to Fight, three documentaries that have shone a spotlight “Harder, hit harder! Watch what you’re who visit Rafael Trejo to train. If they’ll give on female boxing in Cuba. For a long time doing! Don’t lower your hand!” screams us permission to fight in competitions, the only female boxer in Cuba, Flores is the Pérez, as 13-year-old Hatzumy Carmenate I think we’ll do well. One day soon it will very symbol of the nation’s revolutionary —the subject of a beautiful video by The happen,” she adds, cheerily. spirit. “If she were in any other country, this New Yorker magazine, Fighting Cuba’s “Yes, but do you know how to dance?” woman would be a national champion,” Boxing Ban— crouches and covers, I ask her mischievously. says Mestre, who discovered her boxing tal- throws jabs and hooks, and dances “Oh, yes. I love salsa,” she replies ent a decade ago and fueled the idea of an around like a butterfly. The sweat, the occasional blood… and Olympic medal in her head. Ever since, she “In the USA and Europe, boxing is the broken nose? That’s nothing! Getting has trained five hours a day—every day— based on strength. Here, ours is like permission is the fight she, Moreno, and in the hope that someday the Commission mastering a dance… If you can’t dance in Torres most passionately hope to win. might approve women’s boxing. Cuba, you can’t box,” claims Pérez. Moreno earns a small state salary “But that day never came,” says Flores, Ha! No wonder Cubans rule the ring teaching wrestling and sports and now 43 and too old to fight in the Olym- like it’s a dance floor. track-and-field at the University of pics. “My chance to compete has ended. “My mom doesn’t like me boxing. Havana. But Masó relies on a share of But la mulatica [Idalemys Moreno], Chiqui She says it’s too violent,” admits Masó, the fee charged to photography groups [Erisnelys Torres], and all the other new puffing after pummeling a punch bag that and others that visit Rafael Trejo. For girls who’ve quit their jobs and other can’t take many more rounds. “But we get now, it’s as close as she can come to sports to train as boxers have great po- many female fighters from other countries being classed as a professional boxer. tential. If they train hard, they could soon bring medals home.” “They can bring more glory to Cuban Namibia Flores

52 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 53 52 COMING SOON!

ALEJANDRA ESTEFANÍA IS INSPIRED: "I’LL TRAVEL TO CUBA TO MEET THE BOY WITH THE FLOWER"

Marita Pérez Díaz Photos: Courtesy of the artist

Someone who buys Alejandra Estefanía’s art traveled to Cuba and, upon return to the United States, brought her a photo as a gift. The snapshot of a Cuban boy hold- ing a flower inspired in Alejandra one of the paintings she’s proudest of. The painting sparked endless com- ments on Instagram about who the child was and who the flower was for, a story that Alejandra hopes to discover one day. “The purpose of my art is to inspire peo- ple, that they feel powerful when they view it, no matter where they are,” said Alejan- dra, a 29-year-old artist based in Miami. ing she had been working on for a long time. It was with another black boy (like the Cuban child in the photo) who she met Only eight people will have the oppor- in a shelter “miraculously,” and could not tunity to share with them the adventure of get out of her imagination. discovering the colors and flavors of Ha- “The child was identical to the one I Born in Ecuador, she grew up in North vana, in private meetings with top artists was painting and couldn’t finish. I knew Carolina since she was four years old. Al- on the island, visits to the main art muse- it right away and it was magical.” Their though she had never studied art before, ums, and other activities including seaside conversation had an impact on Alejandra, at the age of 19 she had the feeling that her yoga sessions and Cuban food tastings. who finally finished the piece. The paint- purpose was to express herself through “For those who decide to join this ex- ing, one of her most famous, is entitled painting, something her immigrant mother perience, I’m sure it will be unforgettable “Where the Flowers Bloom.” did not welcome. At 21 she decided to go to and, being a small group, we’ll have the “People not only buy my art, but the Miami, with $100 in her pocket and a huge unique opportunity to connect with art- story behind the piece, and that’s why I desire to attend the art institute there. ists on the island and among ourselves,” like to connect with my buyers, with those “I had to work very hard to achieve it, said Alejandra. who consume my art.” but doors opened because I was ready For her, the trip also means the possi- On her Instagram page, Alejandra shares and focused on my true vocation,” says bility of understanding and learning more some of those stories with her more than Alejandra. “When I came to Miami I felt about Miami’s own Cuban culture, a way 23,000 followers, through which she hopes that I could be in my culture, be myself, of creating ties with the environment that she will “change as many lives as she can.” live my Latino identity,” she added. inspires her. Her art is well received by the In Cuba, Alejandra will not only visit “Cuban culture is very strong in Miami Cuban community in South Florida, which visual artists, but also hopes to find the EXPERIENCE and the Cubans welcomed me as a sister, chose her design for the Miami Carnival unknown child in the photo to give him a WITH ALEJANDRA & MOJO there was no line to divide us, I felt like poster in 2019. copy of her painting and learn more about All-Inclusive 5 days Program family.” But for a long time, Alejandra has Now, after establishing herself as a his story. “I’m very excited to know more had a spiritual and professional need to successful artist, she likes to see herself about the origins of Cuban culture, the Departs: NOVEMBER 2019 visit Cuba. She says that it would help her as a “teacher of good things,” so she com- , and to meet so many tal- LIMITED SPOTS. BOOK NOW! to be inspired even more for her future bines her artistic work with motivational ented artists,” said Alejandra. CONTACT US TODAY! works. That’s why she decided to par- talks and volunteer work at different com- “And I’m excited to meet the boy in my Call: +1 ((305) 602-0219 ticipate along with her fiancé, the artist munity centers. painting and perhaps find out who the Mojo, in an exclusive trip to Havana next In one of those centers she had an en- flower was for, which he held so tenderly Email: [email protected] November, organized by OnCuba Travel. counter that inspired her to finish a paint- and strongly in his hands.” Visit us at: www.oncubatravel.com

56 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 56 PHOTO FEATURE

DANAY NÁPOLESPOR TRAITS The idea behind the series Retratos (Portraits) arose some years ago as a result of my work as a photogra- pher in the project at the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, where I had the opportunity to connect with different artistic manifestations, and to interact and collaborate with dif- ferent artists and learn more about their work.

From this interaction and the interest that I have always had for portraiture as a concept within photography, I begin to develop the first series of portraits of artists, with the intention of showing not only their work but the very essence of the human being portrayed, and which is not always perceptible to the naked eye.

The portraits have a performative character, where the light, the color selection or lack thereof, the objects used, and the composition become expressive resources in function of my previous personal interpretation of the subject- and which in some cases is enriched by the spon- taneity of the process and the relationship that is born at that moment with the artist him or herself.

"Rasgos". Ernesto Rancaño, visual artist Beats. Pauza DJ

Black Gold. Cimafunk, singer "Ancestros". Esterio Segura, visual artist Esterio Segura, "Ancestros".

60 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 61 "Parábola". , Composer, Orchestra Director, Guitarist DANAY NÁPOLES

Visual artist and photographer B. 1988, Havana, Cuba Lives and works in Havana

She began her self-taught photography career at age 19, inspired by subjects from everyday life. Her increasing ties to the arts world brought her work to new cre- ative horizons as she began to participate in collective exhibitions and collaborate on different projects, solidifying her reputa- tion as a photographer. As co-founder of Dynamicart Grupo Cre- ativo, which is dedicated to audiovisual and photographic creation, she has been able to develop her talent not only as a photog- rapher but also to be involved in different audiovisual projects such as documentary films, spot promotions, and music videos, allowing her to gain experience that has been vital to her profesional trajectory. She was involved in the Fábrica de Arte Cubano as a photographer since its

Black Gold. Cimafunk, singer beginnings, covering important events in Cuban art and culture, and allowing her to explore documentary photography in more depth. She has also collaborated with publications such as OnCuba, Cuba Contemporánea, Vistar, and Garbos mag- azines. She has also worked with cultur- ally and socially focused NGOs such as OIKOS and UNICEF, and with other Cuban and foreign artists. On a personal level, her photography has taken on an increasingly conceptual style, benefitting from the reserve of knowledge acquired over the years, transforming her subject matter and approaching it from an analytical and subjective perspective. Currently, she is developing her own project, called Retratos (Portraits), which has been shown in personal exhibitions in Cuba and abroad.

"Deconstrucción". Luis Alberto García, actor

62 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 62 LIGHT & SHADOWS

DEFENDING THE HERITAGE OF MY ANCESTORS

SANTIAGO RODRÍGUEZ OLAZÁBAL Estrella Díaz (b. Havana, 1955) is a son of the Yoruba Photos: Otmaro Rodríguez deity Oshún. He’s an artist who, since the beginning of his career as a painter, knew that he carried his subject matter “deep inside.” His ancestors were practitioners of Regla de Ocha and he was raised in a profoundly religious home. His work has several main themes: memory, worship, and spirituality exude from symbols that come from the Cuban Santeria religion. Without a doubt, he is a man whose deep faith spills out in every gesture and word. It seems that his great-grandfather, Ramón Febles, son of Changó and connoted priest of Ifá, sowed the primal roots of which he feels he is both heir and mantle-carrier. z á bal Ola El ser interno-1 With great sincerity, Santiago Rodríguez three deities: Oshún, Yemayá and Oyá.” feel them in another dimension. When that those who appropriate this topic in Olazábal says: “I did not discover art, art The work of this genuine artist is these ideas come, I make notes that are order to make money do not respect the discovered me. I entered the San Alejandro distinguished by formal, clean, and either written or in small sketches of immense legacy of which we are deposi- Academy almost by chance and I had dif- uncomplicated compositions. This is figures. These figures are what lead me to taries. You cannot and should not do a ferent cultural references.” surely the result of the refining process the foundation of the piece.” piece thinking about how much you’re go- He had a happy childhood in a Havana that is characteristic of him: “First the From his pictorial work, which is ulti- ing to earn, because then you’re catering tenement house where he played ball, ideas arrive, perhaps from some Ifá text mately his artistic platform, Olazábal has to the market and that’s a very serious er- four-square, marbles, and quimbumbia, or dreams —because I enjoy a very active combatted the notion that religion or any ror that, surely, will have consequences.” rode on Cuban-style skateboards, and dream life— and, sometimes, I see things religious theme is treated with a festive He confesses that in the beginning, his flew kites. Definitely a far cry from the when I’m awake.... This doesn’t mean that and folkloric nature, because “there is a perspective was very primitivist and he world of colors, crayons and poster board. I appreciate them physically, but that I depth of knowledge and so much to learn leaned towards the work of artist Manuel When he arrived at the San Alejandro Mendive, whose influence is obvious in Arts Academy, he said, “I felt very strange his early work; but soon he began search- because it was a distant place for me, but ing until he found his own style. Within his little by little, it completely changed my generation, from the 1980s, several artists way of perceiving life and behaving.” approached the topic, but Olazábal has the He recognizes that he had excellent merit of being one of the first: “I touched teachers, such as, among many others, Os- on that theme, but always moving away valdo García, Ever Fonseca, José Antonio from the carnivalesque and the colorful; Díaz Peláez, Juan Moreira, and Lidia Verd- alles, and he visited the classroom where Flora Fong taught painting. Although he “I FOCUSED opted to specialize in sculpture, drawing was what “has captivated him to this day.” ON THE When one sculpts, he says, it’s like drawing in 3D because three-dimen- sionality has its own characteristics and THOUGHT AND rules: “I always say that I am a frustrated sculptor because practicing that specialty COSMOGONY in Cuba is very difficult since it requires resources and space. That led me to bet on drawing, which for me is a way of OF RELIGION, speaking, it’s like a calligraphy. When you write, you’re drawing, and for me drawing WHICH HAS AN allows me to transmit thoughts and ideas through lines, points and shapes.” Words have a deep strength within his ENDLESS AND work, which is very coherent if one takes into account that Santeria is based on a IMMEASURABLE deep-rooted oral tradition: “When a spell is cast, an invocation or praise is used, called HERITAGE.” the omi tutu. That is, by offering an omi tutu to the deities you are making a libation with Dos que son uno water and therefore reactivating your spiri- Red, white, and black were the colors not. I do what I feel I have to do and I would tuality. All this is done through words, pho- primitive man used to make art and be a coward if I didn’t do it because I’m netics, ways of speaking, and the cadence Olazábal assimilated them from his own defending my ancestors’ heritage. I have in that prayer or in that invocation.” cosmogony: “White means bones, our never felt censored, nor has anyone come Symbols also play a prominent role bones; black has to do with darkness and to me to say that I can’t exhibit here or there. Address: Avenida 21 no. 4617 and help Olazábal communicate ideas the underworld. And red is life, blood; it is On the contrary, I’ve had the opportunity between 46 and 48. Playa. Havana, Cuba and moods. “In my work, everything has the color of that primordial essence with to exhibit at important museums and Telephone: +53 7209-1835. a purpose and there are no extraneous which we feed the deities. But if the work galleries in Cuba and abroad.” Cell: 535 431 6751 elements; everything is based on the lit- demands a blue or a green, I apply them And it’s true. In the recently concluded Email: [email protected]; erary body of what is known as Regla de without any inconvenience,” he empha- 13th Havana Biennial (from April 12 to May [email protected] Website: www.santiago-olazabal.com Ocha,” he says. But it should be noted sizes respectfully. 12, 2019), Santiago Rodríguez de Olazábal that in his work he “doesn’t represent dei- “I’m not interested,” he insists, “in participated in several projects. Perhaps ties,” but rather reinterprets what comes whether they approve or not. I simply do the most provocative was the exhibition of to him through human figures: “It’s true my job because I feel that I am defending contemporary Cuban art, ‘HB,’ exhibited that I have portrayed deities such as Iyami something that is above all of us: It’s not in the Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Osoronga, a cult that only very powerful about my culture, it’s our culture, the Havana. Olazábal was there with his work women can belong to, which is ruled by Cuban culture. I don’t care if you like it or and the deities that accompany him. La otra realidad

66 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 67 66 GASTRONOMIC REVIEW

Alicia García Within the limits of the neighborhoods of Photos: Otmaro Rodríguez Mantilla and Calvario, on the outskirts of Havana, sits Divino, a private restaurant that is part of an agro-ecological and community project within the Finca Integral La Yoandra. In colonial times this area was called Finca La Carbonera and African slaves worked there. There were also stone quarries and tile facto- ries, where permanent labor was provided by slaves. It is even said that slaves were subcon- tracted by their owners for the constructions of mansions within the city walls of Havana. The restaurant is located on the terrace of the country house, between columns and arches and among the beauty of the natural environment. In its basement, they have a wine cellar with an exquisite selection, in- cluding Margaux, Brunello di Montalcino 1997, Vega Sicilia Único de Ribera del Duero, Chablis, and Dom Perignon champagne. The restaurant is filled with an extraordinary and DI unique collection of antiques—objects, docu- ments, and photographs related to beverage and liquor brands—including tools, souve- nirs, Coca-Cola made in Cuba, and ceramic beer bottles brought to the island in galle- ons. In short, it’s a trip through the history of VI drinking on this Caribbean archipelago. NO Divino’s specialty is its wood and charcoal cooking, dating back to the African slave days, and including organic food, much of which comes from the La Yoandra estate, worked and preserved with excellent cleanli- ness, a guarantee of food safety. It is no coin- cidence that Bertha, the great-granddaugh- ter of Africans who were taken to a town in Matanzas called Santa Ana, has been the house cook for many years and now is the restaurant chef, which gives a homemade touch to the culinary preparations. The menu is unique, with Cuban and international dishes, and some options designed for the local customer (at more affordable prices) while also providing an interesting experience for foreign tourists. The price-quality ratio is good, although not perfect. Assortments of appetizers range between 5 and 6 CUC, and include pork rinds, croquettes, stuffed tostones, crab empanadas, fried pork masitas, and cheese cubes, among others. For 16 CUC one can select a picadera that includes a bottle of white wine. This section of the menu is at- tractive, because in Cuba there are not al- ways well-thought choices for light eating paired with a drink at such a pleasant place. The different breads are handmade on site and baked in their ovens, and the home- made ice creams —passion fruit, mamey, guava, vanilla, and peanut, among other flavors— are made in their small factory.

The pork loin is smoked naturally, with its story.” For example, the natural juices ers. There we discover much more than a red mangrove that gives it a very special are unremarkable, and even the lemonade cocktail, a good wine, or a good meal. We and unique aroma and flavor, and it’s was prepared with lemon concentrate. discover our own values, anchored in the macerated with sour orange, salt, cumin, The farm where Divino is located was strengths of Cuban rurality and an intel- and ground pepper and served on a thick granted a prize for excellence by the Nation- ligent and efficient marketing strategy. wooden board decorated with a “Cuban- al Urban and Suburban Agriculture Group If you want to get out of the city, see ized” peperonata, since the locally pro- of the Ministry of Agriculture. Its owner, Yo- the greenery of the countryside, enjoy the duced onion, pepper, and tomato result andra Álvarez, has also developed several aromas and flavors closest to the earth, in a more pronounced fusion of flavor community projects, the best known is La go to Divino, in the neighborhood of than the original recipe. On this occasion, Casa del Campesino, a nineteenth-century Mantilla, where the most famous Cuban the meat had a certain dryness from the style hut visited daily by elderly neighbors contemporary narrator, Leonardo Padura loss of its own juice due to over-exposure for free lunch and healthy entertainment Fuentes, was born and still lives. to the oven’s heat. Shrimp with garlic is and according to their tastes. served in clay pots, dipped in olive oil On a farm tour, one can see native plant perfumed with abundant garlic carved in varieties as well as others that were brought small rounds, honoring this classic con- to Cuba —such as yucca and plantains, diment of . Despite being which arrived with the African slaves— all over-cooked, the shrimp is a good option. with their identification cards. There’s also The salads with natural farm-grown veg- a relic, an original cart moved from the city EVALUATION: etables, and bright colors, freshness, and of , in which slaves and cane GOOD textures, are unforgettable. were transported centuries ago. It’s my opinion that Divino can take Divino doesn’t yet meet the standards Dining room: 8.5 more advantage of what they produce on of haute cuisine or excellent service; how- Kitchen: 9 the farm and also be more creative, thus ever, one can enjoy Bertha’s unique sea- granting more coherence and charm to sonal blend and cooking, the humility of Bar: 8.85 the place’s slogan: “Where the earth tells its servers and the friendliness of its own- Total: 8.81

70 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 71 Ale R. Chang Illustration: Guillo Moreno

A THOUSAND CHILDREN ON STAGE ... AND MORE! 12-16 JUNE Martí Theater More than one thousand students INTERNATIONAL from Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba FISHING TOURNAMENT celebrate the end of the course 10-15 with five days of shows and new Hemingway Marina choreographies. More than 400 fishermen will travel to Havana JULY from all over the world to participate in the marlin fishing competition, in homage to the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway. GIBARA FILM FESTIVAL Organized by the International Hemingway 7-13 Club with the support of the International Gibara, Holguín Federation of Sport Fishing and the Ministry of Audiovisual directors from all over the world will pres- Tourism, the contest was established in 1950, ent their work and share experiences in independent and is one of the most important of its kind. It and self-financed film productions at the Gibara Film will use the tag-and-release method in order Festival, organized by Cuban actor Jorge Perugorría to protect the species. and others. The wonderful city will be a giant screen for the best independent films in the world, attracting prestigious Cuban and foreign directors and actors.

TARDES DE JAZZ PAZILLO PRIDE Every Thursday Every Wednesday Malecon 663 Pazillo Bar, El Vedado The terrace of the boutique hotel A night for diversity in the Pazillo Bar AMPM LATIN AMERICA THROUGH Malecón 663 offers a weekly jam at Calle 5 between 4th and 6th streets; ITS MUSIC session from 7 to 11 pm. An unfor- an excellent ambiance with cocktails, 17-22 gettable evening with excellent tapas, a show, raffles, and more. The Cuban Art Factory, Casa de las views of the sea, drinks, and tapas. Américas and the Cuban Ludwig Foundation An annual platform for music profes- sionals in Latin America, dedicated AQUELARRE 2019 in this edition to communication and June 30-July 7 marketing. Interactions with specialists Havana Theaters helping to increase the international Comedians, actors, and theater visibility of Latin American music. The groups participate in the 15th edition conference includes professional ses- of the Aquelarre National Humor sions, talks on the connection between Festival in the categories of revue music and technology, project pitches, or humorous work, one-man show, training courses and workshops, show- monologue, stand-up comedy, cases and concerts by prominent Cu- parody, original song and sketch. ban and Latin American artists, as well as related activities and exhibitions.

72 OnCuba Travel, Jun.-Jul. 2019 Jun.-Jul. 2019 oncubamagazine.com 73