Cuba’s 2013 Anti-Homophobia Parade Held (Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE) Some 500 members and supporters of Cuba’s LGBT community paraded on Saturday morning along the busy 23rd Street in Havana in the now traditional anti-homophobia campaign calling for respect for diversity and rejection of sexual prejudice, as Havana Times reports. Follow the link below for a gallery of photos. The march took place to the beat of the popular Cuban sound of the “conga” with trumpets and drums. Many in the crowd waved Cuban and multicolored rainbow flags. This is the peak visibility in the Cuban Campaign Against Homophobia, held here since 2008, always around May 17. At the start of the activity, Mariela Castro, director of the National Center for Sex Education (Cenesex), called for dialogue between the Cuban population to eradicate prejudice in families. This year’s parade was especially focused on the family, one of “the most vulnerable areas in the rights of LGBT people, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people,” Castro told reporters during the parade. Castro, who is also a member of the Cuban parliament, emphasized the need to approve changes to the Family Code, including the rights of sexual orientation, gender identity and recognition to same-sex couples. The debate has been suspended for years due to the strong disputes generated in Cuban society, but Mariela remains optimistic that the parliament will take up the issue again soon, noted DPA news. “The hardest part is the time it takes to overcome prejudice, but I think conditions are improving,” said the daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro. The march is part of the activities of the VI Cuban Campaign Against Homophobia, taking place this year from May 7-31, featuring discussions, lectures, photo exhibitions, educational activities and a sports festival.
May 14, 2013

Cuba’s 2013 Anti-Homophobia Parade Held

(Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE)

Some 500 members and supporters of Cuba’s LGBT community paraded on Saturday morning along the busy 23rd Street in Havana in the now traditional anti-homophobia campaign calling for respect for diversity and rejection of sexual prejudice, as Havana Times reports. Follow the link below for a gallery of photos.

The march took place to the beat of the popular Cuban sound of the “conga” with trumpets and drums. Many in the crowd waved Cuban and multicolored rainbow flags.

This is the peak visibility in the Cuban Campaign Against Homophobia, held here since 2008, always around May 17.

At the start of the activity, Mariela Castro, director of the National Center for Sex Education (Cenesex), called for dialogue between the Cuban population to eradicate prejudice in families.

This year’s parade was especially focused on the family, one of “the most vulnerable areas in the rights of LGBT people, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people,” Castro told reporters during the parade.

Castro, who is also a member of the Cuban parliament, emphasized the need to approve changes to the Family Code, including the rights of sexual orientation, gender identity and recognition to same-sex couples.

The debate has been suspended for years due to the strong disputes generated in Cuban society, but Mariela remains optimistic that the parliament will take up the issue again soon, noted DPA news.

“The hardest part is the time it takes to overcome prejudice, but I think conditions are improving,” said the daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro.

The march is part of the activities of the VI Cuban Campaign Against Homophobia, taking place this year from May 7-31, featuring discussions, lectures, photo exhibitions, educational activities and a sports festival.

“Mariquitas” 
by Eduardo Machado at the Theater for the New City (Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE) This review by Gena Hymowech appeared in showbusinessweekly.com There is a scene in which a group of men are at a Cuban gay pride parade, waving tiny rainbow flags and listening to an impassioned speaker. To the audience, it looks like they are free, but in reality they have all had to make compromises to live their lives, compromises that eat away at their souls. Set in 2008, “Mariquitas” begins with the return of Jose Maria (Oscar Hernandez) to a Cuban bed and breakfast run by friends Ramon (Omar Chagall) and Ricardo (Liam Torres). The terminally ill Jose is back in Cuba to reunite with his beloved hustler Tito (Carlos A. Valencia) one more time before he dies. Jose hopes that death will happen naturally, but plans on euthanasia if it does not. There are other plots as well: Ricardo, who first got involved with Ramon when he was a hustler, is tired of…..[Full article HERE]
May 13, 2013

“Mariquitas” 
by Eduardo Machado at the Theater for the New City

(Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE)

This review by Gena Hymowech appeared in showbusinessweekly.com

There is a scene in which a group of men are at a Cuban gay pride parade, waving tiny rainbow flags and listening to an impassioned speaker. To the audience, it looks like they are free, but in reality they have all had to make compromises to live their lives, compromises that eat away at their souls.

Set in 2008, “Mariquitas” begins with the return of Jose Maria (Oscar Hernandez) to a Cuban bed and breakfast run by friends Ramon (Omar Chagall) and Ricardo (Liam Torres). The terminally ill Jose is back in Cuba to reunite with his beloved hustler Tito (Carlos A. Valencia) one more time before he dies. Jose hopes that death will happen naturally, but plans on euthanasia if it does not.

There are other plots as well: Ricardo, who first got involved with Ramon when he was a hustler, is tired of…..[Full article HERE]

Castro’s daughter calls for ‘conga’ dance against homophobia (Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE) Cuban leader Raul Castro’s daughter, a sexologist and supporter of gay rights, has urged Cubans to join a traditional “conga” dance against homophobia taking place in Havana on May 11, as Agence France Presse reports. “We are the heirs of a strongly patriarchal Spanish culture, very homophobic and very discriminating,” said Mariela Castro, whose father succeeded her uncle and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro as the island’s president in 2006. “It’s time these prejudices were eliminated,” she said in comments published in state newspaper Granma. The dance, to the beat of drums and trumpets, is part of a national “day against homophobia” - actually 10 days worth of events that started May 8 and runs through May 18. Traditionally stigmatized in Cuba, homosexuality was fiercely repressed for many years by the regime, which interned gays in work camps in the 1960s and ostracized them in the 1970s under Fidel’s rule.
May 12, 2013

Castro’s daughter calls for ‘conga’ dance against homophobia

(Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE)

Cuban leader Raul Castro’s daughter, a sexologist and supporter of gay rights, has urged Cubans to join a traditional “conga” dance against homophobia taking place in Havana on May 11, as Agence France Presse reports.

“We are the heirs of a strongly patriarchal Spanish culture, very homophobic and very discriminating,” said Mariela Castro, whose father succeeded her uncle and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro as the island’s president in 2006.

“It’s time these prejudices were eliminated,” she said in comments published in state newspaper Granma.

The dance, to the beat of drums and trumpets, is part of a national “day against homophobia” - actually 10 days worth of events that started May 8 and runs through May 18.

Traditionally stigmatized in Cuba, homosexuality was fiercely repressed for many years by the regime, which interned gays in work camps in the 1960s and ostracized them in the 1970s under Fidel’s rule.

2013 Havana International Jazz Festival (Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE) Chucho Valdés and the Cuban Institute of Music invite you to come to Cuba and meet its people on the Official 2013 Havana International Jazz Festival Tour. Description: This year is the 29th edition of the Havana Jazz Festival (also known as Havana Jazz Plaza). For three decades the big names of the global jazz scene have performed on Havana stages at this grand music celebration, including the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Charlie Haden, and Chucho Valdés. You’ll be part of the stellar opening ceremony and the gala closing pageant with days of scorching Latin and international jazz. For more information, see http://www.jazzcuba.com/
April 30, 2013

2013 Havana International Jazz Festival

(Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE)

Chucho Valdés and the Cuban Institute of Music invite you to come to Cuba and meet its people on the Official 2013 Havana International Jazz Festival Tour.

Description: This year is the 29th edition of the Havana Jazz Festival (also known as Havana Jazz Plaza). For three decades the big names of the global jazz scene have performed on Havana stages at this grand music celebration, including the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Charlie Haden, and Chucho Valdés. You’ll be part of the stellar opening ceremony and the gala closing pageant with days of scorching Latin and international jazz.

For more information, see http://www.jazzcuba.com/

Afro-Colombian Researcher Raúl Cuero Named MOSI’s 2013 National Hispanic Scientist of the Year (Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE) Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry has chosen its 2013 honoree for the National Hispanic Scientist of the Year, Dr. Raúl Cuero, Ph.D., renowned microbiologist, inventor, and president/research director of the International Park of Creativity in Bogota, Colombia. Originally from Buenaventura, Colombia, Dr. Cuero’s story is remarkable. As a child of a very poor family, without access to an abundance of toys or distractions, he was intrigued by the behavior of roaches and lizards, which were abundant in his environment. He also observed the ravages due to illnesses such as malaria, tuberculosis, and others. His concerns and intellectual curiosity developed into a passion for science. Cuero’s work has been renowned in the field of biotechnology. As a research scientist and Distinguished Professor of Texas A&M University, he developed six inventions, and in 2008 received recognition for these inventions. As a NASA Scientific Research Collaborator in Astrobiology and Biogenesis, he developed two inventions, one being the discovery of a natural molecule to protect the skin from the effects of UV radiation that lead to skin cancer. This technology will protect astronauts from the effects of UV rays, and in 2012, earned Dr. Cuero a new technology award from NASA. Dr. Cuero was born in Buenaventura, Colombia, where during the 1950s, more than 30 percent of the children in his hometown died from diseases such as parasites, malaria, tuberculosis and viral diseases before reaching the age of 10. This served as the inspiration for his career. He has a Bachelor degree from the University of Heidelberg (Ohio, USA), a Master of Science degree in Plant Pathology from Ohio State University, where he studied under academic scholarship and a Ph.D. in Microbiology at the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom. He also received a scholarship award for his inventions when he was a student there. During the pursuit of his Ph.D., he developed an invention related to containment for solid state fermentation. During his professional career, Dr. Cuero was one of the first scientists to go to China and South Africa to lecture on biotechnology in 1986. He has been published in more than 110 scientific journals in the fields of biology, microbiology, molecular biology and synthetic biology. He has received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Antioquia, Colombia, for his scientific contributions and an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from the University of Caldas, Colombia, for his scientific contributions that benefit society. He has received the title of Commander granted by the Mayor of Manizales, thanks to his contributions to the city of Manizales and for the development of young scientists and inventors. He also received the 2012 Colombian Leadership Award for outstanding performance in science and technology. Dr. Cuero was the 2011 Keynote speaker at the World DNA and Genome Congress, as well as the keynote speaker on biochips and biosensors at the world congress on molecular medicine in China in 2012. Dr. Cuero is also the founder, president, and research director of the International Park of Creativity (IPOC). IPOC’s objectives are to create young inventors under the mentorship of inventors, to create and/or invent new technologies and products for global markets, implement scientific research and developments for diverse industries and/or other institutions seeking new technologies and products for a competitive global market, and to be a “Think Tank” center for economic, social, scientific and technological development. “It’s an honor for MOSI to present this award to Cuero,” said Wit Ostrenko, MOSI president. “As the Director of the International Park of Creativity, we feel Cuero’s background directly ties into our mission and core ideology of making science real and demonstrates MOSI’s core values on the power of S.T.E.M. education for our youth.” MOSI will present this year’s National Hispanic Scientist of the Year Award to Cuero during a gala award ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 12. For full article (in English), see http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/3/prweb10579460.htm
April 27, 2013

Afro-Colombian Researcher Raúl Cuero Named MOSI’s 2013 National Hispanic Scientist of the Year

(Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE)

Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry has chosen its 2013 honoree for the National Hispanic Scientist of the Year, Dr. Raúl Cuero, Ph.D., renowned microbiologist, inventor, and president/research director of the International Park of Creativity in Bogota, Colombia. Originally from Buenaventura, Colombia, Dr. Cuero’s story is remarkable. As a child of a very poor family, without access to an abundance of toys or distractions, he was intrigued by the behavior of roaches and lizards, which were abundant in his environment. He also observed the ravages due to illnesses such as malaria, tuberculosis, and others. His concerns and intellectual curiosity developed into a passion for science.

Cuero’s work has been renowned in the field of biotechnology. As a research scientist and Distinguished Professor of Texas A&M University, he developed six inventions, and in 2008 received recognition for these inventions. As a NASA Scientific Research Collaborator in Astrobiology and Biogenesis, he developed two inventions, one being the discovery of a natural molecule to protect the skin from the effects of UV radiation that lead to skin cancer. This technology will protect astronauts from the effects of UV rays, and in 2012, earned Dr. Cuero a new technology award from NASA.

Dr. Cuero was born in Buenaventura, Colombia, where during the 1950s, more than 30 percent of the children in his hometown died from diseases such as parasites, malaria, tuberculosis and viral diseases before reaching the age of 10. This served as the inspiration for his career. He has a Bachelor degree from the University of Heidelberg (Ohio, USA), a Master of Science degree in Plant Pathology from Ohio State University, where he studied under academic scholarship and a Ph.D. in Microbiology at the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom. He also received a scholarship award for his inventions when he was a student there. During the pursuit of his Ph.D., he developed an invention related to containment for solid state fermentation.

During his professional career, Dr. Cuero was one of the first scientists to go to China and South Africa to lecture on biotechnology in 1986. He has been published in more than 110 scientific journals in the fields of biology, microbiology, molecular biology and synthetic biology. He has received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Antioquia, Colombia, for his scientific contributions and an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from the University of Caldas, Colombia, for his scientific contributions that benefit society. He has received the title of Commander granted by the Mayor of Manizales, thanks to his contributions to the city of Manizales and for the development of young scientists and inventors. He also received the 2012 Colombian Leadership Award for outstanding performance in science and technology. Dr. Cuero was the 2011 Keynote speaker at the World DNA and Genome Congress, as well as the keynote speaker on biochips and biosensors at the world congress on molecular medicine in China in 2012.

Dr. Cuero is also the founder, president, and research director of the International Park of Creativity (IPOC). IPOC’s objectives are to create young inventors under the mentorship of inventors, to create and/or invent new technologies and products for global markets, implement scientific research and developments for diverse industries and/or other institutions seeking new technologies and products for a competitive global market, and to be a “Think Tank” center for economic, social, scientific and technological development.

“It’s an honor for MOSI to present this award to Cuero,” said Wit Ostrenko, MOSI president. “As the Director of the International Park of Creativity, we feel Cuero’s background directly ties into our mission and core ideology of making science real and demonstrates MOSI’s core values on the power of S.T.E.M. education for our youth.”

MOSI will present this year’s National Hispanic Scientist of the Year Award to Cuero during a gala award ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 12.

For full article (in English), see http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/3/prweb10579460.htm

READ A BOOK: ‘The Death of Fidel Perez’, imagines a new Cuban revolution (Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE) Cuba is the setting of Elizabeth Huergo’s debut novel, a remarkable fiction that hovers between gritty reality and magical realism. More than most novels, “The Death of Fidel Perez” must rely on the suspension of disbelief among potential readers. Born in Havana, Huergo left Cuba as a youngster, a political refugee. She settled in Virginia, where she writes poetry and short stories. After she completed the manuscript that became “The Death of Fidel Perez,” it ended up with an editor at Unbridled Books, known for its high-quality first fiction. The novel opens on July 26, 2003, the 50th anniversary of….[Full article HERE]
April 22, 2013

READ A BOOK: ‘The Death of Fidel Perez’, imagines a new Cuban revolution

(Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE)

Cuba is the setting of Elizabeth Huergo’s debut novel, a remarkable fiction that hovers between gritty reality and magical realism. More than most novels, “The Death of Fidel Perez” must rely on the suspension of disbelief among potential readers.

Born in Havana, Huergo left Cuba as a youngster, a political refugee. She settled in Virginia, where she writes poetry and short stories. After she completed the manuscript that became “The Death of Fidel Perez,” it ended up with an editor at Unbridled Books, known for its high-quality first fiction.

The novel opens on July 26, 2003, the 50th anniversary of….[Full article HERE]

Cuban Filmmaker, Arts Leader Alfredo Guevara Dies (Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE) Cuban state media are reporting that prominent filmmaker, intellectual and cultural leader Alfredo Guevara has died. He was 87. Guevara was a close associate of Fidel and Raul Castro when they were young rebel leaders, and a firm backer of the struggle to oust strongman Fulgencio Batista. After the 1959 Cuban Revolution he became a leading cultural official and defender of the arts for more than five decades. He founded the Cuban Art and Cinematography Institute in 1959 and later the Festival of New Latin American Cinema, one of the oldest of its kind in the region. In the 1970s he was named a vice minister of government. State TV said Friday that Guevara died in the morning of a heart attack.
April 21, 2013

Cuban Filmmaker, Arts Leader Alfredo Guevara Dies

(Subscribe to our blogs HERE & HERE)

Cuban state media are reporting that prominent filmmaker, intellectual and cultural leader Alfredo Guevara has died. He was 87.

Guevara was a close associate of Fidel and Raul Castro when they were young rebel leaders, and a firm backer of the struggle to oust strongman Fulgencio Batista.

After the 1959 Cuban Revolution he became a leading cultural official and defender of the arts for more than five decades.

He founded the Cuban Art and Cinematography Institute in 1959 and later the Festival of New Latin American Cinema, one of the oldest of its kind in the region.

In the 1970s he was named a vice minister of government.

State TV said Friday that Guevara died in the morning of a heart attack.

April 15, 2013

Identical brothers a triple threat at Cuba ballet school; all have talent to make the stage

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Visitors to the elite feeder school for Cuba’s renowned National Ballet might be forgiven for thinking they’re suddenly seeing triple, as the Associated Press reports.

Identical triplets Angel, Cesar and Marcos Ramirez wear matching black leotards and white socks as they leap, prance and twirl across the linoleum floor of the mirrored studio. They share the same wiry build, olive complexion, mussed hairstyles and coffee-colored eyes. And they speak the same fast-paced Spanish in the high-pitched voice of children.

Even their instructors have trouble telling the Ramirez boys apart, but they say the 13-year-olds have already separated themselves from…. [Full article HERE]

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READ A BOOK: Arnold August’s “Cuba and its Neighbors—Democracy in Motion” (Follow this blog HERE)  Arnold August’s new book, entitled Cuba and its Neighbours: Democracy in Motion, has just been co-published (2013) by Fernwood Publishing and ZED Books; it is distributed in the U.S. by Palgrave Macmillan. According to the author, the neighbors of Cuba under consideration are the U.S., Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Reviews: Antoni Kapcia (University of Nottingham) describes this as “a tour de force from an expert who clearly knows his field well” and “one that goes out of its way to make us think about what we understand by ‘democracy’ and how we should view new manifestations in the ‘Third World.’” Cliff DuRand (Research Associate, Center for Global Justice, Professor Emeritus of Social Philosophy, Morgan State University, Baltimore) says,……[Full article HERE]
April 14, 2013

READ A BOOK: Arnold August’s “Cuba and its Neighbors—Democracy in Motion”

(Follow this blog HERE) 

Arnold August’s new book, entitled Cuba and its Neighbours: Democracy in Motion, has just been co-published (2013) by Fernwood Publishing and ZED Books; it is distributed in the U.S. by Palgrave Macmillan. According to the author, the neighbors of Cuba under consideration are the U.S., Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador.

Reviews: Antoni Kapcia (University of Nottingham) describes this as “a tour de force from an expert who clearly knows his field well” and “one that goes out of its way to make us think about what we understand by ‘democracy’ and how we should view new manifestations in the ‘Third World.’” Cliff DuRand (Research Associate, Center for Global Justice, Professor Emeritus of Social Philosophy, Morgan State University, Baltimore) says,……[Full article HERE]

Havana bar Sloppy Joe’s back after 48-year absence (Follow this blog HERE)  It’s happy hour again at the original Sloppy Joe’s saloon, an iconic Cuban bar that reopened Friday after a nearly 50-year hiatus and is sure to quickly become a must-see for tourists eager to drink in the flavour of Havana’s freewheeling past, as the Associated Press reports. Waiters in black and orange shirts and ties shook up round after round of the Sloppy Joe cocktail, a cool, refreshing blend of brandy, port and Cointreau, with a fruity pineapple finish, while about two dozen customers took a break from the spring heat and noshed on tapas like ceviche and marinated shrimp. “Finally the big day, after so much waiting, and I think it’s been worth the pain,” said Ernesto Iznaga, manager of the reborn Joe’s. “May all our clients … upon entering, breathe in that ’50s atmosphere that characterized the place.” Historic pictures lining columns in the bar bring that era to life most vividly, and are keen reminders of how Sloppy Joe’s was ….[Full article HERE]
April 13, 2013

Havana bar Sloppy Joe’s back after 48-year absence

(Follow this blog HERE) 

It’s happy hour again at the original Sloppy Joe’s saloon, an iconic Cuban bar that reopened Friday after a nearly 50-year hiatus and is sure to quickly become a must-see for tourists eager to drink in the flavour of Havana’s freewheeling past, as the Associated Press reports.

Waiters in black and orange shirts and ties shook up round after round of the Sloppy Joe cocktail, a cool, refreshing blend of brandy, port and Cointreau, with a fruity pineapple finish, while about two dozen customers took a break from the spring heat and noshed on tapas like ceviche and marinated shrimp.

“Finally the big day, after so much waiting, and I think it’s been worth the pain,” said Ernesto Iznaga, manager of the reborn Joe’s. “May all our clients … upon entering, breathe in that ’50s atmosphere that characterized the place.”

Historic pictures lining columns in the bar bring that era to life most vividly, and are keen reminders of how Sloppy Joe’s was ….[Full article HERE]