C U L T U R E

• 11th BIENNAL OF HAVANA
An artist-spectator encounter
May 24.12
The 11th Biennial of Havana (May 11 - June 11, 2012), under the banner of Artistic practices and social visions (Prácticas artísticas e Imaginarios socials), expands the site of creation onto the open spaces of streets, theaters and plazas, beyond the traditionally sacred environments of galleries and museums, in order to ensure spectator participation.

• 16TH CUBADISCO INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
One of the great pleasures of my life
May 24.12
PERHAPS some people missed Ernán López Nussa’s presence during the International Cubadisco 2012 Festival gala awards ceremony held May 19 in the Karl Marx Theater, when his album Veinte pianos, which includes tracks from different stages of his career, was honored with the competition’s Grand Prize

• Cuban National Folkloric Dance Company 50th anniversary
May 17.12
THE Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba (CFN) has reached the mythical age of 50, as full of vitality as ever. Its current director, Manolo Micler, affirmed to Granma International that the company will celebrate the anniversary in the same spirit in which it was founded, "Every time has its aesthetic… We are not a museum; we don’t do ethnographic reproductions, but rather folkloric works inspired by tradition."

• 15th FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL
Isabelle Huppert honored in Havana
May 17.12
ISABELLE Huppert’s exceptional contributions to filmmaking can be traced from La Cérémonie to Une affaire de femmes, not to mention The Piano Teacher.

• The Longina mystery
May 10.12
HISTORY has twice called attention to the life of Longina O’Farrill; firstly, when she worked as the nursemaid of Nicanor MacPartland, who later became known as the Cuban student and communist leader Julio Antonio Mella, and secondly, when Manuel Corona dedicated a moving song to her.

• Virgiliando with José Milián
May 10.12
WE have to be grateful for centenaries. There are many to celebrate in 2012, and among the most important is that of the poet, novelist and dramaturge, Virgilio Piñera (1912-1979).

• Arts in the world
May 10.12
As part of the Star Series cycle, Leo Brouwer conducted the Zagreb Symphony Orchestra at its headquarters in the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall Zagreb, Croatia, on April 27.

• Paulo FG: a popular favorite for 25 years
May 4.12
Paulo Fernández Gallo (Havana, 1962) - known simply among all Cuban dancers, and around the world, as Paulo FG - is celebrating his 25 years as a popular favorite.

• For the living memory of Alberti, Miguel and Neruda
April 30.12
"We call upon the world’s poetry festivals to join a powerful poetic action on May 22 to pay tribute to these immortal poets with readings in their honor, giving public performances a new, relevant content. "

• Felix B. Caignet kept radio listeners crying
April 26.12
Just as no novelist, since Lucrecia Borgia, has had as much luck with crime as the British novelist Agatha Cristhie, no one is comparable to Cuban Felix B. Caignet when it comes to making radio listeners cry.

• The art of pantomime
April 26.12
Pantomine is a very ancient art form. Performed without the use of words, it incorporates many of the theater’s complexities and structures. The mime must construct the images using body language.

• Fidel Castro has some very useful stories to tell
April 24.12
BUENOS AIRES,— The historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro has stories to tell that could be very useful in the future, according to writer and journalist Katiuska Blanco.

• Gershwin’s Cuban Overture
April 20.12
When George Gershwin (1898-1937) traveled to Havana in February of 1932, he was enjoying well-deserved popularity and fame, having composed his acclaimed pieces Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris.

• Alina Orraca: A magician with the baton
April 11.12
Maestra Alina Orraca, a woman of small stature, but with remarkable presence on the podium, took up the baton to lead the spectacular 200-voice choir which accompanied Pope Benedict XVI’s recent mass in Havana.

• Vietnam’s water puppets: An enchanting art form
April 9.12
Puppets have a unique, almost magnetic appeal – no matter the age of the spectator. Dolls have existed for centuries throughout the world, in very diverse cultures.

• The tocororo Festival
March 29.12
A must-read for those seeking to understand Cuba’s rich tradition of mythical beasts is La fiesta del tocororo (Ediciones La Memoria), the work of journalist, poet and researcher René Batista (Camajuaní, Las Villas, 1941-2010).

• Saramago book published
March 29.12
CLARABOYA, a novel demonizing the social and political conventions of the period on which it was written, has been published in Spain, Portugal and Brazil, fulfilling the wish of its author, José Saramago, that it should see the light of day after his death.

• MUSICALIA
A breakthrough for Cuban culture
March 29.12
THE contribution of Musicalia, the ARTEX Artists Representation Agency, to the Cultural Development Fund, would be far greater than it currently is, if it were not for the economic, commercial and financial restrictions imposed on Cuba by the United States

• El Loquito – historic cartoon character created by René de la Nuez
March 22.12
THE exposition of cartoons ¿Loco yo?, (Me, crazy?) currently exhibited within Havana’s Press Center, located in the Vedado neighborhood, offers viewers laughter, opportunities for reflection and even nostalgia, taking them back to historic situations reflected through the cartoon character El Loquito, who in 2012 is celebrating his 55th birthday.

• García Márquez: confirmed music lover
March 22.12
THE world is celebrating the 85th birthday of Gabriel García Márquez, a Latin American icon. To honor the Colombian writer, One Hundred Years of Solitude, his most important novel, was published on Internet.

• José Massip: National Prize for Film 2012
March 22.12
REASONS abound to congratulate José Massip, director of many memorable Cuban films. Foremost is his recent selection as the winner of Cuba’s 2012 National Prize for Film, in recognition of his outstanding 50-year career.

• LOPEZ OLIVA PERSONAL EXHIBITION
Language of theatricality
March 15.12
OVER the last 20 years, the work of painter Manuel López Oliva has demonstrated signs of theatricality, masque, rituality and life made metaphor through cultural disguises.

• THE WORLD OF PORTOCARRERO IN 31 WORKS
Fine Arts Museum celebrates artist’s centenary with a splendid exhibition
March 15.12
RENE Portocarrero was born in the Cerro neighborhood of Havana on February 24, 1912, and died in the Cuban capital April 7, 1985. He has been called the Painter of Havana and is one of the outstanding figures of the island’s visual arts.

• Bis Music moving toward CUBADISCO 2012
March 1.12
BIS Music is currently one of the most interesting Cuban recording studios. Founded 18 years ago, it has demonstrated that it is a lover of music in the most general sense.

• 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL SCHOOL OF BALLET
The indelible seal of a dance legend
March 1,12
THE founding of the National School of Art in 1962 initiated a cultural explosion which continues bearing fruits. Ballet, music, dramatic and visual arts were the first specialties.

• Book Fair tours Cuba
March 1,12
DURING the 21st edition of the International Book Fair 2012, Cubans living in the west and part of the center of the island will have had access to more than 2,000 titles.

• 21ST INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR CUBA 2012
Mosaic of books, authors and readers
February 23,12
FEBRUARY in Havana was transformed into a celebration for authors and readers. The Book Fair is eagerly awaited and shared. As Spanish-Italian writer Carlos Frabetti said, "It is marvelous to see children with bags full of books."

• Fidel’s elevated humanistic sentiment
February 23,12
THE book Fidel Castro ante los desastres naturales, Pensamiento y acción, (Fidel Castro in the Face of Natural Disasters, Thought and Action), by meteorology professor and historian Luis Enrique Ramos, was launched on February 14 at the Casa del Alba Cultural in Havana.

• Books and literature celebration in Havana
February 16,12
THE social function of literature and writers’ dignity were prominent in the words of Ambrosio Fornet , National Literature prize winner, at the opening of the 21st International Book Fair of Havana 2012.

• Caribbean literature: required reading
February 16,12
IF anything characterizes the Greater Caribbean it is its cultural richness, which is why this diverse mosaic, united by history, was chosen to be honored at the 21st International Book Fair Cuba 2012.

• Prologue: Book Fair 2012
February 9,12
MORE than 200 guests from 40 countries have confirmed their presence at the International Book Fair Cuba 2012, which takes place in Havana from February 9 to 19 and then tours the country’s provinces until March 4.

• Sara will always be the voice of victory
February 9,12
SARA González, a paradigmatic voice of the Cuban New Trova movement died on February 1 in Havana at the age of 62.

• Silvio returns to a Havana park of his childhood
February 9,12
THE Quintín Banderas Park, also known as Trillo Park, in Havana’s Cayo Hueso neighborhood has another story to tell after the 22nd concert given by Silvio Rodríguez, one of the greats of the New Trova movement, in his tour of the capital’s neighborhoods.

• Silvio Rodríguez at the Fine Arts Museum
February 2,12
ON July 12, 1967, a young New Trova singer-songwriter arrived at the National Museum of Fine Arts to set in motion, perhaps unknowingly, the beginning of a legend which has endured until today.

• 200th anniversary of the assassination of Aponte to be commemorated
February 2,12
TWO centuries since the anti-colonial conspiracy organized by José Antonio Aponte, Cuba’s intellectual and artistic vanguard organization will present, over the course of 2012, a commemorative program honoring the patriotic and humanistic values held by the leader of Cuba’s first independence movement, which advocated for the abolition of slavery as well.

• Zuleica Romay wins Casa Prize
February 2,12
CUBAN Zuleica Romay was awarded the Casa de las Américas extraordinary prize for research into the African presence in contemporary Latin America and the Caribbean, for her essay Elogio de la altea o las paradojas de la racialidad, in the recently 53rd edition of this prestigious literary competition.
 
• A man of many occupations
26.Enero.12
THE 21st International Book Fair is dedicated to the literary critic, essayist, editor, narrator and film script writer Ambrosio Fornet. This author, winner of the National Literature and Editing Prizes, has worked as a critic since 1964.

• Adolfo Alfonso, a great loss for Cuban culture
26.Enero.12
The death in Havana, on January 23, of repentista poet Adolfo Alfonso Fernández, at 87 years of age, as a result of heart failure, represents a loss for Cuban culture. He will be missed by the legions of fans of this unique genre of improvised verse.

• Pancho, 2012 National Prize for Theater winner
26.Enero.12
Accidents, coincidences, chance often have a huge impact. The recent death of Vicente Revuelta – quintessential teacher to all of us who have worked in theater in Cuba for the last 55 years – coincided with the awarding of the 2012 National Prize for Theater to the complete dramaturge, the consummate artist, Pancho García, a joyous event.

• National Museum of Fine Art celebrates centenaries of three Cuban artists
19.Enero.12
THE National Museum of Fine Art (MNBA) will celebrate during 2012 the centenaries of two outstanding Cuban painters, René Portocarrero (1912-1985) and Mariano Rodríguez (1912-1990), and the sculptor Rita Longa (1912-2000), with a varied program including a special concert by Silvio Rodríguez on January 26 within the museum’s patio.

• Words of Eduardo Galeano
19.Enero.12
ERRATA. Where it says October 12, 1492, it should say April 26, 1959.
That April day, in Cuba, saw the founding of the Casa which has most helped us to discover America and the many Americas which America contains.

• "I have never known a country showing as much solidarity as this one"
19.Enero.12
"I have never known any country that has demonstrated as much solidarity as this one, no Revolution which has offered so much to others as the Cuban Revolution has done and still does."

• Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano opens Casa de las Américas Literary Prize events
19.Enero.12
HEARTFLET praise for Casa de las Américas for its honorable role in rediscovering the continent was the essence of Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano’s speech inaugurating the 53rd Literature Prize event.

• Leonardo da Vinci, as imagined by Eduardo del Llano
January 12.12
THE Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) has hosted a special showing of Vinci, the first feature length film by director, screenwriter and actor Eduardo del Llano (Moscow, 1962).

• International Year for People of African Descent in Cuban culture
January 12.12
CUBA welcomed the International Year for People of African Descent, declared by the United Nations, with an intense program throughout 2011.

• Alberto Acosta-Pérez: great loss for literature
January 12.12
ON January 1, Cuban literature suffered the loss at the age of 54, of Alberto Acosta Pérez, a poet known by his generation for his refined perceptions and the rigorous skills with which he nurtured his poetry.

• Best films seen in Cuba during 2011
January 12.12
THE French documentary Oceans (2009), by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud heads the list of best films screened in Cuba in 2011.

• Coming soon: Casa de las Américas 2012 Prize
January 5.12
Uruguayan author and journalist Eduardo Galeano will inaugurate the Casa de las Américas 2012 Literary Prize events January 16, according to the Havana institution.

• Cuba's 2012 International Book Fair dedicated to the Caribbean
January 5.12
SOME 50 authors from different countries have already confirmed their participation in the 221st International Book Fair Cuba 2012, scheduled for February 9-19 in Havana. Close to 200 special guests from 34 countries are expected to participate.

• Honoring Virgilio Piñera during his centenary
January 5.12
Cuban letters and theater have a debt to repay to one of the most interesting artists within the national culture, Virgilio Piñera, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth in 2012.

• JOSÉ FÚSTER EXPOSITION:
CUBA, qué linda es CUBA
January 5.12
The most recent work of renowned Cuban painter, sculptor and ceramic artist, José Fúster, will be displayed December 22, 2011 through January 22, 2012, in the temporary exhibition gallery of the José Martí Memorial, in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución. On this occasion, he is honoring the 50th anniversary of Cuba’s historic literacy campaign.

• Echoes of the Festival of New Latin American Cinema
December 29.11
HAVANA has an unequaled attraction. It is magical and real. A place of encounters and separations. A space with phantoms, soul and five centuries of memory. A city sung about, painted, described, filmed. A legend.

• Flute and guitar in Casa de las Américas
December 29.11
"MUSICA en la Casa" has just brilliantly ended its 2011 series of concerts with Niurka González on flute and Joaquín Clerch on guitar performing to a packed and highly moved audience in Casa de las Américas’ Che Guevara hall.

• JAZZ CELEBRATION IN HAVANA
Gonzalito Rubalcaba: world musical event
December 29.11
THE 27th Jazz Plaza International Festival 2011 was a real celebration. Prominently featured in the festival was Gonzalito Rubalcaba, an international piano phenomenon.

• ENRIQUE PINEDA BARNET
Cinema has captured me
December 22.11
CONVERSING with Enrique Pineda Barnet, 2006 National Film Prize winner, is always a pleasure. When the dialogue concerns two news items it is even more satisfying.

• NERSYS FELIPE, 2011 NATIONAL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE
Writing for children is magical
December 22.11
NERSYS Felipe received the news that a jury had awarded her the 2011 National Prize for Literature true to the two values which have shaped her life – sincerity and simplicity.

• WILFREDO NARANJO, 2011 NATIONAL PRIZE FOR MUSIC
Always original and true to Manzanillo
December 22.11
SOMETHING good, really good had to become of that five-year-old boy who would set aside his toys when he heard the Manzanillo organ player’s upbeat, contagious music pass by in front of his house every afternoon.

• INTERNATIONAL CRAFT FAIR
Authenticity, quality and skill
December 22.11
THE fact that craftwork is a valuable medium for the affirmation and development of any country, that global craft production continues to be enriched by the contribution of technological progress and that Cuban handcrafts are taking many directions and attracting attention for their quality and skill, became demonstrated realities at the International Craft Fair FIART 2011, which recently closed its doors at the PAPEXPO exposition complex in Havana.

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