#cubainsider

An afternoon strolling through the streets of Havana is sheer delight!
Pictures are more attractive than word, so welcome to Havana and enjoy your walk along Carlos III Avenue:

Clémence.

Well, how can I write a simple article about the Gente de Zona Cuban Tour while I would like to write an entire book about this awesome experience?!?

Amazing, incredible, fantastic, wonderful, fun… Here are the best words to describe my feelings after this exceptional week!

For me everything began on a beautiful Saturday, when Gente de Zona’s manager called me to put some stickers on my car. I came, waited for two hours (as usual in Cuba) speaking with three great Cubans who worked there. While they were putting the enormous “Gente de Zona Ft. Havana Club” stickers, I realized that I was going to live something unique. We were just next to a street, everyone could see my car and everyone was surprised to see this big “Gente de Zona” on it. They asked me “Where is Alexander?”, “Could you please give my number to Randi??” (Alexander and Randi are the two singers of the band), “Are they really single?”, “Can I have an autograph?”, “donde se forma la Gozadera?” (Translate: Where is the Gozadera creating? Gonzadera is one of the last tubes of Gente de Zona), “Gente de Zonaaaaaaaaa” among many other comments. An exciting atmosphere was growing. I also met the manager of the band and two people from PMM, the producer of the tour. Everyone was very friendly and I felt I was already part of the Gente de Zona team.

On Sunday morning, we left Havana for Santa Clara; 4 hours driving on a deserted and peaceful road.

When we arrived in Santa Clara, where we organized the first concert of the tour, we first thought that we didn’t found the right place. We arrived around 3pm in a bad-smelling parking that was transformed into a food market for that day. “Papaya, goyava, piñaaaa”, “jabitas, barratas jabitas, jabaaaaas”, “pepino, tomate, ajo, cebollaaaaa” (papaya, goyava , pineaaaaapple, little bags, cheap bags, baaaaags, cucumber, tomato, garlic, oniooooon); all the market sellers were yelling the products they were selling. Actually, it was the place where Gente de Zona would do the concert on Monday. Not kidding! How to transform the rest of a food market in a great concert place in one single day? Cubans know how to realize the unrealizable, how to find the unfindable and more than that: how to laugh in this stressful step. Well, I skip the details because it’s very difficult to explain the magic of Cuba but we succeeded and on Monday afternoon the scene was perfect, the public place cleaned and secured and the team motived and happy!

It was 4pm, the concert started three hours later. Last step to be ready: find the staff tickets. Let’s go to the Santa Clara major place where the Gente de Zona manager hotel was staying: he had the tickets. Well, I’m not sure it was a good idea but definitely one of the funniest ideas. While we parked the two cars, a huge crowd was coming around us and we didn’t have the time to go out of our cars! We were blocked inside the cars! Everybody was thinking that we were with Alexander and Randi and asked for a picture or an autograph. It was difficult to go out and even more difficult to explain that we were not with the two stars. Even when they realized that we were just unknown people, they asked us to take a picture with them and to sign autographs! First time in my life that I lived this experience and I didn’t realized that it was going to be like this the whole week… ^^ I laugh again when I’m thinking about it!

7pm. The concert should have begun but we are in Cuba and the band haven’t appeared yet. Crowd movement, even on the staff area. Here they are! I finally discovered the cool and charming Alexander and Randi. Do you want to know the ritual of Gente de Zona before the beginning of a concert? A lot of laughs, a big hug with their friends, their families, all the members of the band, a few pictures and autographs with the guests and a toast with everybody in a good atmosphere.

Let’s get the party started! Drums, trumpets, piano… the famous “Bailando” song started (musical hit with Descemer Bueno & Enrique Iglesias) and Alexander and Randi appeared. The public was yelling and dancing at the same time from the beginning to the end of the concert. “Yo quiero más, tú quieres más” (Yo quiero feat Pitbull), “He llaradooo como un niñoooooo” (He Llorado Feat Juan Magan) and 10 other songs.

Cherry on the cake: Traidora with the original writer, the famous Leoni Torres who was the “special guest” of this Tour.

It’s impressive how Leoni, Alexander and Randi had a lot of energy on stage. They interacted a lot with their public, allowing the crowd to sing some parts of the songs, seducing pretty women in the public and selecting some lucky few people to go up on the scene to dance with them. What a very nice and friendly atmosphere! Time flied and the concert came to the end.

Tuesday. I wake up realizing that my dream was my actual last evening! I’m a part of the Gente de Zona band for a week! How lucky I am! Let’s the adventure continued, let’s go to Camaguey! This time, we created a real Gente de Zona caravan, with five “Gente de Zona Ft. Havana Club” and “PMM” customized cars. How to look invisible like this? This is part of the Tour: taking picture with the crowd when we had a break on the road. We just did one break, a 10-minutes stop to eat the well-known and much-appreciated regional dessert: goyava and cheese.

A few miles from Camaguey, we had the honor to be escorted by the police in the city, with sirens and flashing lights, what a sensational entrance!!! Good evening Camaguey and thank you for this exceptional welcoming!
Wednesday. We went to the major and central place of Camaguey, where the concert will occur this evening. It was perfect, the place was huge and safe and the scene was already installed as we wished. It was too perfect to be real.

Was it hiding something? Well, we’ll see… Let’s the concert begin!

The public was in fury and Gente de Zona succeeded in giving them what they were expected: a great and dynamic concert! Ho!!!! Wait!!!! What’s happening? No more light? … Wait! No more music??? « Un apagon! » (Power failure). As I said, it was too perfect to be true! But again, in Cuba nothing is a big deal and we took it easy: Randi explained to his public the problem and asked them to keep calm and wait for a solution, and… it worked! Actually, after 10 minutes the staff found a solution and the concert went on as if nothing happened. Could you imagine it in a Western country? People would have been crazy… And Randi and Alexander continued singing and dancing, playing and making jokes, giving 100% of their energy. They conveyed their strength and enthusiasm to the audience that was positively euphoric. Such a great evening!

After the concert, we decided to improvise a party closed to the hotel with all the Gente de Zona team. We made a toast to the success of the concert and to the great team we created, with Gente de Zona, PMM and Havana Club!

Music again, let’s dance now! During the concert, the musicians played music, the photographs took pictures, the organization team took care of everything… but now it was time to relax and dance! So I danced, or I tried to… Everyone tried to teach me how to move my “cintura” (my hips) but it was so difficult for the cold French I am… Unfortunately, it’s not in my DNA!

Thursday was a road day, we woke up late and it was a long road to go to Santiago. Friday was a Day Off. We took the opportunity to be in Santiago to visit the area surrounding the city. It was as if we were on holidays with some friends. We talked about this and that, the travels we did, our works, etc. It was very relaxing and the organization was just perfect. Santiago region is very beautiful and the people we met very great.

On Saturday we’ve been to the major place of Santiago to check that everything was ok with the scene, we made an interview with Andi and Alexander (soon available on http://havana-cultura.com/) and it wasn’t long before it came time to start the concert.

The show began with a sketch of Robertico Comediante, a famous Cuban humorist. Very funny show. Perfect atmosphere to start the last concert of this Tour.

Once again, good public, excellent musicians and singers. Perfect evening. During the concert, Alexander’s mum call him and his manager gave him his cell-phone. He sang a song with his mum over the phone. How cute he is! The public loves the band as they love the public and everyone enjoyed being here!

At the end of the concert, Randi and alexander invited all the Tour team, including us, Havana Club and PMM, to go on the scene. It was the first (and probably the last!) time of my life that I live it!!! Being in front of 300 000 people (policy number, I don’t know about the syndicate number!)… Wow, impressive! And I danced with the team on the scene singing “en Venezuela se dice Chavo, en Puerto

Rico ay mama… y en Cuba: QUE BOLA, y en Cuba QUE BOLAAA” (“how are you?” in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Cuba).
What a beautiful experience! After the concert, it was time to close this great event, all the team raised their glasses to this and other future successes of our collaboration! One more day please, I don’t want to stop this Tour!

We had to come back to Havana to be prepared for other great events. It wasn’t too difficult to come back at the end. It seems that Havana is very trendy nowadays, how lucky I am!

Well, I really want to thank everyone I met during this week for these unforgettable moments I spent. I know that I will see some of you again in Havana!

See you soon,
Clémence.

Zapata Swamp, knowed as Ciénaga de Zapata, is a beautiful desert area located just to 20 minutes boat ride from the coast (North of Playa Larga).

There is just one hotel with private wood bungalows. 

It’s has become a major stop on the tourist road these days, since Cuba is now a trendy destination. Nevertheless there is still a room to feel alone on this peaceful landscape with various species of birds and reptiles. Don’t be afraid, the crocodiles have been hiding for some time.

I recommend you a one hour boat tour at sunrise to observe the beautiful colors of the swamp and the tranquility of the animals.

Clémence.

One of my favourite views in Trinidad: from the tower of the Museo Histórico Municipal. You can see Topes de Collantes, Plaza Mayor and the Iglesia Parroquial de la Santisima Trinidad.

Clémence.

Have you ever heard about the Versus 1900, a new trendy restaurant in Vedado (Havana district)? Did you know that there is an ecological spa in Havana? I learnt it a few days ago and many thanks to Lien for telling us more about it!

The story began in December 2013. Lien wanted to change her life doing something that makes sense, something with passion. She asked herself, “what kind of job do I really like?”. Doing something from the heart was obviously involving her husband. “What can we do together that makes sense?”.

Lien and his husband

She loves architecture, design and decoration, he is keen about food and cooking. Why not creating a restaurant? Speaking with their friends they found the perfect place in Vedado: an old colonial house, built in 1900: it gave the name of the restaurant Versus 1900. She totally fell in love and decided to restore it. She studied Art History and had plenty of ideas to make her dream house. In March 2014 the project started. She obtained all the required licenses in September, made various works during more than six months with Raul Mancina, a great architect. They respected all the original construction.  The floor is still the original one, they refreshed the woods and the doors. They created a new modern rooftop with mattresses that creates a cosy and trendy atmosphere; which is quite rare in Cuba. The restaurant has been open since October 2015.

The pictures often tell more than the words. I let you discover this amazing restaurant:

And what about the food? I had the pleasure to eat at the Versus 1900 and to meet the Chef Vladimir Febles Fuentes, in his kitchen. Now I can say: yes, it’s so good!!!! Vladimir made cooking studies in Cuba and started his career working for a Mediterranean Cruise. For twelve years he has been inspired by Italian, French and Spanish cooking styles. When he came back to Cuba he worked successively at La Guarida and La Fontana, two of the best restaurants in Havana.

Vladimir and his team

Because a good idea never comes alone, Lien decided to create a healthy spa at the same time. Why? She wanted to change her life because she was sick, she had an endometriosis and needed to be closer to the natural world, rejecting all the chemical products. Her friend convinced her to launch the first ecological spa in Cuba and she accepted the challenge! In September 2014 they found the local and opened it at the end of October 2014. They didn’t have many things to restore. It was a very modern place. They painted it, put the air-conditioned, decorated it and it was ready to start! The spa is called Lien Martinez, it’s a very relaxing area with a pure white and fresh atmosphere (which is very positive in Cuba!). This beauty center offers services of manicure, massages, peelings, fitness treatment, depilation, etc. all with 100% natural products.

“Changes are important. I’m always creating something, watching what is missing to try to make something better. There are too many things to do in Cuba!” said Lien.

What are the next steps in Lien’s entrepreneur life? Well, in summer she plans to change the decoration of the rooftop in a marine’s theme. Oh, and did I told you that she opened another restaurant during the last Art Biennial, in June 2015? It’s a French-Cuban fusion restaurant, called Los Naranjos, in Vedado too. And did I told you that Lien was a model? She loves fashion. Why not organizing a defile? She also likes traditional music, ballet, art, photography. I’m sure it’s just the beginning of the story! She has the passion to create.

“I’m very curious and I always want to learn more about many things. I wish I can study communication in September.” she confessed me.

As Lien said, “Cuba is changing a lot. A modern Havana is growing with new technology, new way of thinking and new mentalities. Nowadays there are thousands of people with great new ideas who want to do something. The history has to be written by the Cubans.”

Thank you Lien and good luck for your future projects.

If you are passing by Havana don’t forget to have a break there:

Versus 1900, Calle Linea e/ D e E, +537 835 18 52

Lien Martinez, centro estético: Calle Calzada #307 e/ H e I, Vedado, +537 832 81 77

Clémence.

Today I’m very pleased to introduce you to Juan-Luis Santana, a cofounder of an offline app called “Ke Hay Pa’ hoy” (translated: what’s on today). More than a very positive attitude, this 23 year-old Cuban impresses me with his motivation, his entrepreneurial spirit and his passion for his work.

Juan-Luis, cofounder of “Ke hay Pa’ hoy”

What is “Ke Hay Pa’ Hoy” about? How does it work? How can Juan-Luis manage to develop this kind of app in Cuba? Let him explain_ us!

“Ke Hay Pa’ Hoy is a project that offers services of cultural promotion to keep people informed about what is happening in Havana today and it will soon be in other provinces. If you want to know what’s happening today, tonight or tomorrow, you just have to open this app to find information. You can search by events, by kind of arts: music, cinema, theatre, dance, etc. or choosing your favorite artists, your favorite places, etc.

The App: Ke Hay Pa’ Hoy

“The project was born at the end of 2014. I was studying telecommunication and electronic in the University and I became friend with Sergio, a young teacher (25 years old) of electromagnetic field theory. We wanted to create something together. We started our entrepreneurship adventure with another idea that had no link with Ke Hay Pa’ Hoy but with transport solution in Cuba. At the beginning of 2015 Sergio had this cultural idea and we totally switched our business plan to restart with that!

We started our investigation doing a market analysis and building our business plan. We approached the Ministry of Culture and they loved the idea. They supported us in the further elaboration of the project, so did many places in Havana. Day after day the idea have become more concrete and the team bigger. Actually, all the founders have been playing an important role in this project. We are all very complementary. Each of us has his own qualities and defaults. We’ve been learning a lot working together for one year. Let me introduce you to everyone please!

So Sergio Fernández is the author of the original idea of Ke Hay Pa’ Hoy? His eloquence conquered many people and this is the reason why we have big supports in the project. Unfortunatly he isn’t here today.

The 3rd  cofounder is Sergio León. He’s an encyclopedia! Everyone would be surprised by his expertise in various subjects whereas he is very young (25 years old too). He manages very well security issues and he is a source of proposals for the project.”

Juan-Luis and Sergio in their office in Havana

“The 4th cofounder is Juan Alejandro Hernández, the hardest worker of the team. Tireless and always positive. More than being a specialist in development for Android, he has excellent skills as designer. He is the creator of our Facebook page.”

Juan-Luis and Juan in front of their office

“Last summer, we launched our Android app! Today you can download it on internet and update the content via an offline or online process, it’s up to you! The idea is to give a very easy and useful tool to our users. So it’s quite easy to use but quite hard to explain how we succeeded in developing it!” he laughed.

“Well, actually Ke Hay Pa’ Hoy enables us to bring a new modern way to promote culture in Cuba. It’s more about passion than about business. It’s possible to monetize the App but our goal for the moment is to grow in term of number of users and of information, adding sport, workshop, etc.”

The logo of the App: Ke Hay Pa’ Hoy

The great team of Ke Hay Pa’ Hoy has plenty of ideas. They are developing the App in English that should be available in two months. Then, Juan-Luis confessed me that they are thinking again about the initial idea linked to the transport issue in Cuba. Will they launch this project? Will they have another idea? One thing is sure, it’s the beginning of a great entrepreneurial story. There is no doubt, they have the passion to create.

Thanks a lot to everyone, Juan-Luis, Juan and Sergio for this interview. It’s a real pleasure to meet dynamic and nice young people! I wish you all the success you deserve and “suerte” (good luck) for the future!

Clémence.

What a pleasure to walk in the streets of Havana and to see this typical scene. Ernesto and his cousin, Carlos are proud to explain me how they’ve been managing to maintain and restore its Pontiac from the 50’s. 

Yes, it’s still possible to see it today in Cuba! Thanks to a governmental protection, there are all classified in the Cuban heritage, which means that we cannot buy them and send them out of the country.

Clémence.

If you plan to go to Cuba for Christmas holiday, Remedios is definitly the best place go for the Christmas Eve. You want to know why? Let me explain you!

Trabajos de plaza (San Salvador) 

 Remedios is a lovelly sleepy village located around 50km northeast of Santa Clara.

It is commonly used by tourists as a base or a stopoff to the beautiful northern Cayo (keys) but this quiet town is becoming the place to be every Christmas for “Las Paradas”. It is a 200 year old tradition. For the festival the city is divided into northern quarter (San Salvador) and southern halve (Carmen). The frontier is running thought the centre of Plaza Marti where the two churches representing each “barrios” are facing. 

 Each sides is preparing the whole year the confrontation for night of the 24th of December. The opponents mark their own territories with huge constructions call “trabajos de plaza” whose the design change every-year.  The celebrations start around 4pm when the plaza Marti is crowded.

Hundreds of fireworks are launched from one side to the other for a few hours. Be careful, it can be dangerous!

Picture of the fireworks in remedios, by Arien Chang Castan

After that, two parades representing the two parts of the town are walking around the square followed by the population who are cheering their own team and teasing the other quarter.  Then around 10pm the carrozas make a ceremonials tour of the plaza. 

Carroza (San Salvador)

Build to represent the respective halves of Remedios, the carrozas and the trabajos de plaza, are beautiful creations build by the town residents. 

 Last year and for the first time there is no doubt that San Salvador was the winner because Carmen was not ready on time and they were not able to parade with there carrozas. Normally there is no winner, the both team are doing their best and the game is finishing on draw with a really spectacular show. However since 2014 many refurbishment projects have been lunched in Remedios that involved a lot of inhabitants. Apparently Carmen has not manage to deal with the renovation and the preparation of the parades. 

This year and for the 500th anniversary of the town,  Carmen is going to prendre sa reva che but San Salvador is ready to compete! 

The show should be memorable! Merry Christmas in Remedios or anywhere else! 

Clémence.

Did you know that to dry rice grains in a very wet country there is a solution? Ernesto gave me his tips: tar streets are particularly hot all year long and it’s a perfect spot to make dry anything! 

So don’t be surprised if sometimes half of the road is not passable, the rice is drying. Like Ernesto, you should meet a lot of rice drier on your road in Cuba province. Be careful! It can be surprising if you drive too fast.

Clémence.

As many countries in the world, in Cuba taking a cab, renting or buying a car is very expensive. Bus, subway, sharing car, there are plenty of transport options in Western countries. What about Cuba?

Another concept exists in Cuba, the collective transport in vintage car known as a máquina, which means machine, or almendron, which means almond. Let me explain about this transport.

When you see a vintage American car with a taxi sticker on the window it’s not a real “taxi”, it’s a “maquina”!

Do you want to join me for a ride in a Maquina? Ok, let’s go!

It’s a real headache to understand how local transports work.

1.       Where can you find a Maquina?

You have to go to one of the streets where there is Maquinas’ traffic. Here are the major streets where you can find a Maquina:

-          Galiano, near the Capitolio and Zanja in Havana City Center,

-          Línea, Calle G, and calle 23 in Vedado

-          Tercera, Septima and Calle 51 in Miramar

-          Calle 19 en playa

2.       How to stop a Maquina?

In Cuba, there is no indication on bus stops for the maquina. We just have to do a signal to the driver to stop the Maquina. How? Making a hand signal to bus drivers who respond in return with another hand signal. Thanks to this, Cubans can pick up the maquina they want.

Let’s start easy, just raise your hand and watch the maquina’s driver, as does the guy in front of me:

One, two, three… 10 maquinas have passed by without even seeing us.

3.       Wait

-          It’s the rush hour, all the maquinas are full! He tells me (understanding that I was waiting for a maquina too). We could wait from 15 to 30 minutes here… Well, I’m Alejandro, nice to meet you.

Great, it’s finally working! A very beautiful black Chevrolet 52 stops and we go inside. The car is huge and quite comfortable!

4.       But… to go where?

Each maquinas follows a predetermined road and most often goes straight ahead along the street: from the beginning to the end of Tercera, then from the beginning to the end of Linea, and then to Capitolio, etc.

Actually, the only potential difficulty remains in finding the road changes (?). Thanks to Alejandro, here is the meaning of the different signals you have to learn to understand where a maquina is going and to make the driver understand where you want to go:

-          The index finger pointed downward: I’m going straight ahead along this street.

-          The index finger pointed upward: I’m going to Havana City Center (or anywhere, just point the finger to the direction where you want to go):

-          Show three fingers of one hand: I’m going to Tercera

5.       Price

The maquina is very cheap! At 50 cents Cuc (=0,50 USD) a ride, you can go far from the Vedado to the Capitolio for instance.

To conclude, it is very fun to hang around in a maquina. It’s probably not the quickest way to go to your destination but it’s definitely one of the best way to feel the Cuban spirit, to hear the Cuban stories and Cuban “chismes” (ie gossips), to live like the Cuban people!

Thank you Alejandro for your help!

If you want to go quickly somewhere, I would not recommend you to try those transports alone but with a local who knows how it works. You are shy or in a hurry? Don’t worry, there are other options to choose when visiting Havana: the classic yellow taxi, the classic taxi, the bici-taxi (bike taxi), the coco-taxi (replaced by a moped bike), or the horse cart. What kind of transports should you use, and where? Let’s have a clear overview:

http://myhavana-club.tumblr.com/post/109488037631/transport-in-cuba-almendrone-macina-coco-what

Clémence.

Thursday, November 19th took place the inauguration of the documentary photographic exhibition “Elliott Erwitt Havana Club 7 Fellowship” at the Havana Club Rum Museum.  Who is Elliott Erwitt and what is the exhibition about?

Elliott Erwitt is a Legendary Magnum photographer that had the opportunity to shoot original iconic images and candid close-ups of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro during an assignment for Newsweek more than 50 years ago. 

His lifelong love of photography has finally taken him back to Cuba last summer. 

The exhibition is an initiative of “Elliott Erwitt Havana Club 7 Fellowship”, the Fellowship is a joint program between Havana Club International and Elliott Erwitt. The idea is 7 selected photos are sold to finance a new talented photographer to travel to Cuba to create their own unique body of work that captures the soul of Cuba and to continue the legacy that Elliott Erwitt started in 2015. They will, in turn, donate a selection of 7 of their own photos to give a new photographer the change to continue the documentation of Cuba.On the Fellowship, Elliott Erwitt says ‘It is so important to document Cuba at this time because this will become Cuba’s legacy and it is inspiring that Havana Club 7 has taken the initiative in creating this opportunity.’

Elliott Erwitt’s new images, taken last summer, are now on exhibit alongside the original 1964 photographs at the Havana Club Rum Museum gallery “Havana Cultura” for the next two months. The gallery is located at Avenida de Puerto esquina Sol, Habana Vieja, La Habana.

If you want to know more about ‘The Elliott Erwitt Havana Club 7 Fellowship’, I recommend you to have a look on this website: http://www.havana-fellowship.com/

Clémence.

Cayo Levisa is a beautiful idyllic island located just to 30 minute boat ride from the coast (North of Viñales). It’s has become a major stop on the tourist road these days, since Cuba is now a trendy destination. Nevertheless there is still a room to feel alone on this paradisiac landscape with white sands and clear sea. I recommend you a 20 minute walk from the main beach to the East Side of the Island. You will discover a desert beach, and best of all, the sea is full of sea stars!

Clémence.

Have you ever read “The old man and the sea”? Have you ever dream to go fishing in high seas? Have you ever met a Cuban fisherman?

Whatever your answer, I’m sure you will appreciate to travel far away from your country to make a 10-minutes break in the Caribbean Sea, at 5 miles from Havana.

It was 6am and I arrived at the Tarara Marina, a 20-minutes drive from Havana. I was tired so I let a friend who worked at the Marina introduced me to the Captain and the co-Captain of the beautiful Marlin X, their boat.

The two fishermen named Ronco and Borro made the last checks. Gasoil: ok, fishing rod: ok, everybody: ok, let’s go!

We left the marina in a perfect silence. I let the burning sun and the strong coffee waking me up, while looking at the Captain installing the fishing material:

Splendid reel

Impressive lures

We navigated one hour more without feeling any bite. I contemplated the amazing view I see. It was like if the time was stopped.

I went up to see Ronco and Borro.

What a beautiful job you have! I told them.

It’s not a job, it’s a passion! Ronco answered. We go fishing every day. Even when I’m “off”. The sea is my life. I started fishing when I was very young. Indeed, I’ve been fishing since I have memories! My father was a fisherman too and he gave me all his love and knowledge about the sea.

Ronco and Borro on the boat 

And they told me all their stories, the best and the worst, the funniest and the saddest. Fishing is a real team sport. Ronco and Borro need to understand each other, to share their feelings, their experiences and their intuitions. They know each other like two brothers. They have been working together for 30 years! They are totally inseparable. One day they fished the biggest Merlin of the Marina: 714 pounds!

Fishes are like fantasía, concluded Ronco. You don’t know when it appears but you know that it can appear! He laughed.

We spent three hours talking. It was time to come back to the Marina. Today we didn’t fish but I learnt a lot about the sea, the fish, the Marlin and the fishermen’s spirit.

I left them with a lot of beautiful memories in my mind and with a big smile on my face.

Thank you for this amazing day Ronco and Borro. The Marlin will be next time!

Clémence.

I’m proud to introduce you to Dorian Daniel Agüero and Franck Valdés, two creative Cuban students from the ISA, the Arts University of Havana.

Dorian and Franck joking in front of “Solo se que es un niño de tetas” by Dorian, (translate “I just know that is a nipple kid”)

Dorian and Franck made a collaboration to present their last productions in the dual exhibition called Gasolina (translated Gasoline). Why “Gasolina”? Because it is an element that helps them to perform with new ideas and artistic propositions. They need gasoline to make their creative engine running, to start thinking and to make some links between different ideas. Then, both of them used the gasoline colors in their arts.

I let you discover some beautiful paintings you can see in the Museum that fit them in the young contemporary art universe:

“Difuntas” by Dorian (Deceased)

“Dame un besito con lengua” by Dorian (Give me a kiss with the tongue)

“El atentado” by Frank (The attack)

 "El vestido" by Frank (The dress)

“La Venus y el espejo” by Franck (The Venus and the Mirror)

Clémence.

Since July 2015, Cuba has opened 35 Wi-Fi hotspots across the country. How does it work? What does it change? What does a Cuban first want to discover in the World Wide Web? Let’s meet one of those young Cubans who benefited from the booming of Internet to become a Wi-Fi access cards official seller.

I met Yorvis on the “Calle 23”, known as La Rampa, in Vedado (Havana district). I was walking on this street few weeks ago when I realized that Cubans were totally “glued” to their mobile screen, in line along the pavement. Yorvis observed that I was interested by this phenomenon and proposed me to sell me a WiFi access card.

Nauta wifi Cards at La Rampa, Vedado, Havana.

He explained me that he was working for a state telecoms firm called Etecsa that sells WiFi access cards (see picture). “This access can be used at any of the 35 WiFi access points that have been installed in public places of the country. When you connect to the access point your browser should open and prompt you for the username and password on the card, and give you a usage monitor.”

Yorvis, 32 years old, Wi-Fi access cards seller.

 “This is a major change for us, not just for young people but for people of all ages! This WiFi offers us unprecedented online access in Cuba. It’s a change that we applaud.” Yorvis said.

“It’s incredible!” confirmed an old smiling Cuban woman. She used videoconference thanks to this new WiFi access. “I can see my daughter who is living in Spain, I haven’t seen her for two years!”

Cuban woman using videoconference to contact her family.

Yorvis explained me that Cubans are most often connected to Facebook or to their email addresses. Eventually, the first objective for Cubans is to communicate with their families and friends who are abroad.

I left remembering my first experience on internet, MSN and the first online chats. I wondered how this joyful and warm people will manage all the new options like Snapchat, Tinder, etc.

Keep posted.

Clémence.

I recently attended a dance rehearsal with Raices Profundas. Raices Profundas is one of Cuba most important rumba groups, located in an amazing place that was a former cinema in downtown Havana.

They explained me all about Rumba, from the music roots to the modern influence.

Rumba was born around the end of the 19th century in the docks of Matanzas and Havana where many of the free slaves found work and it became one of the most important influence in the Cuban Culture. However, over the years, it has been underappreciated and often miss. Despite its marginalization, Rumba has a massive influence on music. Throughout the 20th century, the worldwide explosion of Cuban music like chachacha or mambo had one constant at their heart: the rumba congoncero and the clave they played. But the rumbero’s influence was further. From the 50’s congo players like Mongo Santamaria, Carlos “Patato” Valdés or Chano Pozo went to the States and introduced them to a new approach. The effect on the development of modern music can be felt in everything from modern jazz to funk, to disco, to house music! Rumba is a tradition and it’s not just about music. Rumba has got many elements: dancing, singing, roots, drumming, etc.

With Raices Profundas, I discover the Rumba dances.

“Rumba is a feeling of Cuban-ness, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not something formal yet: it needs to be learnt in academies in order to be done properly. It’s not a crazy thing that’s just made up on the spot! Rumba is the most efficient way a Cuban can express his Cuban-ness through the dance.” Explained me a dancer of the group.    

There are three main styles of Rumba dance: the Guaguanco, the Yambu and the Columbia.

The Guaguanco is a partner dance where the man does lot of things to trick the woman “just like we do in everyday life” says a dancer! It’s a symbolic penetration and the woman job is to block his access. It sounds strange but it looks like a game. It is very dynamic, people dance in a very great and positive attitude.

The Yambu is a measured romantic partner dance where the man approaches the woman with elegant movements. It is danced more slowly and some people say that it is for old people. “It’s the dance where the woman can most genuinely demonstrate her sensuality” confesses me a dancer.

The third style is the Columbia, where the man highlights movements of the toes and the heels with strong movements with the shoulders. The dancers challenge each other. This style can remind us the jazz dancer practice in the 80’s, very beautiful.

Rumba, even if we are referring to dance, sing or music, is a phenomenon of tradition and passion. It’s in the heart of many Cubans. They often practice it with energy and happiness.

As I said Rumba is above all about passion, don’t forget the conclusion of a dancer of the group “you don’t just listen or dance to rumba. You live it!”

Clémence.

Walking along any street in Trinidad, it’s easy to understand why UNESCO included this beautiful city to the list of list of World Heritage Sites! 

Clémence.