ES / EN
Yaritza Hernández Barrera

Yaritza Hernández Barrera

Will Cuba find oil?

The country's new attempt to find the precious hydrocarbon is underway on the northern shores in the center of the island. There the Songa Mercur semisubmersible will drill the deepest well in the national history (4 miles). Cubapetroleo explained that the platform has all the means to ensure that work is carried out safely and effectively. They also carried out any inspections necessary to prevent environmental damage...

Cuba recovers its maritime cargo fleet

The Cuban shipping fleet in a few years will cross the Caribbean Sea with the same force as it did three decades ago, when it reached its highest level of development. At least that indicates the work currently being undertaken to increase the Cuban capacity of cargo transportation by ship. Deputy Transport Minister Lázaro González Marrero explained recently in Havana that the gradual recovery of the fleet is a reality already. A proof of this is the recent the agreement with China to build ten vessels in the Asian country for Cuba.

A Cuban symbol in the world

Cuban cultural roots spread a little farther through the Americas this year thanks to hundreds of exquisitely tailored guayaberas which were mainly exported to countries like Colombia, Venezuela and Panama. The Cuban Cultural Fund has been responsible for the sale of this garment. Its subsidiary of Cienfuegos is the major sewing workshop specializing in the manufacture of guayaberas for export, capable of producing over eight thousand guayaberas a year, Ericel Alvarez, its director told the press.

It seems it was yesterday…

Who would have known? Twenty years have passed since Gerardo Alfonso wrote the song “Sabanas Blancas”. Time seems to have stayed still since the singer immortalized in his verses the Havana Capitol, the Prado with its lions and the long wall along the coast. The fact is that the white sheets hanging on balconies have become an image of yesterday, today and forever.

Rappers Take the Floor

Their lyrics, sharp as knives, open the way with fraternity and commitment to the people from the neighborhood and a better future. They are urban poets who sing to life, love and the surrounding reality. Anónimo Consejo, Hermanazos, Adverzario, Brebaje Man, Mano Armada, Doble Filo, Yimi Konklaze, Cuentas Claras, Primera Base y Hermanos de Causa: representatives of hip-hop in Cuba, go out and knock on the door of each inhabitant of the Island, from Punta de Maisí to Cabo de San Antonio.

VIVIART: To Feel Our Art

All forms of art, trends and styles, combined in full harmony. That is Viviart, a project that strives to promote our culture, but also to enrich it through the combination of all lines of creation. Nine professionals and a large number of collaborators building a space for all the good art that is made in our Island.

Dancing around Cuba

Lovers of contemporary dance in the island will have an excellent opportunity to enjoy this art as the dancers of the Compañía Danza Contemporánea de Cuba (Contemporary Dance Company of Cuba (DCC) will go up to the stage of several provinces. The company, which in April this year was acclaimed for its performances in Europe, will start later this month and un early October a tour of the island. The journey kicks off in the easternmost part of Cuba, where they will perform on September 22-23.

Corina Mestre: perfection and mastery

There are not enough words to describe the feeling of the public when Corina Mestre takes the stage. Her presence causes an overwhelming feeling of awe and wonder in the audience, who know in advance that they are to enjoy a fine performance. Overflowing with experience and talent, Corina is again recognized for her wonderful work. This Friday, the Cuban actress will receive the distinction Espejo de Paciencia (Mirror of Patience), the highest culture recognition in the central province of Camagüey.

Private taxis: A Sound Business?

What would be a city without cabs? Worldwide there are skilful drivers who flout traffic and bottlenecks to carry passengers to their destination. They are usually yellow modern cars, but in Cuba, and even in Havana, things are different. Our taxis are old American cars, sometimes with parts threatening to fall, half painted, while others gleam like brand new. The almendrones, a museum on wheels, solve the problems of thousands of Cubans who daily face crowded buses.

Abelardo Lopez, a Father in “Hopelessly together”

His dream was to be a pilot but even though he couldn’t fulfil his dream, fate made him an actor. More than once Abelardo López has proved his talent in the theater, that’s why he got to play Ernesto Che Guevara on stage. Well-known in Cuba by giving life to Colonel Marcelo in the Tras la Huella series e trail, this time he plays Candelario in the big scren. In this latest film by director Jorge Luis Sanchez, Inevitablemente Juntos (Hopelessly together), Abelardo becomes the father of a wealthy family of the posh neighbourhood of Miramar.

Brutal Fest: Rocking around Cuba

For ten days the sound of electric guitars, drums and the voices of the best Cuban rock bands left their usual scenario in the capital’s Maxim Rock to flood the entire island, bringing in its wake thousands of lovers of hardcore / metal rock . The bands Combat Noise, Escape, Tendencia, Chlover, Narbeleth, Cry Out For, Konflit and Mortuory, among others, played at squares of Pinar del Rio, Santa Clara, Camaguey and Holguin, taking to those cities the latest of their work but also the classics.

And, where is your hat?

At the airport all leaving the island seem to have one. Whether they’re tourists that came to discover the Caribbean or Cubans that returned to their homeland after many years, they all have one. The truth is that most of them hold tight in their hands a straw hat, like a irrefutable proof of their passage through Cuba.

The Cuban Gown: Sensuality and Elegance

When we speak of gowns today, we probably imagine those dresses used by our grandmothers when they were at home. But if we mention the Cuban gown, perhaps many will recall the sensuality and elegance irradiated by star Rosita Fornés or the unforgettable Celia Cruz on the stage. Indeed, the Cuban gown was the dress chosen by the Island’s ladies for their public appearances, among them famous artists and singers like Rita Montaner, Olga Guillot and Maruja González, or the Queen of Guaguancó, Celeste Mendoza.

Staircase to Heaven

The car, a Ford, was ready to go down the flight of steps. The driver had decided to ride along the street with steps to show his abilities. It was thus that the car, jumping, went down the 52 steps of the Padre Pico staircase. No one remembers what the Ford looked like after that, but more than a century later the steps are still there to tell the story. The steep slopes that are typical of Santiago de Cuba’s anatomy required such flights of stairs. The peculiar steps were a relief to those who had to daily climb up and down its hills.

The Longest Festivity

There’s no one home. As customary at this time of the year, the homes are empty in Santiago. Where is everyone? At Trocha, Carretera del Morro, Martí Street, Sueño Street, at the carnival. During an entire week men, women, children and older persons form a burning whirl that assaults the streets of Santiago to dance at the most glorious conga rhythm. Music floods every corner of the village for 168 hours leaving place for nothing else; one goes home only to recover the essential energy to continue the feast.

The Heart of Santiago

The city is no longer the same. Inland, far from the sea, modern neighborhoods rise; now the avenues are embellished with other posters; new shops and restaurants crown the historical center. A neighbor of Santiago who returns to the city after some years might feel like an intruding visitor in his own land. Perhaps he will find his favorite bar turned into a dwelling, or discover that the movie theater where he dated his girlfriend has been closed.