1. hobbies and interests
2. cigars

HavanaReporter
THE
©
YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE
A Weekly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency
Havana Ballet Festival
Celebrates Shakespeare
YEAR IV
Nº.17
OCT 10, 2014
HAVANA, CUBA
ISSN 2224-5707
Price:
1.00 CUC, 1.00 USD, 1.20 CAN
Tourism
/P.7
Five-star Hotel to Open in
Cuba /P. 2
Society
Cuba’s Educational TV
Programming Stretches
its Wings /P.4
Health & Science
A Floral Collage of Global
Splendor/P.5
Entertainment
Listings/P. 8-9
Photo Feature
New Light for an Old Friend
/P.11
International
Tumarín: Another Move for
Clean Energy in Nicaragua
/P.12
Book on The Cuban Five
Wins Prize in Canada /P.6
FAO: Latin America
Leads the World in
Reducing Hunger
/P.14
This newspaper is distributed on board Cubana de Aviacion´s flights
2
TOURISM
PHOTO: José Tito Meriño.
New Five-star Hotel to Open in Cuba This Winter
Hotel Meliá Las Antillas outside view.
CIEGO DE AVILA._ Spain’s Meliá Hotels International
hotel chain will increase its presence in Cuba with the
opening of a new hotel during the coming winter season
at the Jardines del Rey tourist destination.
Luis Báez, marketing specialist with the Tourism
Ministry in Ciego de Ávila province, told the Prensa Latina
news agency that the Meliá Jardines del Rey is an allinclusive five star resort located at Flamenco Beach, Cayo
Coco, one of the small keys that make up that tourist
destination on the northern coast of Cuba. With 1,176
rooms distributed throughout 25 three-story bungalows,
it will be the largest hotel operated by the Spanish
company in Cuba.
The hotel design is reminiscent of a sugarcane
plantation,combined with the contemporary style of the
main building and a pathway running from the lobby to
the beach, also offering restaurants, crafts, and games. The
hotel features a spa in exotic tropical surroundings, and a
children‘s club with a variety of recreational activities and
attractions.
The Meliá Jardines del Rey is recommended for
families, couples, weddings and honeymoons, meetings
and events, diving, fishing, and bird watching, said Báez.
Of the 400 hotels that Meliá Hotels International
operates in 40 countries, 27 are in Cuba, including this
newest hotel set to open soon in Cayo Coco, off the
northern coast of Ciego de Ávila province, east of Havana.
Tourism Barriers
By TinoMANUEL
nautical, marine, port and recreational enterprises are
equally restricted from commercial access to ships or
passengers that would like to visit Cuba.
The report made reference to the Canadian based
tour operator ‘Havanatur’, ‘Hola Sun Holidays Ltd,’ and
‘Caribe Sol Canada Inc.’ who were required to pay an
The tourist sector suffers particularly severe effects
because these same prohibitions cause wide-ranging
multimillion dollar losses to that industry and its related
economic activities.
Moreno said that the industry’s services sector, which
includes travel agency sales and logistical insurance
provision, gives an insight into the problems that arise.
Cuban tourism companies are unable to operate
within the U.S. sector for outgoing tourism sales, in which
cruise ships play an important part. Moreover, Cuban
additional percentage in order to have credit card
payments processed. Because of these restrictions, a
charge of 3.79 percent is levied on these travel agents
which amounts to 1.6 percent more than U.S. based tour
operators pay to have their transactions processed.
The report also highlights the outright prohibition of
access to dollar payment services such as PayPal, Webpay
and PayOnline among others, which means operators
are obliged to develop individual payment options for
online sales.
HAVANA._ Prohibitions tend to be a double-edged
sword, as evidenced by the economic restrictions that
the United States has imposed on Cuba.
Many people, regardless of politics or economics,
would like to get to know their neighbors better, yet U.S.
citizens are largely blocked from direct travel to Cuba,
or forced to incur the additional costs associated with
indirect travel, because of restrictions imposed by their
own government.
NEW FACTS ABOUT A PRICKLY PATH
A report published by Cuban authorities indicates that
these restrictions cost the tourist industry an estimated
total of $2.052 billion USD from April 2013 to June 2014.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno recently
said that the U.S. prohibitions against Cuba, in effect now
for more than 50 years, form an integral part of a systemic
financial aggression, and represent a brutal obstacle to
the nation´s economic and social development. Moreno
also revealed that the combined total economic damage
PHOTO: Vladimir Molina.
PHOTO: Miguel Lozano
caused to the nation by this blockade amounts to $116.9
billion USD.
When calculated on the basis of the value of gold
instead of a vastly devalued dollar, the sum is more than
a trillion USD, as shown by a report recently circulated at
the United Nations General Assembly by Cuba.
CUBA
3
Dining and Tourism in Cuba, Food for Thought
By RobertoCAMPOS
HAVANA._ Gastronomy is key to any nation´s tourist
sector, and this is one reason for the focus on the subject
at a variety of meetings held here this year, like the
recent Sixth Latin American and Caribbean Congress on
Food Safety and Quality.
The hosting of this meeting in Havana has drawn
attention to the need to pay ever more attention to
these details and to keep them top of mind in order to
ensure that the best possible impression of Cuba as a
tourist destination is achieved.
Some 500 experts from 15 countries attended the
event with the sole intention of sharing experiences
in order to improve the quality and future of every
specialty associated with the food industry and its
ancillary services.
GASTRONOMY ON THE TABLE
The international food and dining event at Havana’s
Convention Center brought together researchers,
culinary specialists, artists and trade press, all focused on
food and the culinary arts.
Organized by the Cuban Food Science and Technology
Association (ACTAC) for its Spanish initials) and other
related institutions, the sixth Latin American and Caribbean
Congress on Food Safety and Quality had an agenda that
focused on a variety of disciplines. It also included an
Exhibition-Fair on the provision of professional gastronomy
services by Cuban state and private sector restaurants and
high quality teaching and health institutions, as a means to
stimulate a sharing of experiences and demonstrate current
scientific and culinary trends. The meeting examined
developments in food preparation, cocktails and tourism,
with an emphasis on the social aspects of this sector, as it
relates to mass media.
The treatment of these issues was a source of
profound satisfaction for event organizing committee
member and ACTAC president, Jesus G. Yánez, who
expressed the view that this was an opportunity to
combine science, gastronomy and Cuban culture.
THE ROAD AHEAD
A mere glance at the event program reveals the
attractive nature of conferences like these in a country
where there is growing interest in the development of a
high-quality culinary culture.
It’s practically a necessity, taking into account that
countries like Peru and Mexico are the vanguard in terms
of luxury dining – not with a look backwards toward
French or Italian cuisine, nor even the overwhelming
popularity of Mediterranean cooking – but with locally
produced food and traditional recipes as the foundation.
In this regard, an event of this magnitude gives
preference to local foods and culinary styles, without
disregarding international influences but, with the clear
intention of reviving rich traditional recipes to stimulate
visiting palates. Consequently, the Congress and its
workshops focused on essential themes such as, for
example, the fusion of chocolate in a cocktail that ranks
among the Island´s top ten, in a nation that has more
than 400 recipes for light rum based drinks of this type.
As a result, from the beginning of the event, the
tastings and discussions came together in a united
journey, toward a solid culinary culture.
One thing remained clear: that unlike other creatures
on Planet Earth, for mankind, food goes beyond simple
necessity, and becomes an opportunity for social
exchange, a stimulation of the taste buds and a means
to a healthy lifestyle.
This aspect of our lives is an intrinsic element of
tourism as an industry, and of people’s culture and
traditions. So much so, that the first thing on the “todo” list of a majority of visitors who arrive at a new
destination is to see what’s cooking, and this essentially,
was what the conference at Havana’s Convention Center
was all about.
,
Havana s Conference Center
Schedule of Events for 2014
Fairs and Exhibits in Cuba
November
October
14-16
8th National Congress on Microbiology and Parasitology
23rd International Fair of Havana (FIHAV)
Venue: Expocuba, Havana
Coordinating committee: Ministry for Foreign Trade
20-24
“Cuba 2014” Radio and Television Festival
and Investment (MINCEX), Havana’s Conference
Center, Cuba’s Chamber of Commerce
27-31
3rd World Friendship and Solidarity Congress
December
HavanaReporter
A Weekly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency
TH E
President: Luis Enrique González.
Information Vice President: Víctor Carriba.
Editorial Vice President: Maitté Marrero Canda.
Chief Editor: Luis Melián.
Translation: Prensa Latina English Department.
YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE
.
.
International Handicraft Fair (FIART)
Venue: Pabexpo, Havana
Coordinating committee: Cuban Fund of
Cultural Assets (FCBC)
.
.
.
SOCIETY HEALTH & SCIENCE POLITICS CULTURE
ENTERTAINMENT PHOTO FEATURE ECONOMY
SPORTS AND MORE
Graphic Designers: Mario Sombert.
Laura Reyes.
Chief Graphic Editor: Alejandro Gómez.
Advertising: Pedro Ríoseco
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: [email protected]
SOCIETY
Cuba’s Educational TV Programming
Stretches its Wings
By DianelaCANO
HAVANA. _ Since 2002, Cuban television has broadcast
educational programs in an effort to increase the
general public’s standard of education.
The direct predecessor of today’s educational
programs, broadcast by two channels, is the television
based project, “University for Everyone” which began
broadcasting early this century.
With a curriculum that has incorporated more than
100 courses on a variety of subjects, this project led to
the establishment of Canal Educativo (The Education
Channel), the principal format for the production and
transmission of tele-university programming.
The channel’s director, Rafaela Balanza, says that
Canal Educativo “had overcome certain obstacles and
employed the sectors best producers in order to raise
the standard of the University for Everyone course
content. It was also seeking, as a result of information
acquired through audience opinion polls, to broadcast
shorter, higher quality programs, at more suitable
hours, which better reflected the subjects of greatest
interest to the audience.”
The concept of the channel might best be defined
as cultural and informative, extending beyond teaching
and instruction, with a particular emphasis on the
Cuban Education Ministry’s formative curriculum which
make up the bulk of transmissions. Cuban children,
adolescents and young adults have access to the so-
Rafaela Balanza
PHOTO: Courtesy of Yovany Flores.
4
called “tele-classes” which are structured to form an
integral part of the national learning experience and to
promote literacy skills among the population of other
nations.
The station has managed to satisfy both the
informational and learning needs of a diverse audience
base; a good example of which are the programs
produced for the growing self-employed sector.
Cuban TV broadcasts received an injection of variety,
novelty and aesthetically enhanced programming with
the launching of Canal Educativo. The nation’s finest
artistic talent is also part of the regular broadcast
schedule.
Balanza, who until just a few months ago was
responsible for Cuba´s entire educational TV broadcast
schedule, added that “the average viewer, from the
comfort of their sitting room, has the chance to
attend opera, ballet, musical shows, universal creative
arts galleries, to hear directly from the authors of a
great literary works and to enjoy critically acclaimed
cinematic titles far removed from the violence and
banality of what so often appears on their TV screens.”
Canal Educativo 2 compliments the agenda by
producing and broadcasting a range of short cultural,
educational and socially oriented programs for the
national audience.
Under the motto of “On the path to knowledge” this
new on-screen option offers a broad cultural agenda
for the general viewing public.
According to its own producers, the content
of what they produce integrates traditional TV
communications and informational programming as
a way to communicate more effectively with viewers.
Balanza pointed out that “thanks to the ratings, we
understand the need to prepare future viewers and
start planning content for the screens of tomorrow.
This is vital. There is an unlimited degree of cultural
and educational material that we could touch on if we
manage to produce attractive programs that do justice
to their academic and scientific content.”
In addition to meeting their educational, aesthetic
and artistic objectives, both channels aim to meet the
expectations and demands of their audiences. In the
current season, which started this September, more
than 50 programs are scheduled in addition to the
tele-classes. The introduction of digital television also
brings a more technologically modern dimension to
the broadcasts.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
5
The Botanical Gardens of Cienfuegos
A floral collage of global splendor
PHOTOS: Aslam Castellón.
By FranciscoNAVARRO
CIENFUEGOS._In the first autumn of the dawn of the last
century, Harvard University opened a research affiliate
to its forestry department that today has evolved into a
collage of global flora in the center of Cuba.
It was towards the end of 1901 that this renowned
academic institution first undertook work at what was
then called the Harvard Botanical Station for Tropical
and Sugarcane Research.
Located some 15 km east of the port city of
Cienfuegos, the center was the result of an initiative by
the industrialist Edwin F. Atkins, the first U.S. investor in
the Cuban sugar industry. Atkins, who had purchased the
Soledad del Muerto sugar mill in 1883, set aside a small
parcel of his agricultural lands for the establishment of a
botanical research centre dedicated to the improvement
of sugar cane varieties.
The investor was seeking to develop a superior
variety of cane that would thrive under the natural
conditions prevailing in Cuba. The area initially
dedicated to the project has increased from four
to the almost one hundred hectares that make up
today’s Cienfuegos Botanical Gardens, four of which
are still covered by natural forest. Lázaro Ojeda, who
was the director of the institution affiliated with the
Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment
for more than a decade, told The Havana Reporter that
the gardens contain more than two thousand species
which represent a large proportion of all flora from
the planet’s tropical belt.
This botanical collection, that is 70 percent exotic,
includes some 670 genres from 125 families, most of
which are various types of trees.
In 1900, Atkins invited a team of Harvard professors
to his plantation to have an on-site discussion about
the possibility of establishing a botanical research
station there.
It was agreed from the time of inception that the
center´s primary purpose would be to enhance sugar
cane quality through cross-cultivation and species
selection.
Parallel studies were undertaken on other cash-crop
species, in particular on palm varieties, from which the
present collection, considered to be one of the top ten
in the world, originated.
There are a total of 280 species of palm in the
collection, in addition to 65 highly valuable species of
jagueyes and 23 of bamboo.
The development of new varieties of cane and the
introduction of other types from Barbados, Jamaica, and
Mexico characterized the institution’s work during its
first quarter of a century.
This work came to an end between 1928 and
1929 and from then on the Gardens focused on other
botanical developments such as the extension of cash
crops and ornamental tree varieties, and research into
nursery and nutritional techniques.
Atkins transferred the running of the station to
Harvard University in 1919, which managed it until 1960
when it decided to leave the country due to the sociopolitical conditions of the time.
The Cienfuegos Botanical Gardens are the oldest in
Cuba and consequently the most important scientific
institution of this type of in the country.
As a result of their scientific contribution and their
protected environmental, economic, historic, aesthetic
and architectural qualities, they were declared a National
Monument in 1989.
Among the latter, the “Casa de Catalina”, a residence
that Atkins dedicated to his wife by that name, is a
notable feature, offering spectacular panoramic views
from its windows of central Cuba´s Guamauhaya
mountain range, the largest in this part of the country.
Cuban Climate to Become Warmer and More Extreme
0.9 1.9
PHOTO: José Tito Meriño.
human health and land use sectors. According to the publication, since the middle of
the last century the average superficial air temperature in Cuba has risen by an average
.09 degrees Celsius, an increase releated to the elevation of minimum temperatures
by about 1.9 degrees. The researchers point out that there has recently been a slight
decrease in this variable, which they view as a stabilization of what was an extremely
high average value.
The most important variation detected in rainfall relates to an overall decrease
in the eastern provinces, where from the 1990´s onwards there have been notable
deficiencies in accumulated amounts.
HAVANA._ Meteorological Institute researchers say that Cuba faces more extreme
In addition to this decrease, intense and prolonged dry spells have become more
and warmer climate conditions due to an intensified greenhouse effect on the earth’s frequent. A marked increase is noted in such events when the 1931-1960 and the 1961atmosphere.
1990 periods are compared.
An article published by the daily newspaper Granma quoted conclusions from
When such phenomena are combined with a high level of evaporation, a
the book “Climate Change Impact and Adaptive Measures in Cuba” in which experts deterioration in soil quality and water reserves, these in turn have negative repercussions
indicated that because of its location in the Caribbean region and its being an for agricultural production.
archipelago with a high number of coastal settlements, the country is particularly
Another significant and dangerous variation observed in the Cuban climate over
vulnerable to the current climate changes caused by human activity.
the past 30 years is the greater frequency of moderate and severe incidents of coastal
Climate changes and variations that have been recorded in Cuba during the past flooding and the devastating effects of seven intense hurricanes between 2001 and
40 years are documented in the book, as are the most likely scenarios to be faced 2011, an amount never before recorded in a single decade since 1791.
Statistics derived from tidal-graph readings reveal that sea-levels also rose
between the years 2050 and 2100.
The book also outlines anticipated effects and responses in water supplies, coastal nationwide by an estimated average of 1.43 millimeters per annum between 1996 and
zones, marine resources, biological diversity, forestry, agriculture, human settlements, 2009.
6
POLITICS
Book on The Cuban Five Wins Prize in Canada
By DeisyFRANCIS
HAVANA._ The book “What Lies Across the Water: The Real
Story of the Cuban Five” won the 2014 Evelyn Richardson
literary award, presented in September. Its writer, the
Canadian journalist Stephen Kimber, dedicated it to the
three Cuban men who remain incarcerated in the United
States for having fought terrorism.
“I was especially gratified that the selection committee
chose a book about the case of the Cuban Five, a subject
that is still too little known in Canada,” the author told The
Havana Reporter via email.
“What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the
Cuban Five” won the award for best work of adult nonfiction published in eastern Canada in 2013. “It was very
gratifying,” said Kimber while praising the quality of the
other finalists.
“I began to research the story of the Five simply as a
journalist who had stumbled upon an interesting story,”
he recalled.
But the more he learned, “the more I realized this was
also a story of an injustice,” sustained Kimber, who is a
journalism professor at the University of King’s College,
Halifax, and author of at least nine other books.
“Over time, I have become a believer in the cause
as well. That’s why I dedicated the award to Antonio
(Guerrero), Ramón (Labañino), and Gerardo (Hernández),”
the three Cuban anti-terrorists who remain incarcerated
in U.S. prisons 16 years after their arrest in Miami.
Also presented with this same award in 2003 for his
book “Sailors, Slackers and Blind Pigs: Halifax at War,”
Kimber hopes that “this will help to make the story of the
Five better known.”
“What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the
Cuban Five” was issued last year by Canada’s Fernwood
Publishing company and, according
to experts, is so far the most complete
book available in English on a subject
that U.S. citizens have had little access
to because of a wall of silence erected
around the case.
The work is the result of a thorough
investigation that led Kimber to
study more than 20,000 pages of
court records and thousands of legal
documents.
After the book was published,
Kimber said that his work is“not fictional
but objective, unbiased, true-to-life.” It
is about a case whose protagonists are
five men who were arrested in Miami
on September 12, 1998 for attempting
to thwart the violent plans being
plotted from that U.S. territory against
their country.
Also known as the Evelyn
Richardson Memorial Non-Fiction
Award and first granted in 1978, it is
presented annually by the Writers’
Federation of Nova Scotia.
It is the oldest literary award in
the region and is considered the most
prestigious for a work of non-fiction,
explained Kimber.
The award’s selection committee described Kimber’s
book as a remarkable piece of investigative journalism,
and stressed that “Kimber has unearthed a fascinating
story at the heart of why there is little hope of political
reconciliation between Cuba and the United States, until
there is justice for the Cuban Five.”
“What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the
Cuban Five” has also been nominated for the Libris Award
as Non-fiction Book of the Year in Canada.
CULTURE
7
SPOTLIGHT ON
Havana Ballet Festival Celebrates Shakespeare
HAVANA._ “Dance, for Shakespeare” is the
theme for the 24th Havana International
Ballet Festival running from October 28
to November 7, with the participation
of companies from the United States,
France, Switzerland, Argentina and Cuba.
The festival will pay tribute to the
famous English playwright William
Shakespeare with certain of his works
succesfully translated into choreography.
The Hispanic Ballet and Pontus
Lidberg Dance, from the United States;
the Linga company, from Switzerland; the
Ballet Estable from the Columbus Theater
in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and the Nice
Opera Company from France, will give
eclectic performances, showing classical
and contemporary styles of dance.
The festival will take place in the
following theaters in Havana –the National,
the Mella and the Karl Marx Theater, as well
as in multiple galleries throughout the
capital and in places where conferences
and presentations of books, films and
video series will be offered.
Alongside stars and groups invited
from other countries, top dancers from
Cuba’s National Ballet (BNC), along with
the company itself, will have the lead role
in the festival’s performances, directed
by the prima ballerina Alicia Alonso.
The Hispanic Ballet, based in New York,
PHOTO: Miguel Guzman Ruiz
By MarthaSANCHEZ
will share its musical culture and Latin
dance at the Mella Theater with the
works Sombrerísimo, Sortijas, El beso and
Asuka, the latter being an homage to the
legendary Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz.
Seven pairs of dancers from the
Ballet Estable of the Columbus Theater
in Buenos Aires, will dance Tango, a piece
created by the Argentine choreographer
and director of the company, Lidia Segni.
At the same time, the BNC will offer
ballet technique classes to professionals,
teachers and students at the advanced
level. A photo by the Cuban designer
Yailín Alfaro was selected for the poster
advertising the 24th edition of this
festival, which has more than 50 years of
history and is one of the oldest festivals
celebrated at the world-class level.
Shakespeare is considered to be the
most important author in the English
language, and in their repertoire the BNC
boasts a rendition of Romeo and Juliet,
one of the playwright’s most well known
works, with choreography by Alonso
who has called it simply “Shakespeare
and his masks.” This will be the leading
piece at the festival’s inaugural gala, in
commemoration of the 450th birthday of
the English bard.
Other outstanding proposals for the
festival are the following performances:
Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle and
mixed programs featuring many classical
”pas de deux.”
Ever since it started in 1960, the
Havana International Ballet Festival has
become one of the most sought after
social events in Cuba.
These festivals have maintained a noncompetitive character, with countless stars
and dance aficionados gathering in the
Cuban capital in an atmosphere of healthy
exchange.
The entire world is transported
to these events where you can see
styles, choreographies, various schools
of thought, trends both old and new,
sculptures, music, cinema, literature,
folklore, drama, broadcasts, posters, and
photo exhibits.
Throughout the years, prestigious
groups and dancers have starred in
more than 200 pieces of choreography
recognized on world stages.
For the public as well as for the artists,
this great dance party is a unique learning
opportunity.
PHOTO: Jorge Pérez; .
TripAdvisor Grants Award to Cuban Museum
HAVANA._ Cuba’s Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
(National Museum of Fine Arts) has been awarded the
Certificate of Excellence 2014 by TripAdvisor, the world’s
largest online travel site for travel recommendations.
The award, granted in recognition of the quality
service provided by museum, is based on the reviews of
its visitors, who post them on the TripAdvisor website,
according to a release issued by the museum.
This site recommends different tourist destinations
and attractions from around the world, featuring
Havana as an increasingly attractive option, with
positive reviews by millions of customers.
Other Cuban tourist sites that have received
TripAdvisor awards this year include the Terral hotels in
Havana, run by the Habaguanex company, Paradisus Río
de Oro, in the eastern province of Holguín, the Royalton,
in central-northern Cayo Santa María (Key), and the
Iberostar Grand Hotel, in the south-central city of Trinidad.
8
ENTERTAINMENT
THEATER
*Note: theater companies are in
parentheses
Centro Cultural Bertolt
Brecht
GETTING
By MaylínZALDIVAR
Casa de África
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
[email protected]
RECOMMENDS
• Sampling vocal ensemble performs at National Museum of Fine Arts.
Teatro de La Villa.
Sala Argos Teatro
Desamparado esq. a Dr. Mora.
Guanabacoa. Tel: 797-798.
Sat. Oct. 18, 25 (8 pm): The
Decameron Tales.
Ayestarán y 20 de Mayo. Plaza
de la Revolución. Tel: 878-5551.
Fri. Oct. 17, 24, 31, Sat. 18, 25
(8:30 pm) and Sun. 19, 26 (5 pm):
“Fíchenla si pueden” (Book Her if
You Can) by (Argos Teatro).
Adolfo Llauradó
Sala El Sótano
Calle K entre 25 y 27. Vedado.
Plaza de la Revolución. Tel: 8320630. Fri. Oct. 17, 24, Sat. 18, 25
(8:30 pm) and Sun. 19, 26 (5 pm):
“Edmond” by (Nelson Dorr).
Calle 13 esquina a I. Vedado.
Tel: 832-9359. Sala Tito Junco.
Fri. Oct. 17, Sat. 18 (8:30 pm)
and Sun.19 (5 pm): “El mal
gusto” (Bad Taste), as part of
the German theater week. Café
Teatro. Tue. 14, Wed. 15, Thu. 16
(7 pm): “Remolinos en las aguas”
(Eddies in the Waters). Fri. 24,
Sat. 25 (8:30 pm) and Sun. 26 (5
pm): “Collage”. Artistic director:
Heydi Díaz de Villegas.
Sala Raquel Revuelta
MUSIC
Plaza de Armas
MUSIC
Calle Aguiar esq. Obrapía.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 862-3243.
Thu. Oct. 23 (4 pm): Clarinetist
Arístides Porto and guests.
Basílica Menor San
Francisco de Asís
Casa del Alba Cultural
(Cultural Center)
Calle 11 entre D y E. Vedado. Tel:
832-5373. Sat. Oct. 18, 25 (8:30
pm) and Sun. 19, 26 (5 pm):
“Que el diablo te acompañe”
(May the Devil Go with You) by
(Teatro Pálpito). Tue. 14, Wed.
15, Thu. 16 (6 pm): “Divorciadas,
evangélicas y vegetarianas”
(Divorced, Evangelic, and
Vegetarian) by (Trotamundos).
Tue. 14, Wed. 15 and Thu. 16 (6
pm): “El camino de las hormigas”
(The Trail of Ants) by (El Cuartel).
Sala Hubert De Blanck
Línea esquina a B. Vedado. Plaza
de la Revolución. Tel: 833-0225.
Sala Raquel Revuelta. Fri. Oct.
17, 24, Sat. 18, 25 (8:30 pm) and
Sun. 19, 26 (5 pm): “Panorama
desde el Puente” (View from
the Bridge) by (Vital Teatro).
Tue. 21, Wed, 22, Thu, 23 (6 pm):
“Palabras y cuerpos” (Words and
Bodies) by (Aldaba Teatro). Fri.
24, Sat. 25 and Sun (8:30 pm):
The Mission by (Teatro de La
Luna).
Obra Pía e/ San Ignacio y
Mercaderes. Habana Vieja. Tel:
861-5798. Thu. Oct. 23. (10 am):
Club “Con Amor” (With Love),
soloist Raúl Iglesias.
Calle Línea e/ C y D, Vedado. Tel:
833-2151. Sun. Oct. 26 (5 pm):
Club “Nuestra América” (Our
America) with Alicia Perea.
Patio-Bar Egrem
Calle 13 esq. I, Vedado. Tel: 8329359. Café Teatro. Sat. Oct. 25 (4
pm): “A Bolero
for you” Club with Rafael Espín
and friends.
San Miguel e/ Campanario y
Lealtad.Centro Habana. Tel: 8642006. Mon. Oct. 20, 27 (4 pm):
The Conjunto Chapotín Club.
Tue. 21, 28 (4 pm): The Septeto
Habanero Club. Fri. 17, 24, 31 (4
pm): Rumberos de Cuba folk
band performs.
Casa Balear
Asociación Yoruba.
Calle G esq. 23. Vedado. Tel:
830-4524. Thu. Oct. 23 (4 pm):
Danzón Angoa Club, soloist Sara
Vicente. Sun. 26 (4 pm): Gloria
Matancera band performs.
Prado e/ Montes y Dragones.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 863-5953. Fri.
Oct. 24, 31 (8:30 pm): Obbini
Batá folk group. Sun. 19, 26 (4
pm): Los Ibellis folk group.
Bertolt Brecht
Calzada e/ A y B. Vedado. Tel:
830-1011. Fri. Oct. 17, 24, Sat. 18,
25 (8:30 pm) and Sun. 19, 26 (5
pm): “La Ronda” (The Round) by
(Hubert De Blanck).
Obispo y Mercaderes.Habana
Vieja. Tel: 860-9530. Fri. Oct. 17,
24 (4 pm): National Concert
Orchestra directed by Verónica
del Puerto.
Oficios e/ Amargura y Churruca,
Habana Vieja. Tel: 862-9683. Sat.
Oct. 18 (6 pm): Camerata Romeu
chamber music orchestra
directed by Zenaida Romeu.
Sat. 25 (6 pm): Promúsica Duo in
concert.
Museo de Artes
Decorativas (Decorative Arts
Museum)
Calle 17 e/ D y E. Vedado. Tel:
832-0924. Wed. Oct. 29 (2 pm):
Soloist Gloria Liz and friends.
ENTERTAINMENT
AROUND
9
(THR is not responsible for any changes made by sponsoring organizations)
Museo Nacional de
Bellas Artes (National
Museum of Fine Arts)
ART GALLERIES
MUSEUMS
AND GALLERIES
& MUSEUMS
Casa Oswaldo
Guayasamín
Casa África (Africa House)
Obrepía e/ San Ignacio y
Mercaderes. Habana Vieja. Tel:
861-5798. Through Oct: Exhibit
marking the 54th anniversary of
the independence of Nigeria.
Museo de Naipes (Card
Museum)
Muralla e Inquisidor, Plaza Vieja,
La Habana Vieja. Tel: 860-1534
Through Oct: Exhibition of
pieces related to the history of
Japan and its traditions.
Casa de la Música de
Miramar
Casa de Asia (Asia House)
Mercaderes e/ Obrapía y Obispo.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 863- 9740.
Through Oct: Exhibit “The
Iconography of Asian Religions,”
featuring objects related to
religious traditions, myths,
legends and customs of Asia.
Mon. 15 (4 pm): Opening of
the exhibit “Olvídate de todo y
pinta” (Forget about Everything
and Paint) by painter César
Towie.
Museo Napoleónico
Calle Refugio e/ Zulueta y
Monserrate. Habana Vieja. Tel:
861-0241.Sat. Oct. 18 (7 pm):
Sampling vocal ensemble
performs.
Teatro Lírico
Zulueta e/ Ánimas y Neptuno,
Habana Vieja. Tel: 860- 4349. Sala
Gonzalo Roig. Sun. Oct. 26 (5pm):
Guitarist Luis Molina performs.
Museo Casa África
Obra Pía e/ San Ignacio y
Mercaderes. Habana Vieja. Tel:
861-5798. Thu. Oct. 23 (10 am):
Club “Con Amor” (With Love),
soloist Raúl Iglesias hosting.
Museo de la Música
(Museum of Music)
Calle Obrapía e/ Bernaza y
Villegas. Habana Vieja. Tel:
863-9862. Wed. 22 (5 pm):
Entre Voces choir. Conductor:
Digna Guerra. Thu. 30 (5 pm):
Amanecer Trio: Efraín Amador
(tres player), Doris Oropesa
(pianist), and Ariadna Amador
(lute player).
Obrapía e/ Oficios y Mercaderes.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 861-3843.
Through Oct: Exhibit “Hay un
presagio en el aire” by Oliva
Agüero, featuring sculptures
and installations made out of
plasterboard sheets, stone, rope,
and glass fibers.
Museo Numismático
(Numismatic Museum)
Calle Obispo e/ Aguiar y
Habana. Habana Vieja. Tel: 8615811. Through Oct: Exhibit: The
United States, its Coins and Bills.
Sun. 28 (10 am): Opening of the
exhibit “La moneda cubana en
su centenario” (Centennial of
the Cuban currency).
(Napoleon Museum)
San Miguel. Vedado. Plaza de
la Revolución. Tel: 879-1412.
Biblioteca del Museo. Wed.
Oct. 17 (10 am): Opening of
the exhibit “Documentos de
las guerras de independencia”
(Documents from the Cuban
Independence Wars).
Casa Simón Bolívar
Mercaderes e/ Obrapía y
Lamparilla. Habana Vieja. Tel:
861-3988. Through Oct: Exhibits
“El legado de Chávez” (Chavez’s
Legacy) and “Identity in metals”
featuring works from Peru, Brazil
and Ecuador.
Casa de las Américas
Calle 3ra esquina a G. Vedado.
Tel: 838-2706. Through March,
2015: Theater posters.
NIGHTCLUBS
NIGHTCLUBS
& CABARETS
& CABARETS
Centro Habaneciendo
Galiano e/ Neptuno y Concordia,
Centro Habana. Tel: 862-4165.
Mon. Oct. 20, 27 (1 pm): Soloist
Grisel-Grisel hosts jam session.
Tue. 21, 28 (10 pm): Soloist
Aurora Delgado. Fri. 17, 24, 31 (4
pm): Club “A Coffee with Rosalía”.
Sat.18. 25 (5 pm): Club “A Havana
afternoon with Cary Bridón and
guests.” Sun. 19, 26 (11 pm):
Rumberos de Cuba folk band.
Diablo Tun Tun
Palacio de Lombillo
Submarino Amarillo
Calle 17 esq. 12, Vedado,
Habana. Tel: 830-6808. Live rock
nightly in this Beatles-themed
nightclub (10 pm-3 am).
DANCEDANCE
Espacio Barcelona-La
Habana
Barcelona esq. a Aguila, Centro
Habana. Tel: 864- 9576. Mon.
Oct. 15 (7 pm): Show “Flamenco
por dentro” by Ecos Flamenco
Company.
Tuesday, October. 28 – Friday,
November 7:
Havana’s
International Ballet
Festival at Teatro Nacional
de Cuba, Teatro Mella, and
Teatro Karl Marx.
Centro HispanoAmericano de Cultura
(Spanish-American Cultural
Center)
Malecón e/ Prado y Capdevila.
Centro Habana. Tel: 866-0775.
Wed. Oct. 24 (5 pm): Traveling
exhibit “Japón: reino de
personajes” (Japan: Kingdom of
Characters), organized by the
Japanese embassy.
Calle 20 esq. 35, Miramar, Playa.
Tel: 202-6147. Fri. Oct. 17, 24, 31
(10 pm): Klimax band perfoms
(salsa music). Sat. 18, 25 (5 pm):
Gens band performs (rock
music).
Empedrado, esq Mercaderes.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 860- 4311.
Through Oct: Exhibit “Sobre
cuchillos de polvo” (black and
white xilography) by Aliosky
García Sosa. Through Oct: Photo
exhibition Breakfast in Havana,
by Ridel Calero and Armando
Zambrana.
Calle 20 esq. 35, Miramar, Playa.
Tel: 202-6147. Fri. Oct. 17, 24, 31
(5 pm): Gens band (rock). Sat.
27 (5 pm): Ihosvany Bernal and
guests perform. Sat. 25 (10 pm):
El Chispa y los Cómplices band
performs.
10
CULTURE
Vladimir Malakhov Opens Stage
Doors for Latin American Dancers
PHOTO: AP.
By MarthaSANCHEZ
PHOTO: FERVAL.
best company will be granted as well. Meanwhile, the leading contemporary dance
company in Holguín, Codanza, granted the Grand Prize to Joel González from Danza
Fragmentada Company (Guantánamo province), for his work “Estáticos” (Static).
”This event began as a dance contest and has become a wonderful festival,”
commented Malakhov, adding that he was very happy for having created something
so beautiful on this small island.
The ballet star is now dreaming about creating a series of competitions in Latin
America to give a major boost to dancers and choreographers from the continent.
According to the seasoned artist, initiatives like his are an opportunity for local
dancers to make a career in their countries, because, after having performed at the
world’s most important theaters, he has discovered the importance of “home.”
Malakhov plans to carry out a number of contests under his name in several Latin
American countries, with the objective of providing equal opportunities in a continent
where for economic reasons, contests in Europe or the United States are out of reach
for most.
HAVANA._ Vladimir Malakhov, one of the world’s greatest classical ballet stars, says
that the extremely high level of dance in Cuba compelled him to broaden his artistic
offerings for this country.
The Ukrainian-born star expressed surprise at the quality of the 75 competitors
at the first International Atlantic Dance Contest, which he helped host in the eastern
Cuba city of Holguín.
“It was an enriching experience, and when I saw so much quality I found it
impossible to present a single award,” said the artist who is recognized for his Benois
de la Dance award, among others.
Instead of one Vladimir Malakhov Grand Prize, he granted two, and created four
additional special prizes, saying they were still insufficient to recognize the quality of
all the good dancers and pieces in the contest, performed to sellout crowds at the
Eddy Suñol Theater in Holguin.
The top winners of the competition were Cubans Saad Lisbeth, with her superb
portrayal of Edith Piaf in Non, choreographed by Osnel Delgado; and Carlos Carbonell
with “Pasajera la lluvia” by choreographer Nelson Reyes.
“I never imagined that the interest in the competition would be so great, and I
found really spectacular dancers and an audience that did not want to miss any detail,”
he said during a press conference at the headquarters of the Union of Cuban Writers
and Artists (UNEAC).
All four days of competition -Sep. 14 to 18- the seats were oversold and it was very
difficult to gain access to the theater, he added.
It was that spirit which inspired Malakhov to include an Audience Award at the
next edition of the contest, scheduled for September 2015, when a prize to the
NEW LIGHT FOR
AN OLD FRIEND
HAVANA._ Having borne witness to the passing of time, the
ravages of nature, street celebrations, demonstrations of
patriotic fervor, confessions, reflections, religious offerings,
pardons granted and for many, a first kiss, Havana’s world
famous Malecon continues to enchant those fortunate
enough to experience the wonder of a night out in the city.
Havana’s most emblematic location has never become
unfashionable; rather, it continues to attract increasing
numbers of dreamers and sunset lovers, whether accompanied
or alone with their thoughts, fears, hopes or memories.
There are almost twice as many fishermen to be found
on the sea-wall after dark, and even though many will
head for home empty handed before a new day dawns,
they do so having relished refreshing cool sea breezes that
compensate somewhat for stifling Caribbean daytime
temperatures.
Once called the Avenida del Golfo (Gulf Avenue), the
Malecon of today has a fresh, more upbeat, lively and
spectacular image than that of old, with an array of street
traders and a wide selection of musical genres performed
for the pleasure of local and foreign passers-by alike.
The Malecon is most deservedly included in the
national strategy for the rational use of energy which will
progressively replace traditional sodium vapor public
lighting with ultra modern LED technology. This process
results in electricity savings and an improvement in both
the efficiency and quality of street lighting.
Havana’s Malecon is part of this initiative and experts
suggest that each LED lamp integrated into the network
means a 50 to 70 percent savings over the energy consumed
by the older type of lighting.
Other advantages relating to the use of these bulbs
is that their maintenance does not require high levels of
investment nor are they affected by variations in voltage,
rendering them highly compatible with the conditions of
the National Electrical Energy System.
PHOTO:s FotosPL.
By JoelMICHEL
11
PHOTO: Manuel Muñoa
PHOTO FEATURE
12
INTERNATIONAL
Elections Approach in Bolivia
LA PAZ._Bolivia will hold elections
soon with voters opting either for a
continuation of the project begun by Evo
Morales in 2006, or for one of the other
four presidential candidates´ programs.
Morales’s campaign is based on the
progress attained since he took office
eight years ago, mainly his praiseworthy
social achievements, including the
eradication of illiteracy, the substantial
reduction of poverty, and the positive
results in other indicators such as housing,
access to drinking water, and electricity,
telephone, and internet services. The
president nationalized hydrocarbons
in May 2006, just a few months after he
was sworn in as Bolivia’s first indigenous
president. Consequently, the profits from
those resources were invested in the
interests of the neediest sectors of the
country, considered at the time to be the
region’s poorest.
At the same time, he pushed the
country toward industrialization, with the
objective of providing raw materials with
added value and attaining what he called
“economic sovereignty.”
In this regard, Evo is encouraging the
training of professionals and scientists
in order for Bolivians themselves to lead
the changes in the growing domestic
industrial sector.
As part of its commitment to
reducing social inequalities, the Bolivian
government created social funds to
benefit school-age children, expectant
mothers, and retirees. However, the
opposition charges that much more
could have been done with the profits
yielded by hydrocarbons. Polls show
Morales has very good chances to win
the elections scheduled for October 12,
even in the first round, given his wide
advantage over the rest of the candidates:
Samuel Doria Medina (Democratic Unity
party, UD), Jorge Tuto Quiroga (Christian
Democratic Party, PDC); Juan del Granado
(Movimiento Sin Miedo movement,
MSM), and Fernando Vargas (Bolivia’s
Green Party, PVB).
According to a survey by the Ipsos
polling firm, Morales would win the
election with 59 percent of votes and 42
points over his closest competitor, Doria
Medina.
The UD candidate has been
questioned over his recent statements
that he would grant 50 percent of
hydrocarbon profits to private companies
if elected president.
Meanwhile, the PDC hopeful, former
President Quiroga, has limited himself to
accusing Morales of authoritarianism and
of manipulating the polls, adding that he
intends to remain in office indefinitely, for
NICARAGUA
“
Evo Morales.
PHOTOS: Cortesy of Freddy Zarco.
By HéctorMIRANDA
Samuel Doria.
which it would be necessary to reform
the Constitution of 2009, which limits
the president to one re-election only.
Quiroga enjoys less than 10 percent of
the intended vote.
In the meantime, experts agree that
Morales and the Movment Towards
Socialism (MAS) could win the elections
by as much as two thirds of the votes to
be cast by the nearly six million registered
voters. Still, they say, it would be difficult
for him to win 74 percent of the vote, as
the president hopes.
Tumarín: Another Move for Clean Energy in Nicaragua
“
it will be
Nicaragua´s largest power station,
a dream that is already coming true,
said
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
have also created a great alliance with
workers and small, medium, and largescale producers from the rural, banking,
and business sectors,” said Ortega.
Shortly before the government
Alongside Tumarín, which will
use water from the basin of the
Río Grande de Matagalpa, another
plant that will generate around
70 megawatts will be built as well,
and investors signed the agreement,
the Nicaraguan president highlighted
that when the plant – an investment
exceeding $1 billion - starts up in 2019,
it is expected to generate 21 percent of
the energy consumed in the country,
bringing the total investment up to
approximately $1.34 billion.
Both power plants are estimated
to generate about 7,500 jobs,
according to Nicaraguan authorities.
These and other hydroelectric
PHOTO: Courtesy of Vocie of Sandinismo
MANAGUA.- The Tumarín hydroelectric
project, which is expected to add some
253 megawatts to the national energy
system, is a strategic move by Nicaragua
to transform and enlarge its capacity for
power generation.
At the signing of the agreement with
representatives from Brazil, Nicaraguan
authorities announced that the
construction of the hydroelectric plant
would begin in the first quarter of 2015.
When completed, it will be
Nicaragua´s largest power station, a
dream that is already coming true, said
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
The first initiative ever proposed in
the country with such huge dimensions
was the Copalar project. Introduced
before 1979 and later encouraged by
the first Sandinista government, the
project was never realized due to the
U.S.-imposed war in the 1980s.
The current project has been taken
up once again by the Sandinista National
Liberation Front, which returned to
power in 2007.
“We are restarting the project at a
time of peace, security, stability; while we
By LianetARIAS
projects like the Larreynaga (17 megawatts)
are part of a national strategy currently
making it possible for the country to
generate 52 percent of its electricity using
renewable energy sources.
Seven years ago, this country, which has a
wide range of energy sources at its disposal,
including water, wind, solar, biomass and
geothermal energy, produced barely 27
percent of its energy from those resources.
Today things are very different, as more
than $1 billion has been invested in power
stations over the past seven years, mainly
those which use clean energy sources.
According to Renewables 2014 Global
Status Report, this Central American nation
features among the 20 countries that have
invested most in this sector.
These figures are complimented by the
Climascopio 2013 report on Latin America
and the Caribbean which refers to Nicaragua
as one of the most outstanding countries
in the region with regards to the use of
renewable energy sources and the capital
attracted for that purpose.
By 2020, the Nicaraguan government
expects to generate 90 percent of the
country’s energy demand from renewable
sources.
INTERNATIONAL
13
THE CARIBBEAN
Biological Corridor Fosters Environmental Protection
PHOTO: Lazaro David Najarro.
By MarthaCABRALES
SANTIAGO DE CUBA._ A series of pilot projects are
underway putting to test environmental strategies of
the Caribbean Biological Corridor (CBC), in the three
countries that first promoted this initiative: Cuba, Haiti
and the Dominican Republic.
Residents of the Verraco community, located some
30km from the city of Santiago, are eagerly learning
about the social and economical benefits of the scientific
principles and eco-agricultural techniques involved in
the project. The area, along with that of Baitiquiri – on the
semi-desert coastal strip in the Guantanamo province –
have both been selected to participate in trials combining
technical training with the traditional wisdom that
farmers put to use when caring for their surroundings.
The CBC is also building nurseries in Verraco, Haiti and the
Dominican Republic, in order to supply timber and fruit
trees that will preserve the environment.
There are a total of 10 projects underway which
include Fort Drouet, Caracol and Gonave in Haiti, where
environmentally friendly production techniques are
being developed as well as an awareness of the negative
environmental impact of cooking with firewood and
charcoal, and other processes which may harm the
natural surroundings.
The recent inauguration of a photo-voltaic solar farm
in Baitiquiri is another example of the progress made by
CBC, which in accordance with another of its founding
precepts of renewable energy source promotion, will
build four of these plants in the three countries.
The ‘Corridor’ has been running since 2007 with the
support of the Ministries of Environment in these three
countries and the cooperation of the United Nations and
the European Union.
ECONOMY
Cuban Sugarcane
Harvest on the
Upswing
PHOTO:Manuel Muñoa.
By RobertoSALOMON
HAVANA._ Cuba’s sugar industry is predicting a 2014/15
harvest that is 12.3 percent over the yields from last
year´s crop and a total of 50 active refineries, two more
than last year.
The Azcuba Sugar
Group’s
Institutional
Communications specialist, Liobel Perez, says that the
two new plants in question are the Dos Rios, in eastern
Cuba, and the Brazil refinery in the east-central part of
the country.
He explained that the Brazil sugar mill, which
had been out of service for six years, would re-start
operations during the forthcoming harvest, having
received a substantial capital investment.
According to Pérez, over the past four years, sugar
production has increased by an average of 11 percent
per annum and the number of refineries participating in
the harvest has increased from 39 to 50 percent during
the same period.
The harvest will start in November at a refinery in the
western province of Mayabeque, and the plan is for six
more to start up during that same month, with a further
37 in December and the remainder in January.
Regarding preparations underway for this year´s
production, Pérez said that progress had been made in
repairing both the mills and agricultural machinery, and
that there had also been improvements in the quality of
works undertaken.
He added that a technical group had been formed to
certify the quality and regulatory compliance of repairs,
in order to guarantee that the mills are ready to start
processing as required.
In
2013/14, sugar
production
increased
approximately five percent over the previous harvest,
which fell short of the targeted increase.
For the forthcoming 2014/15 season, an increase of
at least 11 percent is expected, although hope remains
that it might in fact amount to as much as 15 or 20
percent, if all goes according to plan.
FAO: Latin America
Leads the World in Reducing Hunger
By SamuelLLANES
HAVANA._ Theodor Friedrich, the FAO representative
in Cuba, says that the Latin America and Caribbean
region counts the greatest number of countries to have
met their Millennium Development Goals in regard to
hunger.
During the course of a recent presentation of a
report on food security by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO), the diplomat outlined
the progress made in meeting this aim and that of the
World Food Summit (WFS).
Friedrich highlighted that the total number of people
within the region who suffer from hunger fell from 68.5
million in 1990-92 to 37 million in 2012-14, a reduction
showing that in slightly more than two decades, 31.5
million men, women and children were relieved of
malnutrition. The FAO representative also said that this
example indicates that the WFS´s 1996 commitment to
reduce by half the number of people affected by hunger
could also be attained.
Nonetheless, the 37 million people in the region
who suffer this scourge is still a very high figure which,
in conjunction with the closely related requirement
to eliminate poverty, represents a real challenge. The
diplomat added that 14 nations in the
region, including Cuba, had met their
Millennium Development goals
and three more countries
were now in a position to
do so. He emphasized
the commitments from
regional leaders regarding
the eradication of hunger
by 2025, reaffirmed during
the recent Community
of Latin American and
Caribbean States (CELAC) Summits. Friedrich pointed out
that this region also faces the problem of obesity with 20
percent of the adult population overweight, as the result
of excessive consumption.
PHOTO:FotosPL
14
SPORTS
15
Cuban Wrestler Mijaín López´s Burning Ambition
PHOTO: José Tito Meriño.
By LemayPADRÓN
HAVANA._ Led by super-heavyweight Mijaín López, Cuba
remained at the vanguard, as the best Latin American
team at the recent World Wrestling championships held
in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, taking a gold
medal, a silver and two bronzes.
López brought home his fifth world crown which,
added to his two Olympic titles, places him second,
along with Valery Rezantsev of the former Soviet Union,
on the list of winners of elite titles, after the legendary
Alexander Karelin.
Both López and Rezantsev have won seven of
the most coveted crowns – five gold medals at world
championship and two at Olympic games - while
The Legend (Karelin), who grabbed nine and three,
respectively, ranks as the leader on this list of excellence,
with 12 such crowns.
Other Cuban medallists in Tashkent were Reineris
Salas (86), who won a silver, and Yowlis Bonne (61) and
Liván López (74), who brought home a bronze medal
each, all of whom competed in the freestyle event.
Mijain´s list of great achievements feature the titles
he won at the world championships hosted by Budapest
in 2005, Baku (2007), Herning (2009) and Moscow
(2010) as well as the silver medals he took at similar
events in Guangzhou (2006) and Istanbul (2011). His
titles at the Olympic games in Beijing and London
round up his world-class credentials. After having
won the gold medal at the Pan-American Games in
Santo Domingo (2003), Río de Janeiro (2007) and
Guadalajara (2011), he is now focusing on only one
goal: adding the title from the Central American and
Caribbean Games to his career, having never taken
part in those regional competitions.
The games scheduled for the Mexican city of
Veracruz next November may bear witness to that
new page of one of Cuba´s greatest athletes ever.
López began to carve out his golden road earlier,
especially in January of 2003, when he defeated U.S.
rival Rulon Gardner at the David Schultz in Memoriam
Tournament. A few days later, at the Titan games, he
beat the champion from the 2000-Sydney Olympic
Games. The news spread like wildfire because Gardner
had won the title at the 2001-Patras Championships,
after astonishing everyone with his victory over Karelin
at the Olympics hosted by Australia. López and Gardner
met face to face again at the finals of the 2003-PanAmerican Games in Santo Domingo, where the Cuban
scored another victory over his U.S. rival. That made the
winner´s coaches take their athlete more seriously with a
view to preparing him for an elite career.
However, the Cuban did not ascend the podium at
the 2003 World Championships nor at the 2004-Athens
Olympic Games. At the latter he came close, however, a
portent of things to come a year later.
Gardner said good-bye to the wrestling-mats after
the Athens games, where he won a bronze medal. At
the time, the strongest rivalry in the American continent
was between the wrestling stars López and the U.S.
Dremiel Byers, who won the title at the 2002 world
championships in Moscow.
With Byers, things have not been very different
because the Cuban has defeated him whenever the
U.S. wrestler has competed at the Granma International
Wrestling Tournament. Morevoer, López beat Byers
at the finals of the 2007-Rio de Janeiro Pan-American
games and the 2009-Herning World Championships.
The way things are going, López seems to be heading
to even greater achievements; with an unstoppable drive
to win his third Olympic title at the games scheduled for
Rio de Janeiro within two years.
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CUBA
Cuba Joins Battle Against Ebola
GENEVA._ A Cuban medical brigade of
165 health workers has joined the fight
in Sierra Leone against the deadliest
Ebola outbreak ever, with a death toll of
3,500 plus so far in West Africa alone.
Seen off at the stairs to the plane by
Cuban President Raúl Castro, the team
includes 63 doctors and 102 nurses
with more than 15 years’ experience,
who have already served in medical
cooperation missions in countries
affected by natural disasters and health
emergencies, mostly in Africa.
The team involves epidemiologists,
intensive care doctors, infectious disease
specialists, and primary healthcare
specialists, as well as registered nurses
and specialists in healthcare promotion.
Advance teams for another two brigades
have also traveled to Liberia and Guinea
to create conditions for the medical
professionals to follow. The Cuban aid
has been regarded as one of the most
significant offered by any country
after the call to help contain the Ebola
outbreak was made by the World Health
Organization and the UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon.
Even though every kind of global
action is needed, from mobile labs to
isolation wards, human resources are the
most critical. In a recent press conference
also attended by Cuban Public Health
Minister Roberto Morales, WHO Director
General Margaret Chan said:
“
PERSONNEL ARE
THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING; COMPASSIONATE
PEOPLE, DOCTORS AND
NURSES WHO KNOW HOW TO
COMFORT PATIENTS AND ALSO
KNOW HOW TO PROTECT
THEMSELVES.
“
PHOTO: Carmen Esquivel.
By CarmenESQUIVEL
Speaking to The Havana Reporter,
Chan highlighted the large number of
doctors and nurses contributed by Cuba
as well as its prompt response to the call
made by the UN and WHO.
She also praised Cuba’s ability to train
top level specialists, and its willingness
to help other countries that are on the
road to progress.
Since the triumph of the Cuban
revolution in 1959, the island has sent
more than 76,700 health workers
to Africa alone; with 4,048 currently
rendering service in 32 African countries.
¨As can be seen, our involvement
in the fight against Ebola is not an
isolated case. It plays a part in the aid
and solidarity our country has offered
throughout the past 55 years in sectors
like education, sport, culture, sciences,
and especially, healthcare, under the
principle that we do not provide only
our leftovers, but share what we have,”
said Morales. The Ebola hemorrhagic
fever outbreak, detected in March, has
been the longest, most severe and most
complex seen in four decades, and has
affected some 5,000 people, mainly in
Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
Dr. Jorge Pérez, director of Cuba’s
Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute,
told The Havana Reporter that Ebola is a
“
“
16
WE DO NOT PROVIDE
ONLY OUR LEFTOVERS,
BUT SHARE
WHAT WE HAVE,
disease that may spread between
people upon contact with sweat, tears,
blood, urine, feces, or other bodily fluids
from those who are infected.
Some
therapeutic
measures
have begun to be adopted these
days, including blood transfusions,
monoclonal and antiviral antibodies, but
no specific treatment is yet available,
he said. Avoiding its transmission is the
most important factor, when striving to
contain the disease. This is accomplished
by isolating the patients. Providing
infected people with healthcare is
another priority, the doctor explained.
Although Ebola has a high mortality
rate, it may be lowered considerably
if patients are treated properly, the
specialist said.
The WHO believes that 500 to 600
foreign health professionals, about 1,000
local workers, and at least ten health
centers are needed to face the current
Ebola outbreak in West Africa. If no
other measures are adopted to halt its
spread, it may affect other continents in
the future.