HavanaReporter
THE
©
YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE
A Bimonthly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency
YEAR VI
Nº 6
MAR, 16 2017
HAVANA, CUBA
ISSN 2224-5707
Price:
1.00 CUC, 1.00 USD, 1.20 CAN
U.S.
Legislators
in Cuba
P. 3
Clean Energy
Open to
Foreign
Investment
Cuba
Sports
P.4
P. 6
Overcoming
Obstacles in the
Caribbean
Havana Triathlon a
Resounding
Success
P.P.13
13
Culture
Love Music from
Haydée and Pablo
Milanés
P. 10
Politics
Presidential
Elections
in Ecuador
P. 12
2
CUBA
3
U.S. Legislators Promote
Consolidation of Progress
By RobertoGARCÍA
The recent visit to Cuba by a U.S.
congressional delegation is a further
indication that large sectors within the U.S.
favor progress towards the normalization
of relations between the neighboring
states.
The delegation was headed by
Vermont Democratic Senator, Patrick
Leahy and Mississippi Republican
representative, Thad Cochran, who were
accompanied by Republican Senators
Thomas Udall and Michael Bennett, from
Nuevo Mexico and Colorado, respectively
and the Massachusetts Democrats, James
McGovern and Seth Moulton.
In a press conference at the U.S.embassy
in Havana, Leahy said the rapprochement
between the two governments and
people should have taken place long ago,
and must be consolidated in the interests
of future generations.
He added that this desire is shared
by the U.S. business, scientific, farming
and other communities and by the
government and people of Cuba.
“The embargo (blockade) and the travel
ban that prohibits U.S. citizens visiting
Cuba as tourists will certainly be lifted; and
the sooner the better, but it is hard to say
when because of the many obstacles yet
to be overcome,” the Vermont senator said.
Senator Udall stated that progress
attained thus far must be consolidated,
and praised the efficient work of the two
negotiating teams that have led the talks
since the “thawing-out” process began.
Udall rated as both wise and prudent
the Cuban government’s stance on recent
declarations by U.S. President Donald
Trump about the future of relations with
Cuba.
Leahy described the meeting his
delegation held with Cuban President Raúl
Castro as “very fruitful and interesting”.
Leahy said that Cuban authorities had
very intelligently ignored Trump´s twisted
comments about Cuba because, in spite
of them, many advisors and officials at
the State Department and other federal
agencies wish to strengthen links with
Cuba.
The legislator said he could corroborate
the Cuban government’s willingness
to continue improving relations with
Washington, a position reiterated several
times since the new U.S. administration
took office.
According to McGovern, the will
to consolidate relations with Cuba is
supported by House members from both
parties, but that the Republican leadership
both in the House and Senate’s refusal to
debate any projects about Cuba makes
progress difficult.
He made it clear that he knows
nothing about what Trump might do in
the near future on Cuba, but sustained
that “bilateral commitment is much better
than isolation.”.
In addition to their meeting
with President Raul Castro, the U.S.
congressional delegation met also with
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez,
Foreign Trade and Investment Minister
Rodrigo Malmierca and Agriculture
Minister Gustavo Rodríguez.
Following a more than 50 year freeze
in diplomatic relations between Cuba and
the United States, they resumed in July
2015 Since then bilateral agreements on
air transportation and law enforcement
and numerous memorandums of
understanding have ben signed.
In spite of such achievements, the
economic, commercial and financial
blockade imposed in 1962 by the United
States on Cuba is still the principal obstacle
to the normalization of mutual relations.
The still rigorously enforced blockade
has been condemned by the vast majority
of the UN General Assembly´s member
countries since 1992.
Cuban Forestry Plantations Continue to Expand
PHOTO: Garal
Figures released by Cuba’s Agriculture
Ministry (Minag) show that the
forestation of an additional 5,330
hectares during 2916, led to a 30.6 %
rise in the island’s forestry index.
At a recent meeting in Havana,
Agriculture Minister, Gustavo Rodríguez,
outlined that this represents a rise
of 0.8% on growth for 2015 and that
forestry developments now cover
32,083 hectares, 1471 of which are in
strips that protect bodies of water.
Information presented during the
Ministry’s annual balance presided over
by Council of Ministers Vice-President,
Ulises Rosales highlighted that works
to increase areas covered by forestry in
HavanaReporter
A Weekly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency
THE
YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE
President: Luis Enrique González.
Information Vice President: Hector Miranda.
Editorial Vice President: Maitté Marrero Canda.
Chief Editor: Ilsa Rodríguez.
Translation: Dayamí Interián/ Sean J.Clancy/Yanely Interián
2016 had, because of increased levels of
efficiency and attention to plantations,
surpassed the previous year’s results by
50.3%.
In the opinion of Doctor in Sciences
José Paretas Fernández, forestry
heritage represents a strategic resource
for any nation’s development and that
it’s preservation constitutes a guarantee
for generations to come.
“When forests are protected,
managed and exploited responsibly,
they offer many diverse benefits to
society and the economy and contribute
significantly
to
environmental
sustainability.”
In a report entitled “Forestry, a
.
.
Developmental Priority for Cuba” the
expert recalls the words of Jose Marti
on the subject, “countryside without
trees are poor and towns without trees
are unhealthy. Lands without tress are
bereft of rain and produce tormentor
fruits. It is important to replace woods
that are felled, so that this heritage is
always in bloom. Put simply, trees are
not only a great source of wealth, but
also the best friends of livestock and
agriculture.”
Dr. Paretas Fernández has a long
and impressive trajectory in specialized
livestock,
agricultural
production,
forestry and clean energy related
research and teaching.
.
.
.
SOCIETY HEALTH & SCIENCE POLITICS CULTURE
ENTERTAINMENT PHOTO FEATURE ECONOMY
SPORTS AND MORE
Graphic Designers: Laura Reyes.
Chief Graphic Editor: Alfredo G. Pierrat
Advertising: Irina Hernández
Circulation: Commercial Department.
Printing: Agencia de Comunicación Publicitur S.A.
.
Publisher: Agencia Informativa Latinoamericana,
Prensa Latina, S.A.
Calle E, esq. 19 No. 454, Vedado, La Habana-4, Cuba.
Telephone: (53)7838-3496 / 7832-3578 Fax: (53)7833-3068
E-mail: [email protected]
4
CUBA
Overcoming Obstacles in the Caribbean
By MartaCABRALES
The unsustainable magnitude of
Caribbean debt, which in 2016
accounted for 69.9 percent of the
region´s Gross Domestic Product, tops
a long list of obstacles to sustainable
regional development.
Human
and
arms
trafficking,
smuggling and terrorism also feature
prominently on that list.
According to Carlos Zamora, the
Cuban Foreign Ministry´s interim general
director for Latin American and Caribbean
Affairs, the economies of Association of
Caribbean States (ACS) member states
are extremely asymmetrical, with internal
problems and external threats on the rise.
The diplomat said in Cuban Foreign
Ministry declarations that these problems
have a negative impact on regional
finances and promote the perception of the
Caribbean as high risk zone and guarantee
negative ratings for Caribbean economies
by international financial agencies.
The region is also highly vulnerable
to natural disasters, which provoked
material losses in excess of $18 billion
between 1998 and 2012, according to
Caribbean Development Bank statistics.
CUBA AND THE ACS
With regard to Cuba´s contribution
to priority definition and putting
cooperation projects into practice, the
official said that “the ACS has always
been a very important foreign policy
element for us and was the first regional
integration mechanism in which the
Cuban Revolution fully participated.”
“Thanks to the firm stance of our
Caribbean friends at that time, Cuba
joined the negotiation process from
the start as one of the organization´s
founders.“
Zamora added that over the past
22 years and in accordance with its
capabilities, Cuba had offered its greatest
resources to the ACS: technical and
scientific knowledge in defined priority
areas.
Since the 2nd Ordinary Meeting of
the Council of Ministers was held in
Havana in December 1996, important
agreements have been adopted that
set ACS cooperation guidelines, such as
those for the creation of the Sustainable
Tourism Zone and a Special Committee
on Sustainable Tourism, responsible for
the design and implementation of ACS
tourism policies.
He noted that the development
and workings of the Special Fund as
the organism for the financing and
management of cooperation programs
has been identified as a priority.
Zamora added that the 7th Summit
of the Association of Caribbean States on
June 4, 2016 presented and adopted the
Program to Combat Climate Change.
“Hence, a new sphere has been
included in the ACS cooperation plan, a
very important issue for the development
of all member nations and for small
insular Caribbean states in particular.”
Referring to aspects of the first ACS
Cooperation Conference in Havana in
early March, the diplomat stressed that
the meeting played an important role in
assessing cooperation projects.
The ‘Uniting the Caribbean by Air and
Sea’ program for connectivity
and transport and the ACS Program to
Combat Climate Change in the Caribbean
were presented during the conference.
The Cuban Capital also hosted the
22nd Meeting of the ACS Council of
Ministers and the 5th CARICOM-Cuba
Ministerial Meeting, which evaluated the
state of the relations between Cuba and
CARICOM member states.
Working to Find a Cure for AIDS
By AdaMARRERO
Specialists from the Havana-based
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Center (CIGB) reported recently on the
results of years of studies and testing
to develop a HIV vaccine to replace the
retroviral inhibitors presently in use, to
a group of academics and researchers
from some ten countries.
Known as TERAVAC-VIH, it is being
now being clinically tested on humans.
Progress to date was shared by the
CIGB specialists at the first
BioProcess
2017
International
Congress in the Cuban province of
Camagüey in February.
Though results are promising,
specialists involved cautioned against
unrealistic expectations.
Researcher Yayri Caridad Prieto, a
member of the CIGB team working on
the project, told this newspaper that
the vaccine does not cure the
disease, but seeks to reduce the HIV
viral load on patients and enhance their
quality of life.
CIGB speakers said that the
candidate vaccine had thus far been
tested on nine patients, and no side
effects had been reported.
TERAVAC-VIH is administered both
by intranasal and intramuscular routes.
“The aim is to replace current
therapies based on retroviral inhibitors,
which effectively prevent HIV from
spreading but can cause side effects
that lead sometimes to a temporary
suspension of treatment,” the Cuban
expert explained.
The results presented to the
congress indicate that the Cuban
vaccine enhances the organism’s
immune responses and reduces the
viral load of CD8 cells, which play a
leading role in HIV infection defense.
CIGB researchers clarified however
that the vaccine development project
still requires years of additional
research.
In order to establish its efficacy,
further clinical trials involving a greater
number of seropositive patients are
needed.
Details about the HIV vaccine
project had first been revealed
during the Havana International
Biotechnology Congress in 2012.
Scientists from around the world
have been working to discover a cure
since HIV was discovered and an AIDS
pandemic declared.
Cuba’s research to develop a vaccine
date back to the 1990s.
A successful governmental program
has also been implemented to avoid
transmission of the disease.
In 2015, World Health Organization
declared that Cuba was the first country
in the world to have eradicated mother to
child HIV transmission. HIV transmission
through blood and blood products have
also been practically eliminated here.
The first reported HIV case in
Cuba was detected in 1985. More
than 26,000 cases have since been
diagnosed, according to National
Program for the Prevention and
Control of Sexually Transmitted
Diseases/HIV/AIDS statistics.
The
Public
Health
Ministry
informed The Havana Reporter that at
present, Cuba’s free universal public
health care system is treating more
than 17,000 HIV/AIDS patients with
antiretroviral therapy.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
5
A New Cuban Atlas
By Ana LauraARBESÚ
The Institute of Tropical Geography
(IGT, in Spanish), founded in 1962 by
Cuban geographer, archaeologist and
speleologist Núñez Jiménez – the brains
behind the ‘Amazon to
Caribbean Canoe
Voyage”
–
will celebrate
its
55th
anniversar y
with
a
number of
projects.
The most important is new edition of
Cuba’s National Atlas, which according to
its creators, is more than just a collection
of maps.
In line with today’s technological
developments,
geographers
have
perfected details in this new geophysical
and socioeconomic encyclopedia of
the island, a multimedia compilation
comprising audio-visual presentations,
images, charts, graphs and the most
advanced geographical and global
positioning systems (GPS) information.
The work, nicknamed 60th Anniversary,
will be launched on the very day that Cuba
celebrates
sixty years of Revolution.
IGT director, Luis Machín, told The
Havana Reporter that the atlas acquired its
name because “a new perspective on the
country’s geophysical and socioeconomic
data to help visualize the Revolution’s
achievements was required.”
The compilation – the third edition
since 1959 – supersedes the previous
editions which contained information that
had become outdated in certain areas.
Transformations have taken place
in the country in both socioeconomic
and natural landscapes that include the
restructuring of the sugarcane industry,
a reforestation process, land use and
protected areas.
According to the
expert, experiments
relating
to
national
territory
management
systems are especially
identified. He explained that after 30 years,
this is the primary point that the atlas
addresses.
The content also includes studies
on
risk,
vulnerabilities,
climate
change, environmental pollution, the
territorial organization of tourist zones,
comprehensive water basin management
and non-state management systems in
the agricultural and services sectors.
The
country’s
geographical
compilation was first edited in 1970 and
named “10th Anniversary”. A second
edition was published under the aegis of
the IGT in the late 1980s.
Specialists agree that both are true
monographs of great value for
those interested in the
transformations
that took place in
Cuba
between
1959 and the end
of the 1980s.
The authors of
the second edition – which
included 627 comprehensive maps of
different scales was awarded the Order
of Carlos J. Finlay, the highest recognition
bestowed by the Council of State for
scientific endeavors.
Cuba Hosts International Dermatology Seminar
By AmayaMARTÍNEZ
Specialists from Spain and nine other
nations concentrated on the latest
studies for the treatment and diagnosis of
skin conditions at a recent international
dermatology event in Havana.
Held over two days at Havana´s
Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, the
event was honored by the presence
of professors from the International
Society of Dermatologists and the
Spanish Association of Dermatologists
and Venereologists.
Delegates learned about, amongst
other things the use of nanotechnology
in skin disease treatments. The Cuban
scientist Fidel Castro Smirnov presented
a conference on the importance of the
discipline for diagnosing, monitoring
and controlling diseases and cancer in
particular.
Dermatology plays a leading role in
the provision of quality healthcare and
this is one of the principal challenges
facing the specialty in present-day
medicine, he noted.
The expert explained that the use of
nanotechnology is crucial for the early
diagnose of skin diseases and that it
facilitates the provision of personalized
treatments.
Cuba´s experience in the use of
Melagenina Plus to treat leukoderma
was another of the topics included on
the event’s program.
Developed
by
the
Placenta
Histotherapy Center, Melagenina Plus
is the only human placenta-based
product of its kind in the world.
Researchers from the Cuban Genetic
Engineering and Biotechnology Center
also referred to the proven effectiveness
of medicines such as Heberferón, a
synergic combination of interferon
alpha 2b and human recombinant
gammas used to fight basal carcinoma,
a type of skin cancer.
The nearly 200 delegates who
attended the seminar were informed
about the institution´s results in the
use of Heberprot-P, a drug for the
treatment of diabetic foot ulcers that
has recombinant human growth factor
as an active component.
According to Rigoberto García,
president of the organizing committee,
the forum provided room for scientific
exchanges between professionals from
various countries.
“We focused principally on the
current state of the specialty worldwide
and on Cuba’s notable achievements in
the field,” he told The Havana Reporter.
The event, in which specialists from
Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Panama,
Chile, Spain and Cuba participated,
was jointly organized by Cuba’s
Public Health Ministry and the Cuban
Association of Dermatologists.
6
SPORTS
Havana Triathlon a Resounding Success
PHOTO: Courtesy of juventudrebelde.cu
By AlejandroMARTÍNEZ
Athletes from Cuba, Colombia and the
United States took the honors at the
recently-concluded 3rd Havana Triathlon,
in which a record 750 competitors
participated.
Once again, this was opening event of
the season for most of the athletes from
both near and far.
On day one, Cuba’s Michel González
took the elite middle distance IberoAmerican Championship recognized
title (swimming, 1.9 km; cycling, 90 km,
and race, 21 km) in 3 hours, 56 minutes
and 12 seconds.
Marina Hemingway was the starting
point for the circuit that ended at the
capital city’s Plaza de las Banderas.
The Central American and Pan-
American medal holder and regular sprint
participant, competed this time around in
a longer distance as part of his preparation
strategy for future events this year and
to attain a higher number of points to
improve his world ranking position.
Having crossed the finishing line,
González told The Havana Reporter that
he had felt good throughout the day.
He gained a considerable advantage
in the first part of the event (swimming)
and maintained it until he crossed the
line, followed by the Italian, Alberto
Casadei (4:16.16) and the Costa Rican,
John Garita (4:23.02).
His compatriot Yadira Corona took
the women‘s title unopposed in a time
of 5:50.01.
She competed alone on the same
day that the popular sprint and middle
distance events in different categories
and for both genders were held.
The following day, the most attractive
of the triathlon events took center
stage: the elite sprint competition (750
m swimming; 20 km cycling, and 5 km
race) with Colombian athlete Carlos
Javier Quinchara retaining his title in a
time of 55:29.
He was followed home by Alexandre
Nobre from Portugal(55:32) and the
Japanese competitor Shiruba Taniguchi
(55:57), who started as clear favorite
because of his higher world ranking than
the rest of the field.
Quinchara however managed to
increase his pace in the closing stages of the
race to reclaim the triathlon crown he won
at the previous edition – also held in the
Hemingway Marina and surrounding areas.
The South American triathlete told
The Havana Reporter that his strategy was
based on maintaining speed throughput
the race in order to break away from as
many competitors as possible and if not
alone facing into the last lap , to give it all
in one final sprint.
He added that he met this
initial objective and was in the lead
group for all three segments of the
competition(swimming, cycling, race),
even though the Japanese did well
swimming and coped well with a wind
stronger than in 2016, particularly when
they were cycling and for some parts of
the race.
In the women’s category, the
United States took the three privileged
first places having been led across
the finishing line by Kaitlin Donner
(1:02.39), Erin Storie (1:03.08) and Sarah
Alexander (1:03.26).
Donner told this newspaper that
being first out of the water –something
that took her by surprise, having never
done so previously – ensured her
victory because from that point on well,
everything went well.
The 3rd edition of the Havana Triathlon
on February 25th and 26th of this year
has enhanced both the popularity and
the international standing of the event.
Proof is the growing interest amongst
ever more athletes in taking part and the
superior organizational levels attained
over it’s the three editions.
According to the President of the
International Triathlon Union, Marisol
Casado, the event is of a sufficient
caliber to serve a as World Cup event in
the near future.
Reporter that he has not taken any
decision about his future of yet, but that
at the age of 33 and with almost 20 years
as a professional footballer behind him,
he will probably soon retire from active
sports and start a coaching career.
He said also that people in his
country believed that participating in
the World Cup is the answer to all the
difficulties that the sport of football is
facing, but that the situation is in fact far
more serious.
“Kids are growing up without
values, we’re not correctly educating
the younger generations and I’m
not only referring to football. I think
we have to start again from scratch,
because the World Cup should be
representative of a program we simply
do not have right now.”
A Goal for Fidel
By LemayPADRÓN
When the Peruvian footballer Juan
Cominges dedicated a goal to his idol,
the Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel
Castro, he never imagined it would
evoke the impact that it did.
A few months later, he travelled to Cuba
to visit the homeland of the man who had
most inspired his ideological development.
“I was familiar with him through
books and had always wanted to visit
the country of his birth“ he said.
Cominges told this newspaper that
he was very excited as the trip drew
closer. He said, “I had come across the
word ‘Revolution’ in many places, but I
particularly identified with it through
the people here.”
At the headquarters of the Cuban
Institute for Friendship with People (ICAP,
in Spanish), the footballer confessed that
Fidel and Cuba’s capacity to overcome
any problem captivated him.
The Peruvian midfielder with
15 international caps expressed
enthusiastically
“Cuba
represents
generosity and rebelliousness and the
non-negotiation of values.“
On November 27th last, the Peruvian
second division Cienciano del Cusco
team player scored a penalty goal and
dedicated it to Cuba’s Commander in
Chief, who had passed away just two
days beforehand.
“Rebelliousness is essential if you
don’t want others to humiliate or
subjugate you and Fidel was a fine
example of that. His history is fascinating.
Over the past 15 years I have collected
everything I could that relates to him.”
He shared that he had learnt about
Fidel’s death through a text message
from his sister and was surprised by the
depth of sadness he experienced.
“The idea of paying a tribute to
him came to mind, so I wrote “Hasta la
Victoria Siempre, Fidel” (Ever onward to
victory, Fidel) with a highlighter on the
back of vest I wore.”
During the April to November 2016
season Cominges played as a regular
in 29 of his teams 30 games, scoring on
only three occasions.
His last goal was undoubtedly the
most special.
He describes it as “ good luck to have
been both awarded the penalty and
selected to take it, because the regular
penalty kicker didn’t play that day.”
The image from the 29th minute of
the match went viral globally and made
him famous.
He was fortunate that his gesture
didn’t result in any reprisal on the part of
his club, which at the height of its success
won the South American Cup (2003) and
the Re-Cup (2004).
The footballer decided to donate the
famous vest he wore at the Inca Garcilaso
de la Vega stadium (Cusco) to the Cuban
Sports Institute (Inder, in Spanish) which
in turn presented him with several gifts.
The midfield player told The Havana
SPOTLIGHT ON
7
SPOTLIGHT ON
Havana‘s Most Man-Like Christ
Havana’s Christ lacks that
miraculous aura that surrounds
similar images in Cuba and
around the world.
The origin of the Havana
Christ is , although softened
by an interesting anecdote, a
pretty sober tale indeed.
On the afternoon of March
13, 1957, a group of young
revolutionaries, intent on killing
dictator
Fulgencio
Batista
attacked the Presidential Palace.
The First Lady of the
Republic promised that if her
husband survived their daring
assault, she would order the
construction of an image of
Christ on a site visible from
every part of the city.
Her
commission
was
eventually
unveiled
on
December 25, 1958, just one
week before the cruel dictator
fled before the triumphant
Revolution.
The ceremony was the last
public act in which Batista
participated.
When sculptor Jilma Madera
was entrusted with the creation
of the Christ, she cheekily
decided to use her lover of the
time as her model.
Her Christ has a very
masculine
appearance:
muscular arms, formidable
hands, a defiant look, a well
defined chin and sensual lips.
This is in fact a very Cuban
Christ that looks over the city
from the across the bay, his left
hand resting on his chest and
his right bestowing his blessing
on the capital.
The massive sculpture is
15m high and rests on a 3-metre
pedestal.
It is on top of a hill between
the San Carlos de la Cabaña
fortress and the environs of
the then National Observatory
– today, the Institute of
Meteorology.
It stands a total height of
79m above sea level, making
the Christ visible from different
points of the capital city.
Because of its location, the
Christ also welcomes and bids
farewell to all vessels entering
and leaving Havana bay.
Sculpted
from
Carrara
marble, it is the highest and
one of the largest of its type
in the Caribbean and the
biggest created by a woman
for outdoor exhibition.
Jilma Madera studied at
Havana’s San Alejandro School
of Fine Arts under renowned
sculptor Juan José Sicre, who
created the image of José
Martí, erected at the Revolution
Square.
Although Jilma was always
proud of her Christ, she was
never reluctant to confess
that her most prized work is
a bust of Martí erected at the
beginning of the 1950s at
the top of Cuba’s highest
mountain, Pico Turquino,
on the initiative of Sierra
Maestra heroine and Fidel’s
closest collaborator, Celia
Sánchez,.
Shortly before her death
in Havana at the age of 80,
Jilma Madera exhibited her
sculptures in small format –
works she had undertaken in
secret and which astonished
both her public and critics.
Today, almost 60 years
after its unveiling, Jilma
Madera’s Havana Christ still
stands tall on an esplanade
that Havana locals have made
a favorite place in afternoons
and evenings, enjoying
ocean breezes and the
blessings of the manly
and
sensuously
crafted right
hand of
their
Christ.
Paco Ignacio’s Love of Cuban History
Shortly after a presentation of various
of his volumes at the 26th Havana
International Book Fair that closed in
mid February, the renowned researcher,
narrator and political activist, Paco
Ignacio Taibo II, told The Havana Reporter
about his profound interest in Cuban
history and culture.
The Spanish-Mexican writer and
journalist revealed that he plans to make
a documentary film about the founders
of the Prensa Latina News Agency (PL).
„I want to open it with a conversation
that occurs with Ricardo Masetti, Gabriel
García Márquez and Rodolfo Walsh in one
of the PL offices when Che comes in with
a bodyguard and the events that follow.
It deals with an incident that García
Márquez himself understatedly described
as „most fortunate“.
Masetti discovered an encoded
teletype paper roll with detailed
information about a CIA plot to land
mercenaries on the island.
“Prensa Latina subsequently became
involved in an investigation into the Bay of
Pigs invasion. I want to tell what happened;
the story fascinates me,” Taibo said.
All three PL founders planned to
infiltrate the mercenary force and to
write about their preparations for an
armed invasion at the Retalhuleu farm in
northern Guatemala.
PHOTO: FotosPL
By ElizabethBORREGO
Even though they never made it,
the discovery, as García Márquez said
years later, warned Cuba’s revolutionary
government several months in advance
about how and where the mercenary
troops planning to disembark at Playa
Giron were being trained.
Prensa Latina was founded on Fidel
Castro´s initiative in 1959 to inform
about events taking place across Latin
America generally and the course of
the Cuban revolutionary process in
particular.
Masseti was its president during its
first years and Che Guevara was one of
its principal driving forces.
Taibo´s works on historical literary
and
documentary
projects
has
facilitated collaborations with the
TELESUR multinational TV news channel
on projects such as his “Ernesto Guevara,
also known as Che” series.
He is also responsible for initiatives
such as the “Para Leer en Libertad” project,
which aimed to encourage reading and to
make Mexico’s most important happenings
throughout the ages more widely known.
He said „history is fundamental. It
tells where we have come from, but the
problem is that it turns cold if when use it in
monotonous or overtly formal ways”.
In response to a question about his
relationship with Cuba, the researcher said:
„the connection with Cuba is very pleasing.
There are a few countries in the world
where I feel at home, and Cuba is certainly
one of them.”
Paco Ignacio Taibo II added that the
Casa de las Américas, a Cuban institution for
socio-cultural integration on the American
continent and around the world, is to
publish his adventure novel The Return of
Malaysian Tigers.
A reprint of his “Ernesto Guevara, also
known as Che” book was also released in
Cuba in November 2016 by the Casa de las
Américas publishing house.
Referring to this professional working
relationship in Cuba he said „it is very close
and destined to become even more so.
Taibo´s current work focuses
primarily on 19th century Mexico
and he has plans to write a novel in
the near future about advocates for
agrarian reform.
PHOTOs: FotosPL
By CiroBIANCHI ROSS
8
ENTERTAINMENT& LISTINGS
TEATHER
TEATHER
Bertolt Brecht
GETTING
(THR is not responsible for any changes made by sponsoring organizations)
By MaylínZALDIVAR
[email protected]
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
Casa Victor Hugo
RECOMMENDS
•Alexander Abreu
and Havana de
Primera Band
(salsa) at Casa de la
Música de Miramar.
Trianón
Museo Nacional de Bellas
Artes (National Museum of
Fine Arts)
O´Reilly e/ Habana y Aguiar.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 7 866-7591.
Sat. Mar. 25 (5 pm): Concert by
CANTUS youth choir, conducted
by Miguel Zequeira.
Calle 13 esq. I. Vedado. Tel: 7
832-9359. Fri. Mar. 24, Sat. 25
(8:30 pm) and Sun. 26 (5 pm): “El
ultimo fuego” (The Last Fire) by
(Estudio Teatral Aldaba).
Casa del Alba
Cultural(Cultural Center)
Calle Línea e/ C y D, Vedado. Tel:
7 833-2151. Thu. Mar. 23 (6 pm):
Vicente Feliú (trova music). Sun.
26 (5 pm): Show De Nuestra
América. Direction: Con-Trastes
Duo. Guest: Harpist Mirtha
Batista.
Teatro Raquel Revuelta
Pabellón Cuba
Línea e/ Paseo y A. Vedado. Tel:
7 831-9304. Fri. Mar. 24, Sat. 25
(8:30 pm) and Sun. 26 (5 pm):
Harry Potter: The Untold Story
by (Teatro el Público).
MUSIC
MUSIC
Fabrica de Arte Cubano
(FAC)
Calle Refugio e/ Zulueta y
Monserrate. Habana Vieja. Tel: 7
861-0241.Sala Teatro del Museo.
Sat. Apr. 1 (7 pm): Concert by
Pedro Luis Ferrer.
Las Carolinas
Amargura e/ Mercaderes y San
Ignacio. Habana Vieja. Tel: 7 8608280. Sun. Apr. 2 (6 pm): Concert
by Spanish singer Julia León.
Calle Aguiar esq. Obrapía.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 7 862-3243.
Sat. Mar. 25 (4 pm): Show
“Fiesta Galante” performed by
countertenor Lesby Bautista
and pianist Yanner Rascón.
Iglesia de Paula
MUSEUMS AND
GALLERIES
MUSEUMS
AND GALLERIES
Fabrica de Arte Cubano
(FAC)
Calle 26 entre 11 y 13,
Vedado. Tel: 7 838-2260. Sala
Santiago Feliu. Through Sun.
Apr. 30: Collective exhibition
“Estampida” (Stampede).
Basílica Menor de San
Francisco de Asís
Línea esquina a B. Vedado. Tel:
7 833-0225. Fri. Mar. 24, Sat. 25,
Sun. 26 (8:30 pm): “Manera de
usar el corazón por fuera” (How
to Show Your Heart) by (Teatro
D’ Dos).
Casa Juan Gualberto
Gomez
Empedrado e/ Habana y
Compostela, Habana Vieja. Tel:
7866-4114. Through March:
Exhibition dedicated to the
84th death anniversary of Juan
Gualberto Gomez and the 15th
anniversary of founding of the
institution.
Teatro Adolfo Llauradó
Calle 11 e/ D y E. Vedado. Tel:
7 832-5373. Fri. Mar. 24, Sat. 25
(8:30 pm) and Sun. 26 (5 pm):
“Desamparados” (Vulnerable) by
(Teatro del Espacio Interior).
Sede del Teatro Buendía.
Loma y 39. Nuevo Vedado. Tel:
7 881-6689. Fri. Mar. 24, Sat. 25
(8:30 pm) and Sun. 26 (5 pm):
Sarah Bernhardt by (Estudio
Teatral Buendía).
Calle 23 esq. N. Vedado. Fri.
Mar. Fri. Mar. 24 (5 pm): Silvio
Alejandro (trova music). Guests:
Juan Carlos Pérez and Erick
Méndez.
Calle 26 entre 11 y 13, Vedado.
Tel: 7 838-2260. Thu. Mar. 23
to Sun. 26: 4th edition of the
Havana World Music Festival.
Oficios e/ Amargura y
Churruca, Habana Vieja. Tel: 7
862-9683.Sat.Mar. 25 (6 pm):
Camerata Romeu chamber
music ensemble, conducted
by Zenaida Romeu. Thu. 30 (6
pm): Chabuca Limeña Concert,
dedicated to Peruvian artist
Chabuca Granda.
Paula esq. San Ignacio, La
Habana Vieja. Tel: 7 860-4210. Fri.
Mar. 31 (7 pm): Concert by Vocal
Luna women choir, conducted
by Wilmia Verrier.
Casa Africa (Africa House
Museum)
Obrapía e/ San Ignacio y
Mercaderes. Habana Vieja.
Tel:7 861-5798. Through March:
Museum exhibition to mark the
independence anniversary of
the Republic of Ghana.
ENTERTAINMENT& LISTINGS
AROUND
Museo de Arte Colonial
(Colonial Art Museum)
San Ignacio. Habana Vieja. Tel:7
862-6440. UntilApr.10 (4 pm):
Exhibition Mechanic Legends by
ceramist Alejandro Cordovés.
Museo Numismático
Obispo e/ Aguiar y Habana.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 7 861-5811.
Through March: Exhibition
¨Mythology in Numismatics.¨
Casa Simón Bolívar
Casa del Benemérito de las
Américas Benito Juárez
El Sauce
Obrapía e/ Mercaderes y Oficios.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 7 861-8166.
Tue. Mar. 28 (5 pm): Photo
exhibition “America, Lens of
Solidarity.”
9
22nd edition of International Dance Festival in
Urban Settings “Old Havana, a City in Motion.”
Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín
Obrapía e/ Oficios y Mercaderes.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 7 861-3843.
Through March: Exhibition of
Ecuadorian dolls.
Factoría Habana
Avenida 9na e/ 164 y 120. Playa.
Tel: 7 204-7114. Sun. Mar. 26
(5pm): Frank Delgado and his
club “Máquina de la Melancolía”.
Casa de la Música de
Miramar
Mercaderes e/ Obra Pía y
Lamparilla. Habana Vieja. Tel: 7
861-3988. Tue. Mar. 21 (9:30 am):
Opening of the exhibition “The
Power of Creating: From Nature
to Crafts.”
O´Reilly e/ Habana y Aguiar.
Habana Vieja. Tel: 7 864- 9518.
Through Sun. Apr. 30 (10 am):
Design exhibition “Diógenes y la
luz” by Octavio Cesar Marín and
José Ángel Toirac.
Vitrina de Valonia
NIGHTCLUBS &
CABARETS
NIGHTCLUBS & CABARETS
Bertolt Brecht
Calle 13 esq.I. Vedado. Tel: 7 8329359. Thu. Mar. 23, 30 (11 pm):
Deep Party. Electronic music
project.
Jardines del 1830
Calle 5ta y 94. Miramar. Tel: 7
203-7676. Tue. Mar. 21, 28 (5 pm):
Alexander Abreu and Havana
de Primera band (salsa). Tue.21,
28 (11pm): Pedrito Calvo and
La Nueva Justicia band (salsa).
Wed. 22, 29 (11 pm): Adalberto
Álvarez y su Son (salsa). Fri. Mar.
24, 31 (11 pm): José Luis Cortés
and NG La Banda (salsa). Sun. 26
(5 pm): Bamboleo band (salsa).
Salón Rojo del Hotel Capri
Calle 21 e/ M y N. Vedado. Fri.
Mar. 24, 31 (5 pm): Paulo FG and
the project “Sonando en Cuba”
(salsa).
DANZA
DANCE
Plaza de Armas
Obispo y Mercaderes.Habana
Vieja. Tel: 7 860-9530. Wed. Mar.
29 (9 pm): Opening of the 22nd
International Dance Festival in
Urban Settings ¨Old Havana, a
City in Motion.¨
Teatro Martí
San Ignacio e/ Muralla y
Teniente Rey. Plaza Vieja. Tel: 7
868-3561. Thu. Mar. 23 (5 pm):
Exhibition by strip cartoonist
Alexander Izquierdo.
Sala de la Diversidad
Calle Amargura e/ Mercaderes
y San Ignacio. Tel: 7 866-4035.
Through March 24: Painting
exhibition by Andrés Bazabe
Hernández.
Calle Malecón e/ 20 y 22.
Vedado. Tel: 7 838- 3090 Sun. 26
(5 pm): Project “Casino Dancing
for All.”
Date: March 29 to April 2
Main venues: Plaza de Armas (Arms Square), Plaza San Francisco
de Asís (St. Francis of Assisi Square), Plaza Vieja (Old Square),
Rumiñahui and Simón Bolívar Parks; Oswaldo Guayasamín House,
Benito Juárez House, Africa House Museum, Obra Pía House and
Vitrina de Valonia.
Other venues: Streets Mercaderes, Oficios, Amargura and
Obrapía, the Spanish-American Culture Center, National Fine
Arts Museum, Sala de la Diversidad exhibition hall; Fábrica de
Arte Cubano cultural center, Centro de la Danza (Dance Center)
and Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales (Center for the
Development of Visual Arts)
The 12th edition of
Dragones y Zulueta. Habana
Vieja. Tel: 7866-7153. Fri. Mar. 24
y Sat. 25 (8:30 pm) and Sun. 26
(5 pm): Dance and music show
(flamenco) by Ecos Company.
the Dance Festival
Gran Teatro de La Habana
Festival) will be
Alicia Alonso (Grand Theater of
Havana)
Paseo de Martí esq. boulevard
San Rafael. Centro Habana.
Tel: 7 861-7391. Sala García
Lorca. Fr. Mar. 24, Sat. 25, Sun.
26 (8:30 pm): Show Amaranto
(Irene Rodríguez Spanish Dance
Company).
City in Motion
(Street Dance
held in parallel.
Inauguration: March 9
at 5:00pm at Centro de
Desarrollo de las Artes
Visuales (Center for the
Development of Visual
Arts).
10
CULTURE
Love Music from Haydée and Pablo Milanés
By IbisFRADE
As a young girl, Haydée Milanés loved
finding her father, Pablo Milanés, working
on new compositions in his studio with
his guitar and cassette deck close to hand.
The image, combined with the
example and talent of this giant of the
Cuban trova genre, were ingrained in
her memory and inspired an adult life
dedicated to music.
She confesses, “I recall my father often
teasing me with some melody or other,
so that we would sing it together, almost
always as a duet.
My entire childhood and adolescence
experience ensured that music became part
of who I am in a deep and wonderful way.”
Now, her sweet melodious voice joins
that of her father on 11 numbers that
honor the songwriter in their new CD,
‘Amor”, available on digital platforms.
The singer told The Havana Reporter
that she had for years been singing other
people’s songs, but that it is her father
who has most influenced her.
She said that when she had matured
sufficiently and had come a certain
distance alone, she decided to engage
with his compositions, a serious
commitment, close to her own heart that
brought her back through childhood
roots and her whole life.
“Working on this album with my
father was beautiful, it was a way for me
to somehow honor his creativity and to
express my gratitude for everything he
has taught me.
Sharing with him is a supreme joy that
allows me continue to benefit from his
experience, from his musicianship and his
interpretations.”
She adds that it was beautiful and
most enjoyable to feel the affinity
between them.
This loving daughter emphasizes time
and again that the Amor album of Haydee
and Pablo Milanes duets, is a tribute to both
Cuban music and the songs of her father.
She fondly remembers growing up
listening to his unique voice and the
opportunity to be present at sessions in
her home, where musicians gathered to
play traditional son and trova tunes.
From the start of my career, it was
obvious in my music that I was my father’s
daughter. That is why I sang the songs of
others and experimented with diverse
genres in search of a style and direction
of my own, she explains.
“But one of my most cherished dreams has
always been to share music with my father.”
It was immensely pleasurable for
Haydee to rediscover great numbers
for this CD, some unknown to a wider
audience that she wanted to bring to
light, respecting their essential and
beautiful nature.
„There are people of our time who
have listened to some of the songs,
people very familiar with his repertoire,
who really appreciate being exposed to
them from a different perspective.
One of my fundamental desires
was to reestablish the guitar as the
primordial instrument to accompany my
father’s compositions.”
The artist also wanted to reveal
the original versions of certain songs
recorded in different styles.
The 11 songs, some virtually unknown
and others firm favorites like his first
single, Para vivir, were written by Pablo
Milanes between 1960 and 1980.
The guitar takes center stage
throughout most of this musical dialogue
of laughter, tears and storytelling
between father and daughter, uniting
them to embark on a songful journey
through a lifetime’s work.
Haydée Milanés has a series of
appearances planned this year to
promote the disc, starting in Mexico’s
Plaza Condesa on March 31st.
The new CD is available from the
iTunes and Spotify sites.
Museum Houses Important
Egyptian Collection
Havana’s National Fine Arts Museum
(MNBA, in Spanish) exhibits in its
Egyptian art halls over 100 pieces that
offer both national and foreign visitors
insights into life and death in Pharaonic
Egypt.
The recent completion of a
detailed catalogue has ensured that
the institution’s collection is now
recognized as the most important in
Latin America.
The study encompasses every
piece, including recent discoveries and
offers historical introductions to each
of the periods.
In addition to its scientific nature,
the text includes information of great
value to students, particularly Cubans
with an interest in Egyptology.
The results of over one year´s work
by Cuban Egyptian Art specialist and
museum curator Aymée Chicuri and
Egyptologists Milagros Álvarez and
Irene Morfini from Spain and Italy
respectively, are compiled in a single
volume, available at the MNBA Universal
Arts Building.
PHOTO: Courtesy of radio enciclopedia
By AlainPLANELLS
Chicuri told The Havana Reporter
that the catalogue details the
particulars of the inventory started by
Dr Joaquin Gumá Herrera, Count of
Lagunillas, (1909-1980) far beyond the
boundaries of the biggest island of the
Caribbean.
“It will also become a tool for
specialists from other museums and
universities around the world, which
will be able to access our thesaurus and
establish of exchange and collaboration
mechanisms, she said.”
The Egyptologist from the Canary
Islands, Milagros Álvarez, praised the
work of the Cuban specialists by saying
“we are not the ones who created
this catalogue; the work is the result
of cooperation between museum
specialists and staff, who saved us from
long distance hazards and helped us
during our three trips to Havana.”
Álvarez stressed the significance of a
collection almost completely unknown
to date by Egyptology scholars of the
world.
The compilation of the catalogue
in both English and Spanish is set to
become an important reference text.
Álvarez,
who
together
with
Morfiniare is a member of the CanaryToscana
Archaeological
Mission,
explained that “one interesting aspect
of the collection is that the large
numbers of pieces cover all Egypt’s
history, from the prehistoric to the
Greco-Roman period.”
Aurelio González, the Canary
Government’s Deputy Advisor on
Culture and Sports , said at the
presentation of the catalogue that
the collection will become known and
admired worldwide and will ensure the
collection is included on the cultural
itinerary of visitors to Cuba.
PHOTO FEATURE
11
Havana’s Jose
Marti Museum
By Livia RODRÍGUEZ
PHOTOs: Vladimir Molina
Inaugurated on January 28, 1925, the Jose Martí Museum
in Havana is home to the world´s most important
collection of items relating to the life and work of Cuba’s
“Apostle” and national hero.
More than 80,000 people pass through the doors of
the humble abode where this man of universal vision
was born on January 28, 1853, every year.
Built at the beginning of the 19th century, the
building maintains the characteristics that were typical
of the period’s houses: mortar walls and tiled roof.
Seven exhibition halls display personal items from his
childhood, adolescence and early manhood, from when
he lived in exile and connected to works he undertook
for prestigious cultural institutions.
A designated National Monument, the Jose Marti
house/museum recreates the atmospheres of his New
York office and his activities as a Revolutionary Cuban
Party delegate.
There is also a glass cabinet and panel displaying
personal effects that belonged to his son, José Francisco.
Visitors can also learn about his voyage from
Haitian Cape, his arrival in Cuba aboard the steamship
Nordstrand and his death in combat on May 19, 1895 in
Dos Rivers.
Between its foundation and 959, the museum only
received support from a group of Cubans who identified
with Marti´s ideals.
When the Fidel Castro led Revolution triumphed on
January 1, 1959, efforts to preserve the institution and to
broaden its social and community impact were intensified.
At the present time, the museum’s nationwide work
extends to even the most remote and isolates corners of the
Island, through a range of cultural and educational programs.
12
POLITICS
The Presidential Reelection Issue in Bolivia
The question of President Evo Morales´s
reelection is once again the focus of
attention in Bolivia, following multitudinous
demonstrations on February 21st to
mark the first anniversary of the 2016
constitutional referendum.
Countless marches were held in La
Paz and other principal cities nationwide,
such as Santa Cruz, El Alto, Cochabamba,
Oruro, Potosí and Tarija, in support of
the president´s candidature in the 2019
elections.
Organized by social movements, the
demonstrations also condemned the
media campaign that influenced the of
the February 21 referendum (21F) results,
which is now known in Bolivia as “The Day
of Lies.Ӭ
The opposition also marked the date
with calls for online mobilizations on
social networks as part of a “Bolivia Said
No” campaign.
On February 21, 2016, Bolivians voted on
a constitutional reform to allow presidents
and vice presidents be reelected for two
consecutive terms.
Despite the historic levels support
enjoyed by the Morales administration for
its achievements, the No vote won out over
the Yes in by the tight margin of 51 to 49.
Analysts and political leaders attributed
the results directly to a smear campaign
orchestrated by the right and the U.S.
embassy in order to undermine the
PHOTO: Apimages
By CarmenESQUIVEL
“center of gravity” of the process of change:
President Morales.
Prior to the referendum, Carlos Valverde,
a journalist understood to be an undercover
agent in the service of the United States,
had accused Morales of influence peddling
in favor of a former partner, Gabriela Zapata,
with whom he allegedly had a son.
The Morales government was under
a fraudulent siege from the moment
the campaign against the president was
launched on February 3rd until Valverde
himself admitted on his twitter account
on May 16th that the son of Zapata and
Morales did not exist.
According to Government Minister of
Carlos Romero“it was a plot orchestrated by
analysts, journalists, opposition politicians
and lawyers who made the whole thing
between Zapata and the president up, lied
about the existence of the child and even
hired a boy to support their fabrication.”
The entire campaign was promoted
from the US with the active participation of
CNN in the story through a trip by journalist
Fernando del Rincón to Bolivia to film a
report about the child in order to create
a domestic and international scandal to
tarnish the president´s image, credibility
and moral standing.
One year after the events, and after
all the lies were uncovered, the minister
considers that social movements have
now recuperated their capacity to unite for
action.
He added that the February 21 marches
had demonstrated the people´s support for
President Evo and his process of change.
The dismantling of the smear campaign
also gave the Movement to Socialism (MAS)
an opportunity to raise the reelection issue
in a congress last December in the Montero
municipality, Santa Cruz.
That
congress
identified
four
procedures that would allow the president
to be reelected in the 2019 elections.
The first proposes to change Article 168
of the Constitution with the approval of the
Pluri-national Legislative Assembly and the
support of at least 20 percent of registered
voters.
Another alternative is to modify that
article through a law adopted in Parliament
by a two thirds majority.
According to the third, if the president
resigns six months prior to completing his
term on January 22, 2020, he could run as
candidate in the elections.
The fourth option would be to submit
his candidacy through an interpretation
of the so-called Law of Laws by the
Constitutional Court.
Presidential Elections in Ecuador
PHOTO: Apimages
By SinaiCÉSPEDES
Ecuador returns to the polls on April 2nd to
elect a successor to President Rafael Correa,
in a contest between Lenín Moreno and
Guillermo Lasso - who attained 39.35% and
28.09% votes respectively in the first round
on February 19th .
Moreno, representing Movimiento
Alianza PAIS – the party in power - and
Lasso of CREO-SUMA, face the 12,816,698
voters who will decide the nation’s destiny
for the next four years.
According to analysts and political
scientists, this battle is not only between
two candidates, it is also between two
models: one that favors strengthening
the citizen revolution and gains made
over 10 years and another for changes to
supposedly to improve life in the country,
although just, how has not been defined.
Both sides now only have 20 days to
campaign with a 40% of the first round fund
allocation limit or 950 thousand dollars for
electoral publicity and advertising.
Between March 10th and 30th, the
candidates and their supporters will
return to the towns of this South American
nation to capture the votes that prevented
Moreno being declared the official winner
despite taking the first round and that
Lasso requires to prove the electorates
alleged rejection of the so-called “policy of
continuity”.
This new battle is also characterized by
the contrasting calls of the party in power
for peace, unity and the preservation of
achievements attained and opposition
calls to not recognize results and to
generate chaos and violence through false
accusations of alleged fraud by the National
Electoral Council – the main electoral body.
In the first round, the leaders of eight
other political parties participated including
Cynthia Viteria of the Social-Christian party,
General (R) Paco Moncayo, from Acuerdo
Nacional para el Cambio, Dalo Bucaram,
son of former president Abdala Bucaram
and the Fuerza Ecuador candidate and Dr
Iván Espinel the from Fuerza Compromiso
Social, who obtained 16.31, 6.72, 4.82 and
3.18 percent, respectively.
Those who polled less than 1% were
Patricio Zuquilanda, from Partido Sociedad
Patriótica(0.77)and Washington Pesántez,
from Movimiento Unión Ecuatoriana (0.75).
The second round will be between
Alianza PAIS, who took 74 of the 137 seats
in dispute for the National Assembly, has
a majority in the Andean Parliament and
enjoys massive popular support and the
Social-Christians supported CREO-SUMA,
who want to roll back some achievements
attained thanks to the abolition of certain
laws.
The voters will definitively decide by a
majority of votes who will succeed Rafael
Correa, who leads the nation until May 24th,
when the next Head of State takes office.
During a recent inauguration of social
works, the Ecuadorian president called
on people to consolidate the former Vice
President Moreno’s first round triumph, this
time with a 2 million vote majority.
ECONOMY
13
Clean Energy Open to Foreign Investment
By María Julia MAYORAL
The government minister for Energy and Mines here,
Alfredo López Valdés, has stated that investments
envisaged in the Cuban renewable energy sector until
2030 will cover the installation of 755-megawatts (MW)
bioelectrical plants based on the present potential of 22
sugarcane mills.
“By then, the country aspires to be generating 24%
of domestic electricity from renewable sources and the
sugarcane sector will play a key role in this regard, by
supplying up to 14%.”
According to Bárbara Hernández, an engineer
with the Azcuba group, the generation capacity of the
bioelectrical plants linked to the sugarcane sector could
reach 860mw in 25 plants nationwide, from the western
province of Artemisa to Santiago de Cuba in the east
These installations use the biomass residues from the
milling process, known as sugarcane bagasse.
Hernández highlighted that since 2014, Azcuba
has negotiated the assembly of 11 bioelectrical plants,
representing 60% of the 755mw foreseen in the
government endorsed plan. Four are state-run and
seven are the result of foreign investment.
According to the minister, the investment program
also foresees the installation of 700-MW photovoltaic
parks in different provinces.
All the projects are backed by pre-feasibility studies
and guaranteed inter-connection with the national grid.
He added that there are presently 22 photovoltaic
parks with a 37mw capacity in operation and other seven
with a capacity of 15mw will be concluded this year.
“We have credit worth 150 million dollars for the
construction of 40 photovoltaic parks, some of which
will be finished this year.
We also have a Chinese donation and interest-free credits
that will allow the addition of a further 9 MW this year.”
The minister explained that by the end of this year,
17% of photovoltaic energy generation foreseen in the
2030 development plan will be in operation.
Another loan from the Renewable Energy Agency will
facilitate the creation of other four parks with a capacity
of 10mw and credit conceded to the electronics industry
will result in a further 40mw from 16 parks.
Four parks with a 50mw capacity have been
provisionally sanctioned at the Mariel Special
Development Zone and their paperwork is already at
well advanced stage.
The minister said that he “envisages construction works
starting this year, without any complications or delays.”
The program also includes the generation of 633 MW
through wind energy. “At present, the installation of 14
parks to be installed in the north-eastern region of the
country is undergoing negotiation,”
the minister commented.
Three will be state-run: Herradura I, Herradura II and
Rio Seco I, all in the Jesús Menéndez municipality, in
province of Las Tunas.
The rest will be developed with foreign investment.
López Valdés said that in order to guarantee the
reinforcement of the national electrical system, four
blocks of 200mw will be installed in thermoelectric
power plants.
The first of these should be synchronized with the
electro-energetic system in 2022 and located at the
Santa Cruz del Norte thermoelectric plant, in the western
province of Mayabeque.
Engineer and chairman of the Ministry of Industries’
Electronics Group, Vicente de la O Levy, explained that
the purpose of changing the energy matrix foresees
both investment in industrial infrastructure through long
term credits and the participation of foreign companies.
La O Levy noted that an example of this is a
photovoltaic panel and electronic component factory
undergoing an important expansion, to be concluded by
the end of 2018, to increase the annual production levels.
According to governmental assessments, new
investments in the industrial field should guarantee the
sustainability of each of the clean energy projects, contribute
to the substitution of imports and the create jobs.
The Healing Waters of San Diego de los Baños
By AdrianaORTIZ
San Diego de los Baños in the easternmost
province of Pinar del Río, has Cuba’s oldest
spa, famous for the healing powers of its hot
mineral waters.
The area, renowned for exuberant
vegetation and an abundant variety of
animal life, lies between the Rosario and
Güira mountain ranges.
The discovery of the spring dates back to
colonial times and since 1891 they have been
in permanent use as a natural health spa.
Legend suggests that this miraculous
“eye of water” was first discovered by a black
slave who cured himself there.
According to the director of the spa, Dr
Dagoberto Blanco, throughout the year -and even during cold spells -- the springs’
temperatures only ever fluctuate between
36 and 38 degrees Celsius and that the water
contains sulfur, sulfate, calcium, sodium,
chlorine, magnesium and fluoride.
The place is often frequented by both
Cubans and foreign holidaymakers - mainly
Latin Americans and Europeans - both for
reasons of health and purely for pleasure.
The doctor explained that sulfur
is absorbed through the skin and the
respiratory tract and once assimilated, it
travels all though the body.
The same happens with other chemical
elements present in the water, ensuring they
reach the body without any alteration.
Absorption through the skin is faster and
better in comparison to drugs that include
similar components.
Because of their composition, the San
Diego de los Baños springs can be especially
beneficial for those seeking relaxing, antiinflammatory, painkilling, antiseptic and
cicatrizing effects.
The specialist recalled that before some
drugs had been created, one of the most
frequent applications of sulfurous thermal
waters was as an antiseptic to heal wounds
or to treat any kind of infection.
Although health centers and other
modern alternatives are very popular, they
cannot offer the advantages well-preserved
natural spas can.
“Even when they seem to be the same,
there’s a fundamental distinction between
the two: water quality and components.
Health centers use running water and spas
are essentially health institutions that use
the mineral-medicinal properties spring
water,” he explained.
For this reason,he added,treatments with
this type of water maintain their validity and
have high therapeutic values in pathologies
of the osteomioarticular and dermatological
systems, in addition to a good number of
degenerative diseases of the central nervous
system.
Such is the case, for example, with
arthropathies, osteoarthritis, rheumatism
and dermatological diseases, including
dermatitis and psoriasis.
Medicinal waters are also beneficial for
the treatment of patients suffering the after
effects of orthopedic trauma or brain and
vascular diseases, such as brain infarct or
ischemia, which cause transitory limitations.
Mineral-medicinal waters are a drug
that nature gives up spontaneously and
they can also be of great importance for the
treatment of aging related diseases.
Visiting San Diego de los Baños is not only
beneficial for those with specific health issues.
The relaxing and analgesic effects of
the water also help reduce the onset of
degenerative processes in the body and
improve the quality of life.
There are references to the use of mineralmedicinal waters in Cuba by aboriginal
people and slaves prior to the 17th century.
Later, even the establishment of some
settlements related to such springs.
Towns like Santa María del Rosario
(1702) in Havana and San Diego de los
Baños (1775) in Pinar del Río, owe their
births to such miraculous springs, which
heal wounds, ease pain and cure diseases.
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ECONOMY
Cuba and Angola Renew Cooperation
By JuliaCRUZATA
Cuba and Angola renewed their wideranging program of bilateral exchanges in
key sectors for both, such as construction,
transportation, geology and mining,
finance, energy, telecommunications and
the biopharmaceutical industry.
The document was signed by
Cuban Vice President, Ricardo Cabrisas,
and Minister Manuel da Cruz Neto,
Head of Angola’s Civil House at the
Presidency, who led their respective
official delegations at the closing of the
XIII session of the Intergovernmental
Commission for Economic and Scientific-
Technical Collaboration in Havana on
February 24th.
The intergovernmental commission
had responsibility for the renewal of
work mechanisms for mutually favorable
agreements and to establish systematic
cross-level work lines that ensure
definitive development strategies.
Both countries agreed on the
evaluations of the commission’s working
groups, which critically analyzed both
progress and deficiencies to define new
short, medium and long term goals.
Da Cruz Neto highlighted Angola’s
desire to revitalize bilateral ties and
to reinforce cooperation in key areas,
which also cover elementary and higher
education, health, agriculture, fishing,
economic planning, industry, urban
planning, social communication, the
environment and information system
technologies.
He acknowledged the unique value of
Cuba’s cooperation throughout the years
in the health, teaching and scientifictechnical research sectors, which he
considered most beneficial because the
formation of human resources is essential
for sustainable development.
“We intend to maintain permanent
agreements in each field and to
create conditions that facilitate the
strengthening of mutually beneficial
cooperation.”
He also stated an interest in fostering
the creation of joint ventures and spaces
for public and private entities in projects
and programs to increase investments
and revitalize trade.
Cabrisas, who is also Minister of
Economics and Planning, said that
Cuba is prioritizing the diversification
of its income sources, the development
of commercial and cooperation ties
with other countries and increased
international tourism and foreign
investment.
He noted in this regard that “joint
efforts on oil installations in Cuba’s
Exclusive Economic Zone in the Gulf of
Mexico are really important to us.”
According to the Vice President, the
past few years have been very difficult
for the Cuban economy due to the
international crisis, the impact of climate
change, the persistence of the economic,
commercial and financial blockade
imposed by the US and financial
limitations resulting from decreased
export incomes raising from fallen prices.
He added that in spite of such
challenges, the country had strictly
complied with its obligations arising from
foreign debt reorganization, “which has
strengthened the gradual recovery of our
international credibility, even though it
was impossible for us to avoid temporary
delays in payments to suppliers.”
The restart of the Cuba-Angola
Intergovernmental Commission --previously
convened in 2006 -- “has created an
appropriate framework for the development
and expansion of existing ties.”
The Vice President concluded by
highlighting that it is essential to “find
creative formulas to further enhance
bilateral cooperation and trade, and
to raise our economic ties to the same
level as our excellent political relations. I
can guarantee that Cuba will work with
dedication and care and at the pace such
objectives demand.”
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