HavanaReporter

THE

YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE

A Weekly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency

YEAR IV
N.15
AUG 29, 2014
HAVANA, CUBA
ISSN 2224-5707

Price:
1.00 CUC, 1.00 USD, 1.20 CAN

Society
Renovation Advances
at Cubas Oldest
Museum /P. 4

Culture

Cubas
Other Island

Cubas Top Three Films

in 2014 /P.7
Entertainment
Listings/P. 8-9

P.2

The Pure Adrenaline Rush of Cuban

Ro
Rodeo
odeeo

Abstract Afro-American
Art In Havana: A
Breakthrough in Cultural
Relations/P.10

International

P.
P.1
.1
11
11
P.11

Argentina: The 114th

Missing Grandchild
Found, the Search
Continues /P.12

Economy
WTO Considers
Cubas Membership
Important / P. 14

Sports

Habanarte 2014:

A Living Encyclopedia of Cuban Art

P.16

This newspaper is distributed on board Cubana de Aviacions flights

Cuba Remains at the

Top of Latin American
Chess /P.15

TOURISM

Cubas Other Island

PHOTO: Yamil Luguera Gonzlez

By RobertoCAMPOS

around 79,000 and the local economy is

agricultural, based mainly on citrus, but
also including marble quarrying, fishing
and both creative and utilitarian ceramic
making.
It is a place of special marine based
tourist attractions, like fishing or diving
and it boasts renowned centers such
as the International Dive Centers at the
Colony Hotel and Cayo Largo del Sur.
Other main recreation sites include

the object of a disagreement with the

U.S., until the latter finally recognized it
as sovereign Cuban territory within the
terms of the Hay-Quesada Treaty, ratified
in 1925.
Sites of historical importance include
El Abra farm, where Cubas national hero,
Jose Marti, lived, and the Model Prison,
where those who attacked the Moncada
Barracks in 1953 were confined, including
Fidel Castro, until 1955.
The Island has a population of

Bibijagua Beach with its famous black

sands and the Caves at East Point which
contain important examples of prehistoric
art.
There is also the large natural reserve
to the south of the territory known as
Lanier Marsh.
This is undoubtedly a spot to
experience a wide variety of activities,
enjoy the countryside and get to know
the local people; essentially the perfect
ingredients of any vacation.

PHOTOs: Roberto Campos

Historical archives reveal that the first

inhabitants called it Siguanea, Camarco
and Guanaja. In the 19th century Spanish
authorities formally colonized the island
and established the capital, Nueva Gerona,
on December 7, 1830. It remained known
as the Isle of Pines until 1978 when,
because of the thousands of students
from all over the world who came to study
there, it was renamed the Isle of youth.
Early in the last century the island was

HAVANA._ Cuba has a multi-faceted

tourist industry: the archipelago is a virtual
rainbow of memorable experiences for
visitors who hail from all over the world.
One of its most precious places is the
Isle of Youth, which, as one might deduce
from the name, reserves a special fondness
for the younger generations and has in
the very recent past played host not only
to young Cubans, but also to the youth of
many other nations.
A place of great natural beauty, it
boasts particularly fine sites for diving,
recreational sailing and environmental
tourism.
Known to locals simply as the Island,
this is the second largest in the Cuban
archipelago.
But, in fact the Isle of Youth goes
beyond the Island itself; it is part of the
archipelago of Canarreos which is in turn,
a compilation of extraordinarily beautiful
locations such as Cayo Largo del Sur and
other unspoiled areas.
There is an ever increasing interest
among world travelers in experiencing
the area and learning about local
economic activity like crocodile breeding

and fishing.
The Island is also a treasure trove of
historical tales which include corsairs
and pirates and, in more recent times,
acts of rebellion in support of national
independence, making it one of Cubas
most interesting places.
Having previously been called Treasure
Island and the Isle of Pines, this is, above all
else, a 3056 square km site perfectly suited
to eco-tourism.
As one of the more than 600 keys
and islets comprising the Canarreos
Archipelago, in the southwestern part of
Cuba, it adjoins the Batabano Gulf, some
50 kms off the island of Cuba and 162 kms
south of Havana city.
ALWAYS OF INTEREST
The Isle of Youth was discovered and named
The Evangelist by Christopher Columbus
on June 14, 1494, during his second tour of
the New World. Throughout the years it has
been given many names, including Parrot
Island, Queen Amalia Colony, Isle of Pirates
and even Treasure Island, Sporting Island
and then the Isle of Pines.

CUBA

Waste Recycling Prioritized in Cuba

HAVANA._ The acquisition of technologically advanced
equipment for the dismantling of industrial facilities and
the compilation of statistics regarding the nationwide
extent of metallic waste materials are indications of the
importance given in Cuba to a policy of recycling that will
be in effect until 2016.
The Recycling Policy, which was initially approved
by the Council of Ministers in December 2012, will be
reviewed then.
It aims to focus state enterprise recycling activity on
larger waste production sources and industrial processing,
to increase waste recovery and processing through the
introduction of modern technologies and to encourage
foreign investment in the sector.
Marlyn Ramos, the Deputy-Director of the United Raw
Materials Recovery Company, told the Prensa Latina news
agency that an assessment of the potentially recyclable
waste produced in the country had been made, taking
into account the present capacity for industrial processing
in addition to the opportunities that exist to attract
foreign investment to increase capacity.
One of the first actions taken in the context of the
policy is the purchase of new, technologically advanced
machinery to dismantle industrial facilities, the lack of
which had meant that large reserves of scrap metal could
not be exploited until now.
Ramos added that there had also been investment
in the ship breaking yard at Baha Honda in the west of
the country, to increase capacity so that all abandoned or
derelict watercraft lying around the Cuban coast could be
dismantled, yet another possibility of contributing to the
national economy.
Ramos also mentioned a new facility in the central
province of Cienfuegos, capable of processing particular

PHOTO: Vladimir Molina

By CiraRODRGUEZ

types of plastic that until now were impossible to recycle

in compliance with international standards required for
exportation.
Policies now in effect, which will be revisited in
2016, compliment a proposed new recycling law which
is presently being evaluated and the application of a
new pricing regime geared towards the producer and
the processor of waste, in keeping with international
market trends.
Even within the relatively short time frame, initial
signs indicate that during the first year this series of
modest measures has resulted in the recovery of more
than 420,000 tons of recyclable waste material which
translates into 220 million dollars the state did not have
to spend on imports.
Nevertheless, even though in 2013 more material
than ever was processed, difficulties such as the failure
of entities to comply with contractual obligations and
differences in prices paid for materials by state and private
purchasers, inhibit the development of this activity.
COOPERATIVES TO INCREASE RECYCLING
The implementation of the Recycling Policy also
incorporates the establishment of three new cooperatives
in the provinces of Artemisa, Mayabeque and Camaguey.
In just one year of operations the Mayabeque

cooperative, which is based in the municipality of San

Jos de las Lajas, has shown favorable results in the areas
of profitability, dividend payments and the production of
scrap and other lines.
In accordance with their rules, these cooperatives
can, once they have complied with their obligations to
the state sector, sell surplus recyclable materials to third
parties or self employed workers.
Orlando Falgueiras Arencibia, who is president of the
Artemisa Recycling Cooperative, said that his cooperative
had agreed to supply the state with 3,038 tons, a number
which it had already surpassed, having produced 4,440
tons.
His workers expect to recover 5,000 tons of solid
material from both the state and private sectors by the
close of the present year.
As a result of these experiences and in the light of the
viability and positive results, Jorge Luis Tamayo, director
general of the United Raw Material Recovery Company,
announced that this cooperative model would be
extended to another 12 regions in the country.
Ministry of Industry officials, who have overall
responsibility for activities of this nature, are of the view
that the most direct way to substitute imports is through
the recovery of raw materials, which is why it is so
important to prioritize it and and foster in as many people
as possible the culture and mindset of waste recovery.
This requires that each household review their solid
waste materials, not mixing plastics with paper or nonmetal items with metal.
These issues are taught in Cuban schools with
corresponding courses that explain the necessity
of recycling for both the environment and the
national economy.

Havana ,s Conference Center

Schedule of Events for 2014
September

October

Fairs and Exhibits in Cuba

16-19
22-25
30-3/10

Lawyers Congress
International LABIOFAM 2014 Congress
2nd International Conference on Medical Education for the 21st Century

6-9
14-16
20-24
27-31

14th Pan-American Congress on Veterinary Science

8th National Congress on Microbiology and Parasitology
Cuba 2014 Radio and Television Festival
3rd World Friendship and Solidarity Congress

$:HHNO\1HZVSDSHURIWKH3UHQVD/DWLQD1HZV$JHQF\

THE

HavanaReporter
President: Luis Enrique Gonzlez.
Information Vice President: Vctor Carriba.
Editorial Vice President: Maitt Marrero Canda.
Chief Editor: Luis Melin.
Translation: Prensa Latina English Department.

YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE

Jun-Aug
27-31

Arte en La Rampa Handicraft Fair

Venue: Pabelln Cuba, Havana
Coordinating committee: Cuban Fund of
Cultural Assets (FCBC

November

23rd International Fair of Havana (FIHAV)

Venue: Expocuba, Havana
Coordinating committee: Ministry for Foreign
Trade and Investment (MINCEX), Havanas
Conference Center, Cubas Chamber of Commerce

SOCIETY HEALTH & SCIENCE POLITICS CULTURE

ENTERTAINMENT PHOTO FEATURE ECONOMY
SPORTS AND MORE

Graphic Designers: Mario Sombert.

Laura Reyes.
Chief Graphic Editor: Tamara Gispert.
Advertising: Pedro Roseco
Circulation: Commercial Department.
Printing: Imprenta Federico Engels.

Publisher: Agencia Informativa Latinoamericana,

Prensa Latina, S.A.
Calle E, esq. 19 No. 454, Vedado, La Habana-4, Cuba.
Telephone: (537) 838-3496 / 832-3578 Fax: (537) 833-3068
E-mail: thehavanareporter@prensa-latina.cu

SOCIETY

Renovation Advances at
Cubas Oldest Museum

PHOTOs: Miguel Rubiera Justiz

By MarthaCABRALES

SANTIAGO DE CUBA_ Restoration works continue at

Cubas oldest museum, the Emilio Bacard, whose
eclectic-style faade features as one of the most
emblematic elements in this citys historical district.
The renovation works are part of efforts to preserve

the architectonic, cultural, and historic heritage of a city

that will celebrate its 500th anniversary in the summer of
2015, and that is preparing to request the inclusion of its
historical center in UNESCOs World Heritage List.
Located on Calle Po Rosado, between Aguilera and
Heredia, next to the house where Cubas first national
poet lived, the building houses an Egyptian mummy that
Bacard and his wife Elvira Cape brought to Cuba after
visiting Egypt in 1912.

HAVANA._ Cuba has maintained strict

international disease control for many
years, thus minimizing the risks for the
entry and spread of communicable or
newly reported diseases, say local health
authorities.
Epidemiologist Niurka Molina, head
of the Public Health Ministrys (MINSAP)
Department for International Disease
Control, said all the necessary measures
have been adopted to prevent the
possible introduction in Cuba of Ebola
virus, currently affecting four West African
countries.
Molina explained that there is strict
surveillance on passengers arriving in the
country, both at ports and airports, while
close contact is maintained with Cuban
medical staff abroad, particularly those
rendering their services in countries
currently affected by the Ebola outbreak.
Control actions are in place on Cuban
medical brigades before travelling, while
a weekly report keeps a record of the
condition of health personnel abroad, as
well as dates of arrival in Cuba for their
care in primary healthcare units.
Passengers from Africa, Southeast
Asia, South and Central America, and
the Caribbean get special supervision,
largely in a watch for possible symptoms
of malaria and other diseases.

PHOTO: Miguel Guzmn Ruiz

Cuba Keeps Strict

International Disease
Control

However, specialists insist on the

need to reinforce personal hygiene and
preventive measures.
No Ebola case has so far been
reported in Cuba.
Manuel
Santn, the
National
Epidemiology Director at MINSAP, noted
that the spreading of the virus in West
Africa is largely due to the high numbers
of people moving across borders,
deficiencies in the identification and
monitoring of infected persons, poor
prevention and control measures, and
undetected chains of transmission.
There are no direct flights between
Cuba and the Ebola-hit countries,
he stressed; yet, the virus could be
introduced into the country through
third passengers, mainly those who
travel by plane. Consequently, prevention
measures and efforts have been
maximized to act immediately should a
case be detected, Santn emphasized.

The three exhibition halls feature items that belonged

to Cuban pro-independence fighters including Jos
Mart, Carlos Manuel de Cspedes, and Antonio Maceo, as
well as pieces related to Cubas original inhabitants.
Opened on February 12, 1899 and declared a national
monument in 1999, the museum exhibits magnificent
paintings made by Cuban and foreign artists, as well
as pieces from the colonial period and the Spanish
Renaissance.
Near the Bacard Museum, a workshop is being built
to restore places of special cultural significance in Cubas
east, thus allowing for the preservation of metallic and
stone pieces, textiles, documents, paintings, and other
valuable items for the regions development.
The workshop will include a quarantine warehouse
to assess damage caused by time and environmental
conditions to objects of patrimonial significance, as well
as a microbiology lab that will ensure more effective
results in preservation and restoration.

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Cuba Announces Health

for All Trade Fair
By VivianCOLLAZO

HAVANA._ Cubas Public Health Ministry has officially announced that the 13th edition
of the 2015 International Trade Fair Health for All will be held April 20-24, 2015, in
Havana.
The fair will take place in the framework of the International Convention on Health
Cuba-Health 2015, whose objectives include updating experts on new health
technologies and promoting the development of the domestic industry, as well as
business opportunities, it was reported here.
At the upcoming fair, Cuba will show the progress attained in the field of electromedicine, as well as new technical service projects jointly developed with manufacturers

of technologies provided to the country, said the Public Health Ministry.

During the event, publishing houses, firms, labs, universities, and specialized
companies from Cuba and abroad will be able to present their products, technologies,
and other related items through exhibitions, conferences and business meetings.
National and foreign organizations will sponsor the convention, with debates on
health in Cuba and the rest of the world and an emphasis on health needs worldwide,
the ministry added.
Participants at the event will also discuss public policies, organizational strategies,
and the economic bases for healthcare development.

Ro+20 in Bogot, In Pursuit of a Sustainable Future

Text and Photo By AnubysGALARDY
BOGOT._ By the end of the Rio+20 Summit
on sustainable development, experts and
representatives from 70 nations agreed on the
need for governments and the Latin American
community to work together to mitigate the
effects of climate change and global warming.
In their view, this will require a more effective
solution than the simple implementation
of formal policies which on their own are
fruitless, but rather a conscious and complete
commitment from all sectors of society.
The two day meeting, which opened on
August 11, gave rise to high level talks about
sustainable city, transport and tourism projects
which were source from guidelines established
during the U.N. sponsored 2012 Rio de Janeiro
Summit.
According to Peter Debrine, of the UNESCO
Central Heritage Program, this long term
process should align tourist attractions with the
needs of local peoples.
Having indicated that the United Nations
agency intends to supply necessary strategies
and tools to support the conservation and
management of historical heritage centers,
he said that tourism has the potential to be a
driving force for sustainable development only
when the tourism itself is sustainable.
Maria Eugenia Martinez, Director of the
Cultural and Heritage Institute of Bogot,
referred to plans to revitalize historical centers
throughout Latin America towns have been
inspired by integrated renovation programs in Spain
and Italy.
In this regard, the Spanish expert and advisor to the

Mayor of Bogot on the renovation of the historical town

center, Jose Maria Ezquiaga, emphasized that these
zones should, above all, be residential.

As examples of such, he mentioned attention

to the provision of public resources and nursery
schools, along with cleanliness and security to
make them inhabitable.
Another essential element, in his view, is
the necessity for cities of the future of which
Bogot is a concrete model to be developed
in a manner that reflects the social and political
reality of the country.
He stressed the need for the strategic
revitalization, recuperation and exploitation
of public spaces which he suggested could
be effected on the basis of three pillars: the
architectural conversion of public spaces, the
conversin of architecture into public spaces and
the incorporation of green areas.
Felipe Leal, former secretary of Mexico Citys
Planning, spoke of the fundamental elements
that make up the recovery plan for the recovery
of the citys historical center which included the
policy of bringing pedestrians back to its streets
and the re-naturalization of flat roofs.
Organized by the citys authorities, the United
Nations Environmental Program, the Global
Forum on Urban Centers and the U.N. Habitat,
the meeting was held in the Colombian capital
in recognition of its sustainable development
policies on risk management, the recovery of
water sources, and sustainable transport such as
the massive Transmileno system and cycle-ways.
Awarded the world City and Climate Leader
prize by the international C40 organization,
Bogot is the preferred tourist Destination within
Colombia.
It also ranks third on the list of intelligent Latin cities.

POLITICS

U.S. vs Cuba: Perseverance or Obsession?

By RobertoGARCIA
HAVANA_ U.S. and global media have drawn attention
to what they refer to as the perseverance of the U.S.
governments in maintaining and strengthening their
continuous subversive programs against Cuba, most of
which are spectacularly unsuccessful.
Just a few months after the U.S. news agency
Associated Press (AP) broke the story about the Cuban
Twitter ZunZuneo social network, financed by the
United States Development Agency (USAID), the same
news service recently revealed shocking news about a
somewhat similar U.S. sponsored effort at subversion.
This time, AP informed the world that USAID,
well known for its close links with the C.I.A., had
been sending young Venezuelans, Costa Ricans
and Peruvians to Cuba, posing as tourists or health
specialists , but with the intention of inciting acts of
civil disobedience and violence.
An official Cuban statement said the details prove
that the U.S. Government has not given up on its hostile
interference and plans funded by millions of its taxpayers
dollars every year which aim to create destabilization
and alter the Cuban political and social order.
Some experts question the priority of the Obama
administrations efforts to bring down the constitutional
Cuban Government in spite of the fact that recent polls

indicate that more than 60 percent of U.S. citizens now

support a normalization of relations between the two
nations.
Democratic senator Pat Leahy and his Republican
colleague Jeff Flake wrote a letter to the President last
April asking him to take the steps necessary for the reestablishment of normal contacts between the two
countries, on the basis that such relations are a reflection
of the will of the majority of U.S. citizens.
Experts agree that despite Washingtons insistent
efforts to insinuate that Cuba is a horrible place to live,
placing it on a number of its blacklists like the one for
states that allegedly sponsor terrorism - something Cuba
says is a spurious and politically motivated act - the
reverse is actually true.
Specialists point out that the White Houses attitude
to Cuba is duplicitous because no such programs are
established against nations the U.S. considers allies, such
as some in the Arab world ruled by autocratic regimes
in which religious persecution and violence against
women are frequent occurrences.
Cuba is simply a poor country which has been
besieged for more than half a century by an economic,
financial and commercial blockade that has impacted
negatively on the day to day life of ordinary Cubans and

which, according to official figures, has cost the island

losses to the value of more than a trillion dollars.
The alternative website Counterpunch has
revealed that the Office for the Control of Foreign
Assets (OFAC), which is responsible for the
implementation of the blockade, has dedicated ten
times more manpower to the oversight of the punitive
measures against Cuba than have been allocated to
the fight against Al Qaeda.
Programs like ZunZuneo and the sending of young
Latin American activists to Cuba on subversive missions
give some indication of the vast funds available, most
without any Congressional approval or a minimum level
of supervision of the agencies charged with ensuring
that public money is well spent.
All these activities have their roots in the present
administration despite the White House trying in vain
to convince the U.S public that flexibility exists, when
in reality there have been virtually no positive concrete
gestures towards Cuba.
U.S. media and political analysts say that the opposite
is actually the case and that the Obama administration
has imposed more fines and sanctions on banks and
European and other companies for trading with Cuba
than any other U.S. government in history.

Cuban Five Awarded the Prestigious

Nelson Mandela Prize
FernandoGonzlez

Sandra Levinson
HAVANA._ The conferring by the
Philadelphia-based Geller Foundation of
the Nelson Mandela Prize on five Cuban
men who bravely opposed terrorism
represents a new pillar of support in
the struggle for the release of the three
who remain unjustly imprisoned in the
United States.
Sandra Levinson, director of the Center
for Cuban Studies, presented the prize
and emphasized that the award had been
granted on the basis that it is these men
who best portray the true legacy of the

former President of South Africa, who

died last December.
Because of his political ideas and
defence of his people against the racist
apartheid regime, Madiba, as he was
fondly known, was an emblematic leader
who spent most of his 27 years in jail in the
prison on Robben Island.
Levinson told The Havana Reporter
that by first awarding the prize to the Five,
the Geller Foundation is recognizing their
efforts to fight terrorism, and that just like
Mandela, they have had to continue their

struggle from behind bars while maintaining

their morale.
During the awards ceremony, which
was held in the headquarters of the Cuban
Institute of Friendship with Peoples (ICAP),
Fernando Gonzlez expressed gratitude for
the prize which he said we accept as part of
our commitment to fight to bring Gerardo
Hernndez, Ramn Labaino and Antonio
Guerrero home.
Fernando, who is also the Vice President
of ICAP, announced that the monetary part of
the prize would be given to the International
Committee for the Freedom of the Five to
be used in the struggle to return these three
men to their homeland.
Hernndez, Labaino and Guerrero were,
along with Fernando Gonzlez and Ren
Gonzlez, arrested and unfairly incarcerated
by U.S authorities in 1998 for working to
prevent violent attacks on Cuba that were
being planned in the U.S. by terrorist groups.
Only Ren and Fernando have returned
to Cuba following the full completion of
their respective sentences, imposed after an
arbitrary trial, while their comrades are still
serving lengthy sentences despite a worldwide
campaign for their immediate release.

PHOTOS: Vladimir Molina

Por JorgeHERNANDEZ

Ren Gonzlez said that he also felt

honored to have been awarded the prize
and called for the continuation of the
struggle, in the true spirit of Madiba against
the many and savage injustices that exist.
Based in the North American city
of Philadelphia, the Geller Foundation
is directed by members of the Center
for Cuban Studies. The Mandela Prize
was inaugurated to honor Madibas
lifelong struggle against injustice
following his death.
This is not the first time the Five
have been awarded a prestigious prize
this year. They previously received the
Global Exchange Peoples Award for
Human Rights.

CULTURE

SPOTLIGHT ON

Cubas Top Three Films in 2014

PHOTO: Tamara Gispert

PHOTO: Miguel Guzmn Ruiz

By CharlyMORALES

away with stereotyped concepts

and themes: easy comedies,
means of survival, cheap folklore,

Eduardo del Llano

HAVANA._ First, there came a frankly difficult film for

adults, exploring the causes behind a crisis of values, with
a problem child as its protagonist, then, Cubas first 3D
animation film came to screens nationwide, and now, a bold
approach to science fiction: the reality of the Cuban film
industry brings to mind Galileos famous quote: Despite
everything, it moves.
The films Conducta (Behavior) by Ernesto Daranas,
Meique (Pinkie) by Ernesto Padrn, and Omega 3 by
Eduardo del Llano feature as the most important events
for the Cuban film industry so far in 2014. These films are
especially noteworthy because they have broken with
traditional approaches, diversifying the offers from the
Cuban film industry.
They corroborate Cuban filmmakers intention of doing

and sex per se.

For some people, Conducta features as the most
relevant Cuban film ever since the premiere of the classic
film Strawberry and Chocolate (1994). Daranas himself
told The Havana Reporter that his film is an appeal to
recovering lost values, and the audience has felt deeply
identified with it.
In the case of Meique, the film rescues a character
that has had an impact on many generations of Cubans,
and his adventures are like the lessons in wisdom and
virtue written by Cubas national hero Jos Mart. Having
dared to make an animated film using 3D technology for
the first time ever is perhaps the films greatest merit.
Its not a Shrek nor is it that its aim; its a universal and
Cuban story that marks a before and an after in the Cuban
animated film industry, said Padrn, a seasoned filmmaker

who was able to attract box office stars to this old dream
that is now a reality.
The third proposal,Omega 3, is a science fiction film, a
rare genre on the island.
A strong champion of his work, Del Llano also praises
the projects by other filmmakers such as Carlos Lechuga,
who plans to make a serious vampire film, or Daranas, who
is producing a modern comedy.
Its worth recalling that some years ago the Cuban film
industry produced its first zombie feature film entitled
Juan de los Muertos, (Juan of the Dead) dealing with a
zombie invasion in Havana and a group of maladjusted
people who try to take advantage of the situation instead
of fleeing from it.
If we also include the flourishing movement of
independent filmmakers, the annual Young Filmmakers
Festival, and the Low-budget Film Festival of Gibara, the
dynamism of a generation committed to portraying its
reality through films is striking.

Leo Brouwer Chamber Music

Festival:Havanas Cultural Gem

PHOTO: Apimages

By EnriqueSANCARLOS

HAVANA._ The legendary U.S. vocalist

Bobby McFerrin will present his show
Bobby Meets Havana during the opening
of the 6th Leo Brouwer Chamber Music
Festival, from Sep. 27 to Oct. 12 in Havana.
Bobbys performance in Havana will
mark the opening of an event which
includes more than 20 concerts and
upwards of 300 musicians and artists
from 16 countries, along with national
and world premieres.
Maestro Leo Brower announced last
year that the upcoming edition would
involve an artist who may well not

need an orchestra because his vocal

techniques are so good that he sounds
spectacular a capella.
Well known for his hit song Dont
Worry, Be Happy, McFerrin says he cant
wait to share the stage with top Cuban
musicians and internationally renowned
foreign artists.
The festivals program features the
show Les Voix Humaines by Spanish
musician Jordi Savall, and a concert by
Argentinean Fito Pez, a famous singer
who always returns to Cuba because
its where he feels at home, he told The
Havana Reporter.
An all-star concert entitled Noche
Blanca del Jazz (White Jazz Night)
dedicated to Julio Cortzar, is set to
bring together such talented Cuban
jazz musicians as Chucho Valds, Pancho
Cspedes, Ernn Lpez-Nussa, Rolando
Luna, Yasek Manzano, Ruy Lpez-Nussa,
and the La Academia musical project.
Noruega en su msica ( Norway in
its music) by Norwegian singer Henning

Kraggerud and Havanas Chamber

Orchestra is on the schedule, along with
the concert Palabras (Words) by Cuban
singer Hayde Milans. The show Del
Medioevo al danzn (From the Middle
Ages to Danzn) by Mexicans Horacio
Franco, Vctor Flores, and Santiago
lvarez; and the concert Noche blanca
de la trova (The White Trova Music Night)
with Buena Fe duo, Polito Ibez, Tony
vila, and other guests is also expected.
Maestro Leo Brower will perform
at the concert De Praga a La Habana
(From Prague to Havana), sharing the
stage with Czech artists, accompanied
by Cuban singers Niurka Gonzlez and
Gretchen Labrada, and Havanas Chamber
Orchestra.
The El Cello Plus concert is another
special offer at the upcoming festival, with
performances by professional cellists and
cello students from around Cuba.
As usual, this festival not only will
comprise musical performances but
also other artistic exhibitions and a

seminar portion, with the internationally

renowned Cuban guitarist Leo Brouwer
giving master classes for the first time at
an event of this kind.
The festival is eclectic, with concerts
that range through various styles
and epochs, from the Renaissance
to electronic remixes, and include
such different genres as classical,
contemporary, and early music, jazz,
flamenco, pop, and fusion, among others.
The main venues will be: the Karl Marx,
Mella, Mart, and Miramar Theaters, the
Baslica Menor of the Convento de San
Francisco de Ass, and the Sala Ignacio
Cervantes hall.
In addition to chamber music, the
festivals program includes talks, film
showings, video art, photo and painting
exhibitions, and the launch and sale of
various albums, books, and scores.
The Chamber Music Festival is a true
cultural experience demonstrating that
Cuba is much more than sun, beach,
and rumba.

ENTERTAINMENT

THEATER
*Note: theater companies are in
parentheses

Centro Cultural Bertolt

Brecht

GETTING
By MaylnZALDIVAR
thr@prensa-latina.cu

RECOMMENDS

Museo Nacional de
Bellas Artes (National
Museum of Fine Arts)

Casa Asia

Cubas National Ballet performances at Teatro Nacional.

Adolfo Llaurad

Calle 13 esquina a I. Vedado.

Tel: 832-9359. Caf Teatro. Sat.
Aug. 30 (8:30 pm) and Sun. 31
(5 pm): Cualquier otro lugar
(Any other place) by (Teatro de
La Luna).

Sala Raquel Revuelta

ART GALLERIES

& MUSEUMS
MUSEUMS
AND GALLERIES

Sala Hubert De Blanck

Mercaderes e/ Obrapa y
Obispo. Habana Vieja. Tel: 8639740. Exhibit The Iconography
of Asian Religions, featuring
objects related to religious
traditions, myths, legends and
customs in that continent.
Calle 11 entre D y E. Vedado. Tel:
832-5373. Sat. Aug. 30 (8:30 pm)
and Sun. 31 (5 pm): La misin
(The Mission) by (Teatro de La
Luna).

Anfiteatro del Centro

Histrico. (Amphitheater at

Calzada e/ A y B. Vedado. Tel:

830-1011. Sat. Aug. 30 (8:30
pm): La Ronda (The Round)
directed by Mara Elena Soteras.

Havanas Historic District).

MUSIC

MUSIC

Asociacin Yoruba.

Calle Refugio e/ Zulueta y

Monserrate. Habana Vieja.
Tel: 861-0241. Edificio de Arte
Cubano. Sat. Sep. 6 (7 pm):
Concert by Ruy Lpez-Nussa
and La Academia cultural
project.

Centro HispanoAmericano de Cultura

(Spanish-American Cultural
Center)
Malecn e/ Prado y Capdevila.
Centro Habana. Tel: 866-0775.
Sat. Sep. 13 (5 pm): Schola
Cantorum Coralina choir
directed by Alina Orraca,
marking the 10th anniversary of
the centers founding.

Casa Simon Bolvar

Mercaderes e/ Obrapa y
Lamparilla. Habana Vieja. Tel:
861-3988. Exhibit El legado de
Chvez (Chavezs Legacy) and
Identity in metals, featuring
works from Peru, Brazil and
Ecuador.

Palacio de Lombillo

Plaza de Armas

Avenida del Puerto e/ Cuba y

Pea Pobre. Habana Vieja. Tel:
863- 9464. Sat. Aug. 30 and Sun.
31 (9 pm): The Phantom of the
Opera musical show.
Lnea esquina a B. Vedado. Plaza
de la Revolucin. Tel: 833-0225.
Sat. Aug. 30 and Sun. 31 (8:30
pm): Sbado corto by (Teatro
DDos).

Teatro Jess Garay

Calle San Francisco.
Guanabacoa. Tel: 793-6869. Sun.
Aug. 31 (5 pm): Momentos
(Moments) by (Teatro Ocano)

Prado e/ Montes y Dragones.

Habana Vieja. Tel: 863-5953. Sun.
Aug.31 (4 pm): Los Ibellis folk
group.

Obispo y Mercaderes.Habana
Vieja. Tel: 860-9530.Fri. Sep. 26
(4 pm): National Concert Band
performs, celebrating the 115th
anniversary of its founding.
Conductor: Igor Ernesto
Concuera Cceres.

Empedrado, esq Mercaderes.

Habana Vieja. Tel: 860- 4311.
Exhibit Las aves en las
colecciones de los museos
(Fowls in museum collections).

ENTERTAINMENT

AROUND

(THR is not responsible for any changes made by sponsoring organizations)

Museo de Naipes (Card

Biblioteca Villena

NIGHTCLUBS
& CABARETS
NIGHTCLUBS

& CABARETS

Museum)
Muralla e Inquisidor, Plaza Vieja,
La Habana Vieja. Tel: 860-1534
Exhibit Econaipes, featuring
didactic cards of French and
German styles made out of
elements from the environment
(drawings, photos and
educational texts).

Casa de la Msica de
Miramar

DANCEDANCE

Teatro Nacional

La Zorra y el Cuervo (Jazz

Club)

Casa de las Amricas

Obispo e/ Oficios y Baratillo.

Habana Vieja. Tel: 862- 9035.
Bellas japonesas (Beautiful
Japanese Women) by Japanese
artist Seiichi Hayashi.

Centro HispanoAmericano de Cultura

Calle 20 esq. 35,Miramar, Playa.

Tel: 202-6147. Sat. Aug. 30 (5
pm): Gens Group performs.

(Spanish-American Cultural
Center)
Calle 23 y O. Vedado. Tel: 8332402. Sat. Aug. 30 (10 pm): Carlos
Miyares & Cuban Quintet. Sun.
Aug. 31 (10 pm): William Roblejo
& his Trio.

Submarino Amarillo

Centro Habaneciendo

Loma y 39, Plaza de la

Revolucin Tel: 878-5590. Sala
Avellaneda. Sat. Sep. 13 (8 pm)
and Sun. 14 (5 pm): The Sylph,
Swan Lake, and La fille mal
garde by Cubas National Ballet.
Choreography: Alicia Alonso.

Teatro Mella

Galiano e/ Neptuno y Concordia,

Centro Habana. Tel: 862-4165.
Sat. Aug. 30 (5 pm): Club A
Havana afternoon with Cary
Bridn and guests.

Diablo Tun Tun

Calle 3ra esquina a G. Vedado.

Tel: 838-2706. Through March.
2015: Theater posters.

Museo Nacional de
Bellas Artes (National
Museum of Fine Arts)
Calle Refugio e/ Zulueta y
Monserrate. Habana Vieja.
Tel: 861-0241. Edificio de Arte
Universal. Exhibit Memoirs of
Surrealism by Alex and Carole
Rosenberg.

Malecn e/ Prado y Capdevila.

Centro Habana. Tel: 866-0775.
Sala Zambrano. Until Mon.
Sep. 15: Exhibit Eso que anda
(Youre gonna get whats going
around) by Ivn Soca in honor
of late Juan Formell and to mark
the 45th anniversary of Los Van
Van band.

Calle 20 esq. 35, Miramar, Playa.

Tel: 202-6147. Sat. Aug. 30 (5
pm): Ihosvany Bernal and guests
perform. Sat. 30 (10 pm): El
Chispa y los Cmplices band
performs.

Calle 17 esq. 12, Vedado,

Habana. Tel: 830-6808. Live rock
nightly in this Beatles-themed
nightclub (10 pm-3 am).

Lnea entre A y B. Vedado. Tel:

833-8696. Sat. Aug. 30 (8:30
pm) and Sun. 31 (5 pm): Rosario
Crdenass company performs.
Artistic direction: Rosario
Crdenas.

10

CULTURE

Abstract Afro-American Art In Havana: A Breakthrough in Cultural Relations

By ReinaMAGDARIAGA
HAVANA._ The Havana National Museum
of Fine Arts (MNBA) is exhibiting works
for the first time by North American
artists of African origin, on display until
October.
This important show, which defies
the hostile half century long U.S.
economic, commercial and financial
blockade of Cuba, is titled Abstraction
and Afro-American Artists
A total of 38 small and medium sized
works by artists Jayne Cortez, Nanette
Carter, Willie Cole, Victor Davson, Melvin
Edwards, Ben Jones, Howardena Pindell
and Senga Nengundi are on show in the
Universal Arts wing of the museum.
The North American exhibition
coordinator, Ben Jones, told the
Prensa Latina news agency that this
is highly significant for us because it is
unprecedented in the cultural relations
between both nations.
He added that his group comprised
a total of 80 sculptors, theater directors,
painters and others who have decided to
share their work in a variety of disciplines
with the Cuban people.

I want everybody in Cuba to know

that black North Americans work in
all forms of creative art; not only in the
figurative but also in the abstract, he
stated.
Jones pointed out that the exhibition
pays homage to the revolutionary poet
and activist, Jayne Cortez (1934-2012),
who inspired many to think about and
struggle for social justice.
An Invitation To Ponder Abstraction
Among the pieces on display at the
prestigious institution are those by Jones,

who chose the theme Environment in

light of the disastrous effects caused to
eco-systems by oil company malpractice.
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by
British Petroleum is a very sad affair. If we
do not love the earth, then we cannot
love ourselves.
I consider it vitally important that we
understand what our environment truly
represents, he added.
The artist went on to identify with
the Cuban view that sees high levels of
pollution as responsible for negative

impacts on human health.

He said that this was the 67th time
he had been in Cuba, adding that when
he first came and saw that so many
black and brown people lived here, he
thought, wow, these are my people.
This was in part what inspired us to
work together to return again and here
we are sharing the best of our creativity
with Cubans and foreign visitors, he
commented.
Carlos Fernandez, who is the Cuban
Coordinator of the exhibition, told the
national press that thanks to the role
played by Jones, the local population and
visitors alike will have an opportunity to
appreciate works by prestigious North
American artists.
For her part, MNBA Director, Christina
Perera, highlighted the role that culture
can play in breaking down governmentimposed obstacles that have nothing
whatsoever to do with artistic creation.
According to the organizers, when
the exhibition closes in Havana, it will
tour U.S. and European museums and
galleries.

The Workers Arch of Cienfuegos

Text and Photos By FranciscoNAVARRO
del Villar who presided over the group, the monument
was an effort by Cubans, despite the limitations
posed by the U.S. military intervention (1898-1902), to
celebrate the establishment of a neo-colonial Republic.
To realize the project, they worked voluntarily from
May 1, 1902 until daybreak on May 19, using the most
skillful workers in their respective trades, with Antonio
Ferrer as the master of works and designer of the
original project.
About a dozen trade unions, lodges, social
CIENFUEGOS._ Neither associated with famous battles
nor distinguished leaders, and compared to such
monumental structures in Rome or Paris, the Arc de
Triomphe in Cienfuegos looks somewhat like their
little brother.
However, its peculiar elements also make it a
unique structure: it is the only such commemorative
construction of its type that still exists in Cuba, and
given that this arch was built by local workers to
welcome the establishment of a Republic (on May 20,
1902), the local population refers to it as the Workers
Arch.
Along with a statue of the Cuban national hero (Jos
Mart) at the center and a gazebo where the former
Municipal Concert Band used to perform, the arch is
located in the former Plaza de Armas of Cienfuegos 250 kilometers southeast of Havana - known today as
the Jos Mart Park,.
An initiative by the La Cubanita Revolutionary Club
after the nickname given to Cuban patriot Rita Surez

institutions and some companies and residents

contributed to the work. The City Council approved
the place chosen to erect the arch: on Bouyn Street,
between San Carlos and San Fernando Streets.
The Workers Arch, at the end of the east-west
corridor of the square, enhances the splendor and
magnitude of the citys most important urban space,
declared a National Monument in 1995 and the center
of a 70-block area designated a Cultural Heritage Site
by UNESCO in July 2005.

PHOTO FEATURE

11

The Pure
Adrenaline
Rush of
Cuban Rodeo
By TinoMANUEL
HAVANA._ Rodeo is an
original extreme sport with
a passionate following,
mainly in North America, but
in Cuba there is also a rodeo
circuit that is now becoming
a major tourist attraction.
Tourism and rodeo fit
hand in glove and here in
Cuba there are plenty of
such possibilities.
Anadelio
Gonzlez

Herrera, president of the

Association of Cuban Rodeo
Cowboys, is particularly
animated
when
he
describes the structures of
this recreational sporting
activity in the country.
He explains that the
association he presides
over is affiliated with the
Cuban Animal Production
Association (ACPA) and

that it presently has 5,320

registered members, more
than 600 of which are
women.
There are 79 rodeo venues
nationwide, 14 of which are
associated with agricultural
fairs, including the main
arena in the compound of
Rancho Boyeros near the
Jose Mart International
Airport in Havana.

This venue was opened

in 1933 and in addition
to being of historical
significance it is where the
National
Association of Small
Agricultural
Producers
(ANAP) was founded on May
17, 1961 it is basically rodeo
Mecca for practitioners of
the sport in Cuba.

Local rodeo competitions

are also found nationwide,
while the annual provincial
championship
season
extends from April to July,
with national finals held
at the Rancho Boyeros
compound in March, as
part of the International
Agricultural Fair.

12

INTERNATIONAL

Argentina: The 114th Missing Grandchild Found, the Search Continues

PHOTO: APimages

By MartinHATCHOUN

BUENOS AIRES._ The identification by

DNA testing of the 114th grandchild who
went missing during the military regime in
Argentina has brought infinite happiness
to two grandmothers and families, and
raises new hopes for hundreds of others
who are looking forward to finding
their daughters and sons alive or at least
knowing their whereabouts.
The 36-year-old man identified turned
out to be the grandson of the leader
of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de
Mayo organization, Estela de Carlotto.
His mother, Laura Mara, had been held
captive and was killed shortly after he was

born in 1978.
Raised under the name of Ignacio
Hurban by the family who adopted him,
the grandson had voluntarily presented
himself for a DNA test because he had
doubts about his true identity. On August
5, he was informed he had been born to
Laura Mara on June 26, 1978 and that he
was to be named Guido.
Carlotto shares her happiness with
his other grandmother Hortensia Ardura.
The complex process that finding and
identifying missing people entails also
brought to light the name of Ignacios
father: Wilmar Montoya, who was also
killed during the dictatorship.
State terrorism practiced against
the Argentinean people during the last
civilian-military dictatorship (1976-1983)
left a long list of missing or dead that
amounts to some 30,000, according to
human rights organizations.
Two emblematic organizations, the
Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo
and the Grandmothers of the Plaza de
Mayo, have been looking for their beloved
ones since their creation 35 years ago, even
amid the reign of terror by the military.

As part of that battle, the National

Identity Management Commission was
created in 1992, along with a DNA bank for
identity testing.
The governments of Nstor Kirchner
and Cristina Fernndez have given a major
boost to the human rights struggle, the
indictment of repressors, and the essential
search for the missing people.
Laura Maras story is the story of many
young Argentinean women whose lives
were cut short. Laura Mara lived long
enough to give birth; other women were
killed while still pregnant, as was the case
of Mnica Edith De Olaso, Alicia Beatriz
Tierra, and Laura Gladys Romero, whose
remains were found and finally identified
in April.
Human rights activists and the families
of Mnica, Alicia, and Laura Gladys at least
knew about their sad fate. The babies they
were carrying in their bellies when they
were killed were identified as the 111th,
112th, and 113th missing grandchildren.
La Platas Federal Court No. 1 is trying
21 people charged with crimes against
humanity, including the murder of Laura
Mara and the disappearance of another

six pregnant women. Carlotto, her mother,

has already made her statement.
Identity changes, appropriation of
children, the stealing and selling newborns,
or presenting dead babies to mothers right
after childbirth were frequent practices
implemented in Argentina even before
State terrorism became part of the plan
conducted by the military dictatorship, the
Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo said in
a release.
Many of those babies are now
between 30 and 36 years old, and some
even 55 years of age. Most of them did not
know they had not been raised by their
biological parents until very recently.
They had been living surrounded by
lies, silence, and secrets. It is suspected
that they are victims of criminal acts like
illegal adoptions, smuggling, and identity
change, the document reads.
Now, many of those people want to
know their true origin; their true identity.
To overcome the different obstacles they
come up against on the way to truth, they
have joined together and called for a draft
bill that is being analyzed at the Chamber
of Deputies.

New Mexican Energy Policy: Progress or Privatization?

By MarthaANDRES
MEXICO CITY._ Almost eighty years after nationalization,
controversial secondary legislation has re-opened the
possibility for private enterprise to participate in Mexicos
oil industry.
With Congress having recently passed each of six
complimentary regulatory packages, and President Enrique
Pea having endorsed them, various political and social
groups continue to warn about the legislations associated
risks.
The new laws, which establish a regulatory framework
for energy reforms approved in 2013, are supported by the
Institutional Revolutionary (PRI), National Action, Green
Ecology and New Alliance parties which consider them
essential for national development.
These parties, in conjunction with the Mexican
legislature, argue that the reforms will result in the creation
of new jobs, will lower the cost of fuel and electricity and
will enhance the competitiveness of the state-owned
Mexican Oil Company (PEMEX) and the Federal Electricity
Commission (CFE).
Of all the transformations proposed by the present
administration,those involving the energy sector have been
from the outset, the most important, and consequently, the
last to have been approved, due to the key position this
sector holds in the domestic economy.
The changes mean that both PEMEX and CFE will
become state production companies that are owned
but not administered by the government and which
are technologically, managerially and operationally
autonomous.

The secondary legislation also

establishes that foreign and national
private firms can engage in oil exploration through four
contractual modes: provision of services, joint ventures,
joint production and licensing.
One source of controversy relates to PEMEXs access to
only 30 percent of all oil reserves, with the rest available to
the private sector, leading many critics of the new laws to
consider them a form of privatization by default.
According to Miriam Grunstein, an expert from the
energy branch of the Center for Economic Training and
Research, this is a fundamental pillar of the reform because
the resulting competition will be beneficial.
Nonetheless, Francisco Javier Carrillo, who coordinates
the National Committee for Energy Studies, points out that
these measures seriously weaken both PEMEX and CFE and
leave the sector dangerously decentralized.
The Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), the Workers
Party and the Citizens Movement all oppose the reforms
on the basis that both state companies are at risk of being
consumed by trans-nationals because of this competitive
disadvantage.
Another point of contention is that the legislation
allows for land use by lease and joint agreement or in the

case of a land owner being unwilling to lease, the temporary

compulsory occupation of lands for oil exploration and
extraction.
This has led several rural farmers organizations to
announce that they will seek restraining orders and
judicial reviews of these clauses because they violate
the principles of private property and the human rights of
farmers and the indigenous.
The groups also highlight that the reform grants
priority to hydrocarbon exploitation over agricultural
production at a time of scarce economic growth and high
food imports, while exposing Mexico to international food
market speculators.
The authorization of the use of fracking, or hydraulic
fracturing, for the extraction of shale gas has also been
the source of much controversy as this technique is under
fire worldwide due to its highly negative environmental
impact.
The practice, which involves making deep perforations
into the ground and then filling them with millions of
liters of water and chemicals, is opposed by political
forces and the environmental group Greenpeace because
it contaminates groundwater, leading to drought, and
increases the likelihood of seismic activity. Mexico is already
vulnerable to earthquakes.
However, the truth is that now, despite all such concerns,
the secondary laws have come into effect and, according to
political groups like the PRD, the only opportunity for their
repeal will be by popular referendum next year when the
Mexican people will express their view on the subject.

INTERNATIONAL

13

AMERICA LATINA-AFRICA

Chile Pays Off Historic Debt to Africa

LUANDA._ A five-day tour of South Africa,
Mozambique, and Angola was sufficient
for Chilean President Michelle Bachelet
to acknowledge that her country must
repay a historical debt with Africa.
With open arms and a pen poised
to sign mutually beneficial cooperation
agreements, Bachelet reiterated Chiles
desire to improve Latin America-Africa
relations.
Just a few days before kicking off her
first tour of the region, the president said
she was convinced that Africa is a very
important continent for Chile and Latin
America, from several points of view.
On August 8 in Pretoria and
accompanied by her South African peer,
Jacob Zuma, Bachelet committed to
promoting the trade agreements signed,
and encourage technology transfer in
fields such as mining and agriculture.
Bachelet highlighted the mutual
benefits that this new phase of cooperation
implies, with bilateral trade improving
opportunities for our peoples.
Social and gender equity was the topic
that marked the last day of her three-day
official visit to South Africa.

One of her last activities in South

African territory was a speech on gender
equity delivered at the University of Cape
Town, where she called for the creation of
societies in which women can contribute
to the development of their communities
and feel completely fulfilled.
In Maputo, the capital of Mozambique,
Bachelet was welcomed by President
Armando Guebuza.
In the presidential meeting, the two
sides agreed on the need to continue
improving the relations begun in 2008
with Guebuzas visit to Chile.
We are ready to reinforce the efforts
toward cooperation and exchange we
started at that time but that failed to
follow an uninterrupted course, said
Bachelet.
After that visit, Chile and Mozambique
agreed to expand relations in fishing,
mining, energy, and agriculture, according
to press reports.
In Angola, the last leg of her brief
African tour, Bachelet and Angolan
President Jos Eduardo dos Santos
signed an agreement that will triple oil
shipments from Angola to Chile.

PHOTO: FotosPL

By OsvaldoCARDOSA

According to Energy Minister Mximo

Pacheco, Angola will become one of
Chiles most important oil suppliers. The
oil shipments Chile has received from
Angola so far this year are estimated at
some $300 million.
Bachelet advocated cooperation
among countries in the southern
hemisphere, bound by a historic past and
confronting common challenges.
We want to create a significant
channel between southern countries, not
only between Angola and Chile but also
between Latin America and Africa, she
said during an extraordinary session of
Angolas National Assembly.
We are here to engage in dialogue

and advance fruitful relations for Angola

and Chile, she stressed, calling for
improved relations in agriculture, agroindustry, and fishing, as well as diplomatic
ties.
Bachelet noted that the objective of
the Angola visit was to pave the way for
a new phase in Angola-Chile relations,
based on common challenges and the
pressing need for a common voice from
the South.
The most important thing is that
Chile has started to prove, with action,
the importance it grants to this huge
continent that is Africa. And this is what
we are saying, in no uncertain terms, with
our visit this time, she stressed.

14

ECONOMY

PHOTO: Vladimir Molina

WTO Considers
Cubas Membership
Important
By MiriamCESAR

HAVANA._ Roberto Azevedo, Director General of the

World Trade Organization, who paid a brief visit to Cuba
as part of a tour that included Mexico and El Salvador,
has said that Cuba is a very important member of that
organization.
Azevedo praised the Cuban authorities search
for alternative ways to become ever more part of the
global economy and trade, as reflected in the creation
and establishment of the Mariel Special Development
Zone, an enclave situated 50km from Havana. That zone
is destined to become the main exit and entry port for
Cuban foreign trade.
The zone, the first of its kind in Cuba, will facilitate
the development of an industrial base for imports,
production and domestic and external sales in addition
to being a modern mega-port and container terminal.
On June 28 a new Foreign Investment Law (No.
118) came into effect as an additional means to fortify
economic growth in conjunction with a campaign to
promote and explain its structures to attract capital,
markets and technology at every international forum,
congress and trade fair.
The new law provides financial and tax incentives
for foreign capital investment, with due regard to
socialist principles and the projections inherent in the
program to update the Cuban economic model.
The business community based in Cuba and
those with new proposals for participation in sectors
approved, will do so on the basis that the Cuban
Government is encouraging the introduction of foreign
investment without putting the nation up for sale, while
also ensuring the ethical use of human and natural
resources and respect for national independence and
sovereignty.
In this regard the WTO Director General
highlighted that Cuba is part of a reality that most
nations accept, that involves taking account of the
requirement for an external dimension to their
internal development given the degrees of global
interconnectivity in production chains today. He also
praised the alternatives sanctioned here to facilitate
the flow of foreign capital investment.
Azevedo pointed out that Cuba is seeking its own
formula since there is not one single model for all; each
country has their own particular traits and challenges

and each must find a formula that provides for their

economic and social development.
He also referred positively to the contribution
made by the pro-integration regional blocs operating
in Latin America and the Caribbean, saying that they
could facilitate a progressive and gradual insertion
into global commercial activity.
The WTO official commented that the Bolivarian
Alternative for the Peoples of our America (ALBA),
the Community of Latin American and Caribbean
States (CELAC) and the Southern Common Market
(MERCOSUR) are mechanisms that provide market
and economic protection against external blows and
stimulated competition among member states.
He felt that the Latin American region specifically
is becoming ever more central on the world scene,
for which a natural space has been created within
the WTO through the interventions of well prepared,
experienced and professional representatives who are
familiar with regional affairs.
Azevedo went on to express his organizations
willingness to explore with Cuba ways to work on the

maintenance of a multilateral and robust commercial

operation which could strengthen smaller regional
economies.
Latin American and the World Trade Organization
are going from strength to strength, said the executive,
whose two-day program in Havana included talks with
Rodrigo Malmierca, who is the minister responsible
for External Trade and Foreign Investment, Ricardo
Cabrisas, vice president of the Council of Ministers, and
deputy foreign minister Abelardo Moreno.

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or difusion@cl.prensa-latina.cu.

SPORTS

15

Cuba Remains at the Top of Latin American Chess

MARITZA ARRIBAS

PHOTO: Jos Tito Merio

HAVANA._ Cuban chess players

have shown stable results in
the past few years to rank the
nation as one of the worlds
powerhouses in this sport as
well as being the strongest
team in Latin America and the
Caribbean.
Those results are closely
associated with the performance
of Leinier Domnguez, who is
currently ranked 11th on the
International Chess Federations
list, thanks to a 2,760 point
ELO, making him the best Latin
American player on the list.
Domnguez
started
off
this year with an excellent
performance as he finished fifth
at the Tata Steel tournament
hosted by the Dutch city of Wijk
aan Zee, where he won six points
in 11 games.
Then he played at the
tournament of Russian clubs
where he joined the St.
Petersburgs team, winning four
games and drawing two to climb
to 10th in the world rankings.
The
performance
and
progress of Cuban chess also
stems from the Capablanca In
Memoriam Tournament hosted
by this Caribbean nation.

in history with
the highest ELO
average, of 2,721
points, for which
it was included
in FIDEs 19th
LEINIER DOMNGUEZ
category.
With
6.5
Regarded as the
points
in
strongest competition of its kind in 10 games, Wesley So, from
the region, the tournament honors the Philippines, won the
Cubas best chess player ever, Jos tournament, followed by the
Ral Capablanca, who was born Cubans Lzaro Bruzn (5,5) and
in Havana on November 19, 1888. Leinier Domnguez (5.0).
Capablanca was world champion
So said he enjoyed playing in
from 1921 through 1927.
Cuba, where fans are disciplined
At the latest Capablanca In and knows the game, adding
Memoriam tournament, held last that the result exceeded his
May, the Elite group went down expectations and he hoped to

return to Havana.
The
latest
credential
added by Cuban chess was
the performance of its mens
team at the recent World
Chess Olympiad hosted by
the Norwegian city of Tromso,
where it finished seventh to
equal their countrys best
performance ever at this
competition.
The Cuban team came
ahead of nations like the
United states, France and the
Netherlands and did much
better than in Istanbul two
years ago when it was 11th.
Their results were as
follows: seven wins, two draws

PHOTO: Courtesy of Juventud Rebelde

By DuberPIEIRO
and two defeats in a tournament
that drew 1,900 competitors from
174 nations.
Meanwhile, China
made
history winning the Olympiad,
while Hungary and India came
in second and third. Russias
performance was disappointing
once again as it finished fourth.
The results at Tromso ratified
Cuba as Latin Americas chess
powerhouse. Argentina was
the regions second best at the
recent Olympiad, finishing 18th,
followed by Peru (19 ), Brazil (22),
Colombia (41) and Venezuela (42).
However, Cubas womens
team did not do as well, tallying
six wins, a draw and four defeats
and finishing 30th. That result
was well below expectations as
they were fourth at the Olympiad
hosted by the Russian city of
Khanty Mansiysk in 2010.
Russias female team secured
their third consecutive title
by beating Bulgaria in the last
round. China was second and the
Ukraine came in third.
Cubas performance so far this
year has reconfirmed its standing
as one of the most respected
nations in the world of chess.

Cuban Baseball Beyond Domestic Stadiums

By YasielCANCIO

YULIESKI GOURRIEL

A. DESPAIGNE

PHOTOs: Ricardo Lpez Hevia

HAVANA._ The magic of Cuban baseball keeps

gaining ground in the worlds major leagues as Cuba
has allowed its players to take part in top foreign
tournaments under a policy that is being improved
constantly.
Cuban players and coaches are enhancing the
prestige of championships in Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Panama, Brazil, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands,
Canada and the major leagues in the U.S.. In the case
of the latter, they are compelled to give up their Cuban
nationality to be able to play in that country as part of
an exclusive and mean policy criticized worldwide.
This latest episode of the history of Cubans playing
in other major baseball leagues began two years ago
with a sort of pilot project when third baseman Michel
Enrquez, first baseman Yordanis Samn and slugger
Alfredo Despaigne were allowed to play in Mexicos
professional league.
That marked a milestone in the history of this
countrys baseball as, except for a very few cases,
Cuban players had never been allowed to show their
talent and skills in foreign professional leagues ever
since professional sports were banned here more than
50 years ago.
Thanks to this new policy, Cuban players can add

quality to tournaments in other nations and gain

personal and professional benefits, among others.
They all have the chance to be signed by a foreign
club, a goal which compels them to show their skills to
the fullest and shine with their respective provincial
teams in the domestic championships.
Among the recent players signed by foreign
clubs are third baseman Yulieski Gourriel, outfielder
Frederich Cepeda and reliever Hctor Mendoza, all
of them on Japanese squads at present. Meanwhile,
center-fielder Yunieski Gourriel has joined Canadas
Quebec Capitales, which is not affiliated to the U.S.
major leagues.
In case Im successful here, that may allow for
other Cubans to play in Canada legally, said Gourriel,
who has played 14 national championships at home.
Needless to say other players are likely to be
signed in the face of the Cubans inborn skills to play
baseball which they have shown for more than a
century in the worlds major leagues.
Theres no doubt the decision to allow Cuban
baseball players to show their top class at foreign
leagues will also add to the good quality of the
sports back home and its results will be seen at major
tournaments like the 2017 World Classic.

16

CUBA

Habanarte 2014: A Living Encyclopedia of Cuban Art

HAVANA._ More than 500 participants from eight
countries have already confirmed their attendance at
the first major festival of Cuban Art, Habanarte 2014,
which will gather a thousand plus artists from different
disciplines together in Havana from Sept. 11 to 21.
Organized by the Cuban Culture Ministry, the

The festivals program also includes visual arts,

dance, theater, literature, and film showings, as well as
tours of heritage sites, the exhibit and sale of artistic
products, and visits to cultural and teaching centers,
recording studios, and cultural workshops.
Similarly, workshops will be held at the Higher Arts

festival has mostly attracted representatives from

Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela, and is seen as
the most varied and comprehensive showcase of
contemporary Cuban art, with the slogan: All Art
Forms at Once.
Music is expected to be one of the festivals
strongest points, with performances by top Cuban
musicians including Frank Fernndez, Habana
DPrimera band, Omara Portuondo, Eliades Ochoa,
jazzmen Yasek Manzano and Harold Lpez-Nussa,
Laritza Bacallao, Descemer Bueno, Paulo FG, Isaac
Delgado, and the bands La Rev, Charanga Habanera
and Pupi y los que Son Son.

Institute for all those interested in percussion, folk

music, Cuban jazz, and salsa.
The Habanarte Festival will provide an opportunity
for seasoned artists to share their work with younger
artists at a variety of venues, including theaters,
museums, galleries, movie houses, plazas, art schools,
workshops, and cultural centers.
Further information is available at www.habanarte.
cult.cu including instructions for making reservations
from abroad for the inclusive festival packages
designed by the Paradiso Cultural Tourism Agency
(www.paradiso.cu).

PHOTOS: FotosPL

By MarnieFIALLO