In a few months, one of the works included in the Revival of the Port Avenue project will be finished: the old Wood and Cigar Warehouse, which will house a beer parlor with a capacity for 400 people.

A few hours ago in the ancient Old Square of Havana a monumental work of Roberto Fabelo was placed. The figure, made of bronze, was donated by the 2004National Arts Award winner to the historic center of the capital.

For several weeks, a quirky musician enlivens with his art the streets of Old Havana. We can see him standing by the living statues near the historic center of the capital, sitting in a doorway of the Plaza Vieja, or a stretch of the busy Obispo Street. People stop to listen to his music, watch his amazing instruments ... and when they discover that he speaks “funny” Spanish they start asking him questions.

The hundredth worldwide presentation of the Misa Cubana piece, dedicated to the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, will be held this Sunday at the Covarrubias Hall of the National Theater of Cuba. This work, composed and directed by José María Vitier, gathers for its implementation important musicians and celebrates the 400th anniversary of the appearance of the image of the Patroness of Cuba. This concert wraps up a series of presentations Vitier and his guests  offered throughout  the East of the country after Hurricane Sandy.

By May Gamboa Cruz The Corals Awards at the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema will be very disputed in this 34th edition of the event, which stands out for the quality of the 566 selected films, Alfredo Guevara, president of honor of the event said in a press conference.

One of the most spectacular entrances to the Havana’s Historical Center: the Avenida del Puerto (Port Avenue), regained life with the restoration of one of the seven wonders of Cuban civil engineering: the Havana’s chamber of sewer grates. Today, thanks to the renovation work conducted by the Office of the Historian (OHC), the more hidden gems of the island engineering allows the visitor to appreciate the process of filtering the sewage of seven municipalities of the capital city.

In spite of the persistent rain last Thursday, La Tarasca was at Saint Francis of Assisi Square since the morning hours, waiting for the people to write on its body everything evil they wished to burn. “Good-by to unhappiness”, “Down with bitterness and envy”, “Down with mental dictatorships”, “End racism, hunger and war”, “No to poverty and illness” were some of the thousands of requests that could be read on the puppet’s body in several languages.

The 4th Leo Brouwer Chamber Music Festival, scheduled for October 3-13, has been described by maestro Leo Brouwer as “a colossal edition”. More than twenty world premieres will be interpreted during the celebration in Havana of this event to be attended by more than 145 musicians from eight countries.

The “America" theater in Havana city will host the concerts that the famous Buena Vista Social Club Orchestra with Omara Portuondo will deliver on September 29 and 30. Buena Vista will offer a de luxe repertoire in these presentations, when the public can enjoy pieces such as: El carretero, El Chan Chan, El Rincón Caliente, Buena Vista en guaguancó, by Arsenio Rodríguez; Bombón de Pollo, a song the great Benny Moré used to sing and El bodeguero, by Richard Egües, among others.

Turning waste into art, that is the passion of Grethell Rasúa, a young Cuban artist who offers a very peculiar service: she makes articles to wear or use at hose with body waste or liquids of her clients. She combines excrement, tears, blood, urine, semen, earwax, hair, saliva, with silver, gold, plastic, pearls, fabrics, resin, among other materials, to create jewels, clothes or decorative objects for the home.

For eleven years the Routes and Walks project run by the Office of the City Historian of Havana has worked for its offers to meet the requirements of the families that use it. This summer one of the biggest attractions was the audio guide service for the City Museum. Every Tuesday teens and adults can ask for this device at the gates of the former Palace of the General Captains. Families have an hour to make the journey along the electronic device that has recorded information about the rooms and collections amassed by the museum.

Lizeth Perez Acosta always loved to sing; as a nursery school teacher the moment she enjoyed the most was to sing with the children. And even when life takes many turns this joyous Cuban continues to delight us with her voice. Now she doesn’t do it for a group of kids but to all who walk through Old Havana.

Roberto Fabelo tenía dos propuestas artísticas muy sugerentes en esta Bienal de La Habana. Pero no fue hasta el viernes que una de ellas pudo ser emplazada. OnCuba conversó con Fabelo, justo cuando estaban colocando en las rocas del malecón la pieza “Las garras en la piedra”.

No sabemos hacia donde partió, pero ella aguarda su regreso. Las horas corren por el muro del Malecón, se tiran al agua, salen, se secan, comienzan a pescar, la miran, le gritan… hasta que llegan a aburrirse y lentamente se van. Entonces cae la noche y ella guarda el tejido en su bolso marrón Mañana el caminante la volverá a ver, sentada en ese gran muro, de frente a La Habana, a su Ítaca; pero pensando en su ser amado que anda más allá del mar.