What’s On Havana, listings and reviews of cultural events in Havana, updated monthly, Havana events and schedules and timetables for nightlife and cultural events

Visual Arts

	10th La Joven Estampa CASA DE LAS AMÉRICAS Sala Manuel Galich and Galería Latinoamericana Calle 3ra. y G, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 838 2706 al 09 TALLER EXPERIMENTAL DE GRÁFICA DE LA HABANA Callejón del Chorro, Plaza de la Catedral, La Habana Vieja	18 al 28 May
	Organized by Casa de las Américas, La Joven Estampa Prize (considered the only prize of its kind in Latin America) brings together engravers under 35 years of age, born or naturalized in the continent. The event includes exhibitions, lectures, and workshops on the art of engraving. JURY: Artists Juvenal Ravelo (Venezuela) and Rogelio Polesello (Argentina), and the critic and researcher José Veigas (Cuba). PROGRAM: 11 May, 10:00 am, Sala Manuel Galich: Press conference 18 MAY, 11:00 AM, SALA MANUEL GALICH: Presentation of the Jury and opening of the International Workshop Outdoor Art Actions on the Way Home 18-28 MAY, TALLER EXPERIMENTAL DE GRÁFICA DE LA HABANA: On the Way Home Workshop. The Puerto Rican artist Antonio Martorell will discuss different options for making art for public spaces based on printing MAY, 3:00 PM, SALA MANUEL GALICH: Panel “Miradas al cinetismo hoy”, by jury members and Antonio Martorell 28 MAY, 7:00 PM, CASA DE LAS AMÉRICAS: Award ceremony and opening of the exhibition of works by this year’s winner, special prize-winners and selected works by the 2007 winner, Octavio Irving (Cuba), plus works by Juvenal Ravelo and Rogelio Polesello THROUGHOUT MAY Casa de las Américas: De la Abstracción... al Arte Cinético, collective exhibition from the collection of Art of Our America Galería Latinoamericana: León Ferrari, Agitador de Formas, solo exhibition by the Argentinean artist León Ferrari.

	Resistencia y Libertad Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano Trocadero entre Monserrate y Zulueta, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 862 040 / 861 3858 / 863 9484	Through 28 June
	Considered one of the most significant exhibitions of the recent Havana Art Biennial, the show gathers works by three greats of Cuban art: Wifredo Lam with surrealism, Raúl Martínez with pop-art and José Bedia with conceptualism.

	Alas con Puntas, toma 2 Memorial José Martí Plaza de la Revolución Tel. +(53) 7 882 0906 / 884 0551	May
	Second edition of the project by audiovisual producer Roberto Chile, who harmoniously combines pieces by artists Alicia Leal, Cirenaica Moreira, Nelson Domínguez, Reinerio Tamayo, Franklin Álvarez, Kamyl Bullaudy, Luis Enrique Camejo and José Antonio Hechavarría, several of them made especially for the occasion, with his own videos about the artists. A tribute to the diversity and universality of the political and literary work of José Martí.

	La Enmienda que Hay en Mí Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano Trocadero entre Monserrate y Zulueta, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 862 040 / 861 3858 / 863 9484	Through 21 June
	Eight pieces that include mock-ups, sculptures and photographic installations allow the viewer to appreciate the topics usually undertaken by Carlos Garaicoa, an artist of the generation of the 1990s: city and architecture as receptacles of human conflicts.

	La Cultura del Aceite en la Antigüedad Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Centro Asturiano (Colección Universal) San Rafael entre Zulueta y Monserrate, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 862 040 / 861 3858 / 863 9484	Through 21 June / 2009
	The significance of oil in ancient times for food, medicinal, religious and cosmetic purposes, as well as its use for fuel and lighting through the exhibition of 35 pieces from the collection of the Museum’s collections.

	Chelsea visita a La Habana Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Centro Asturiano (Colección Universal) San Rafael entre Zulueta y Monserrate, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 862 040 / 861 3858 / 863 9484	Through 17 May / 2009
	Forty pieces by international artists recently shown in the galleries of Chelsea, considered one of the radiating centres of contemporary art.

Lázaro Enríquez o la Coreografía de la Letra

	Lázaro Enríquez o la Coreografía de la Letra Sala Villena Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) Calle 17 esquina a H, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53	Throughout May / 2009
	Pieces from institutional and personal collections by the recently demised Cuban illustrator and draughtsman Lázaro Enríquez.

	Sponsor Galería Servando Calle 23 esquina a 10, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 833 9599	Throughout May / 2009
	Received with surprise, complicity, irritation or rejection, according to the viewers’ perception not only of the work of art but also of themselves, this has been one of the most commented exhibitions which opened during the Art Biennial. Lázaro Saavedra, significant figure of Cuban art today, has reproduced in large oil paintings the logos of the companies that sponsored the exhibition, the catalogue and the opening toast as a way of questioning the opportunism of certain creators and the superficiality of a part of the public. The critic Píter Ortega has said, “What does Lázaro want to tell us with that devastating sarcasm that characterizes him? That in the end, in the world of the arts, it all comes down to pure marketing, frivolity and show business? That in order to rise, this is usually more effective than the artistic-aesthetical values or talent?...Everything is constructed, fabricated: fame, success, CVs, names…However, the more I visit the Biennial’s exhibitions (and not only them), the more I realize the great worth of Sponsor and how right Lázaro is: most of the people go to exhibitions to get drunk, no more. To socialize, to show off their clothes. That is our Art-Institution. A snobbish scene. A catwalk. The ideal place to progress in the hard work of social climbing.

	Memorias del Diseño Cubano 1959 - 1974 Centro Cultural Pablo de la Torriente Brau Muralla 63 entre Oficios e Inquisidor, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 861 5162	Third Thursaday of the month / 2009
	A series which covers the first 15 years of cultural design in the Revolution, when Cuba placed itself among the avant-garde of poster design in the world. The topics that the series will deal with are: - The beginnings of cultural design with the National Theatre, the National Council of Culture (CNC) and UNEAC. - OSPAAAL posters. - The beginnings of Cuban film posters at ICAIC. - Design at Casa de las Américas in its early years. - Creation of the Cuban Book INstitute - Cultural magazines of the 1960s: Lunes de Revolución. Design and photography in Cuba magazine during the 60s and early 70s. - Beginnings of the socio-political poster. Trends during this stage.

	Micromundos Convento de San Francisco de Asís Oficios y Churruca, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 862 9683	From 8 May / 2009
	Spherical panoramic images of stereographic projection with a 3600 x 3600 range of vision by the photographer and designer Federico Reiners Cobas. The critic and editor Argel Calcines has said that his pictures “are composed with a great optical sense and scientific rigour so as to minimize the distortions that the camera introduces when we try to reproduce the 360 degrees of vision in the plane.”

	El Gran Hipnotizador Pinacoteca del Museo de la Ciudad Tacón 1 entre Obispo y O’Reilly, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 861 5001	From 15 May / 2009
	An exhibition by the painter Zayda del Río, one of the greats of contemporary Cuban art, presided by a constant theme in her work: the peacock, The expression of an exuberant and symbolic personal universe.

	Side by Side Galería Julio Larramendi Hotel Conde de Villanueva Mercaderes 202 entre Lamparilla y Amargura, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 862 9294 / 862 9293	From 6 May / 2009
	As part of a collaboration effort between Alabama university and the Colegio Universitario San Gerónimo de La Habana, the exhibition includes 87 pictures by the photographer Chip Cooper from the US and Néstor Martí from Cuba which are part of a book about the Cuban capital.

	Relaciones bióticas Galería Carmen Montilla Oficios 162 entre Amargura y Churruca, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 866 4114	From 5 May / 2009
	The painter, photographer and designer Lorenzo Santos (Losama) exhibits pieces that combine three basic motives in his work: music, religious art (he has been included among the Cuban “neo-medievalists”) and his concern for preservation of the natural surroundings.

Music

	Cubadisco 2009 COMPLEJO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT Calle13 esquina a I, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 9359 MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES (ARTE CUBANO) Trocadero entre Monserrate y Zulueta, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 862 0140 / 861 3858 / 863 9484 SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL Avenida Tropical y Rizo, Playa Tel. +(53) 7 881 8767 TEATRO AMADEO ROLDÁN Calzada y D, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4521-22 TEATRO AMÉRICA Galiano entre Concordia y Neptuno, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 862 5416 KARL MARX Calle 1ra. y 8, Miramar Tel. +(53) 7 203 0801 / 209 1991 TEATRO MELLA Línea entre A y B, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 830 4987	1-5 May / 2009
	The Cuban recording industry’s most important and integrating event will hold this year’s edition from 16 to 24 May with musicians Adalberto Álvarez from Cuba and Andy Montañez from Puerto Rico as Presidents of Honour. This year, Puerto Rico is the Fair’s special guest country, and tributes will be paid to outstanding Puerto Rican musicians, including Rafael Hernández, Tité Curet Alonso, Pedro Flores, Bobby Capó and Daniel Santos. Traditional music genres from Puerto Rico, such as bomba, plena, danza and seis, will be heard during the event. The central theme of Cubadisco 2009 is "Music and Children.” Program General

	Amalia Batista Gran Teatro de La Habana Prado y San Rafael, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 861 3077 al 79	8, 9, 15 and 16 May, 8:30 pm; 10 and 17 May, 5:00 pm / 2009
	One of the most popular and well-liked Cuban zarzuelas, Amalia Batista, with music by Rodrigo Prats and written by José Ramón Pradas, performed by the Teatro Lírico Nacional.

	80 Aniversario de Radio Progreso Teatro América Galiano entre Concordia y Neptuno, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 862 5416	10 May, 5:00 pm / 2009
	One of the most popular Cuban radio station celebrates its 80th anniversary with a show dedicated to the music of composer Alberto Vera, author of anthological boleros.

	Concierto de Vania Borges Teatro América Galiano entre Concordia y Neptuno, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 862 5416	17 May, 5:00 pm / 2009
	The versatile singer Vania Borges, who feels at ease singing son, salsa, Latin jazz, ballads or trova, is considered by many as one of the stars of today’s Cuban popular music.

	El Jardín de la Gorda Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima Calle A entre 25 y 27, El Vedado	Third Sunday of the month, 5:00 pm / 2009
	Sara González, emblematic voice of the Cuban Nueva Trova, has resumed her monthly gatherings where the audiences can enjoy, in an informal atmosphere, the performances of some of the best Cuban troubadours.

	Peña de Manuel Argudín Agencia Cubana de Derecho de Autor Musical Calle 6 entre 15 y 13, El Vedado	Last Saturday of the month, 6:00 pm / 2009
	At troubadour Manuel Argudín’s monthly gatherings, anything is possible: from the active participation of a member of the audience to an impromptu performance by concert pianist Frank Fernández.

	Peña de Rochy Balneario Universitario El Coral Calle 1ra. esquina a 42, Miramar	Last Thursday of the month, 8:30 pm / 2009
	Performance by Cuban singer Rochy with her group and guests.

	Concierto Abierto Sala Villena Calle 17 esquina a H, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551 al 53	Last Thursday of the month, 5:00 pm / 2009
	Concert and electroacoustic music for soloists and chamber music ensembles, under the direction of Guido López Gavilán.

	Recital de María Eugenia Barrios Gran Teatro de La Habana Prado y San Rafael, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 861 3077 al 79	24 May, 5:00 pm / 2009
	The Cuban soprano María Eugenia Barrios, who combines a powerful voice with remarkable expressiveness and a passionate temperament, will give a recital with a selection from her wide repertory.

	Conciertos de Dimensión Vertical El Sauce Calle 9na. entre 120 y 130, Playa Tel. +(53) 7 204 7061	Sundays, 4:00 pm / 2009
	Dimensión Vertical, one of the oldest Cuban rock bands who insist on reproducing, the same as 40 years ago, hit songs by famous British and US rock bands of the 60s and 70s, make up, together with their middle-aged fans, a sort of Jurassic Park.

	Peña de Los Kents Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional Calle Paseo y 39, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 870 4651	Sundays, 4:00 pm / 2009
	Los Kents, another “dinosaur” of Cuban rock, play their own hits from the 60s.

	Peña de Heydi Igualada Palacio del Segundo Cabo O'Reilly 4, esquina a Tacón, La Habana Vieja	Last Saturday of the month, 4:00 pm / 2009
	One of the most beautiful voices of the Cuban trova, almost always accompanied by very special guests, covers the best of the Cuban trova repertory of all time.

	Tardes del Jazz Hurón Azul, Unión de escritores and Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) Calle 17 esquina a H, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53	Second Thursday of the month, 5:00 pm / 2009
	Jam sessions with important Cuban jazz musicians and bands.

	Peña de Rembert Duharte Jardines del teatro Mella Línea entre A y B, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 830 4987	Last Friday of the month, 5:00 pm / 2009
	The young jazz musician Rembert Duharte plays the different forms of Cuban jazz.

	Noche de Boleros Hurón Azul, Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) Calle 17 esquina a H, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 4551-53	Saturdays, 9:00 pm / 2009
	Lovers of this romantic genre par excellence have the opportunity of meeting and enjoying the performances of the best Cuban boleristas.

	Concierto de Diana Fuentes Teatro Mella Línea entre A y B, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 830 4987	29 May, 9:00 pm / 2009
	The young singer and composer Diana Fuentes, who at the age of 15, while still a student of music, became part of the famous band Síntesis, who has accompanied greats of Cuban music such as Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés, has had a brief but successful career as soloist thanks to her musicality as a singer and to the freedom of her compositions in which she combines elements from rock, jazz, pop, rap, Brazilian music or salsa. Directed by the singer-songwriter Carlos Varela, the concert serves as launch pad to her first CD as a solo singer: Amargo pero dulce.

	Hombres Verdes Pabellón Cuba 23 y M, El Vedado	Third Friday of the month, 9:00 pm / 2009
	A gathering for electroacoustic music sponsored by the organization of young Cuban creators: Asociación Hermanos Saíz.

	Peña de la Trova Patio de La Casona de Línea Calle Línea entre D y E, El Vedado	Sunday, 7:30 pm / 2009
	As a confirmation of the old Cuban saying “The trova is not dead”, singers from different generations and different styles get together to sing their songs.

	Trovando Patio-bar of the EGREM record label San Miguel 410 entre Campanario y Lealtad, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 862 0673	Wednesday, 5:00 pm / 2009
	A place where troubadours and poets get together for a unique performance in a bohemian atmosphere.

	Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís Oficios y Churruca, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 862 9683	6:00 pm, except otherwise indicated / 2009
	2 May: The string quintet of the University of Alabama, musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra and students of the Havana Arts Institute will perform sextets by Johannes Brahms. 6, 13 and 20 May: Piano students from the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory will perform works by Mendelssohn on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the German composer. 7 May: As part of the Polish Cultural Week in Havana, the pianist Marian Sobula will perform works by the great Polish composer, Frédéric Chopin. 8 May: Concert by the Camerata Romeu conducted by Zenaida Romeu. 9 May: The Ensemble Vocal Leo will pay tribute to the most important contemporary Cuban composer, Leo Brouwer, on his 70th birthday. 16 May: The pianist Rafael Gómez and the violinist Mabel Serrano will give a concert in rememberance of the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn. 18 May, 4:00 pm: The Italian actress Daniela Musini will give a recital entitled Gabriele ed Eleonora. Una passione scarlatta, based on the stormy love affair between the actress Eleonora Duse and the writer Gabriele D’Annunzio. 23 May: The outstanding Cuban pianist and composer José María Vitier will give the concert entitle Paisaje Interior together with guests musicians. GRADUATION CONCERTS 14 May, 4:00 pm: Graduation concert by Isabel Mesa, a piano student at the Havana Arts Institute. 29 May, 11 am: Graduation concert by the violinist Rayma Caridad Santana, of the Camerata Romeu 30 May: Graduation concert by the flutist Yailín Martínez.

	Mayo Renacentista Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula Desamparados y San Ignacio, Alameda de Paula, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 860 4210 3	9- 29 May, 7:00 pm / 2009
	The Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble has organized the second edition of Mayo Renacentista which is dedicated to medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music. 9 MAY: Concert Ensaladas y danzas del Renacimiento español, by the Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble. 15 MAY: The chorus Vox Cordes of the Schola Cantorum Coralina, conducted by Yampier Falcón, will perform works by Juan del Encina and Jacob Arcadell, among other composers. 22 MAY: The female chorus Vocal Luna, conducted by Sonia McCormack, will perform works by Alessandro Scarlatti and Tomás Luis de Vittoria, among others, while Vocal Leo, conducted by Corina Campos, will perform works by Claudio Monteverdi. 23 MAY: The Cantiga Armónica Early Muisic Ensemble, conducted by Natasha Prado, will perform works by John Dowland, Giulio Renaldi and Girolamo Frescobaldi, among other composers. 29 MAY: Performance of the Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine, conducted by Leonor Suárez.

	Conciertos en San Felipe Neri Oratorio San Felipe Neri çAguiar esquina a Obrapía, La Habana Vieja
	7 MAY, 7:00 PM: Espacio ArtD’voces, with the Coro Nacional de Cuba and its director Digna Guerra, will perform a varied repertory with works by John Ruther, Conrado Monier and Cuban Roberto Valera and Francisco Repilado 9 MAY, 4:00 PM: The soprano Johana Simón and the countertenor Ubail Zamora, accompanied by the pianist Haylin Pla, will sing pieces by Rossini, Monteverdi, Händel and Mozart. 14 MAY, 7:00 PM: Fragments of operas and operettas sung by María Luisa Claro, Yenet Cruz, Alfredo Más and Ruski Pérez, soloists of the Teatro Lírico of Holguín. 21 MAY, 7:00 PM: The duet D’Acord, integrated by Marita Rodríguez (piano) and Vicente Monterrey (clarinet), will play works by Mozart and Carl Maria von Weber. 23 MAY, 4:00 PM: The chamber orchestra Nuestro Tiempo, with the pianist María de los Ángeles Horta as soloist, will perform Concert No. 2 for piano and orchestra by Beethoven. 28 MAY, 7:00 PM: Works by J. S. Bach, Scarlatti, Gluck, Mozart, Puccini, Bizet, Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes and Fernando Obradors sung by the soprano Yilam Sartorio and the tenor Yunior Medrano. 30 MAY, 4:00 PM: Performance by students of the School of Music of the Arts Institute.

Theatre

	Makarov Sala Tito Junco del Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht Línea y 13, El Vedado	Fri and Sat, 8:30 pm; Sun, 5:00 pm / 2009
	The Teatro del Círculo company reruns Cuban playwright Edgar Estaco’s Makarov, which played to a full house during its opening in 2007, pursued by young audiences interested in this enquiry into a marginal and shrouded Havana. The theater expert Gerardo Fulleda León has said that “Makarov takes a look at those who struggle in the most repudiated, yet attractive areas of a sector of Cuba society….In showing the credentials of fire in Makarov, Estaco invites us to a kind of moving reflection about these people and their problems.”

	Lo que le pasó a la cantante de baladas Café Teatro del Centro Cultural Bertolt Brecht Línea y 13, El Vedado	Fri and Sat, 8:30 pm; Sun, 5:00 pm / 2009
	Directed by the outstanding Cuban playwright José Milián, the Pequeño Teatro de La Habana presents a new version of this play written by Milián, which opened in 2005 and was very favorably received by the public and the critic. For the playwright, poet and critic Norge Espinosa, “If music is nothing more than a form of nostalgia, here is Olimpia, a diva of song who from her exile in Miami tries to organize her memories in harsh contrast with reality…This play is an urgent tribute to the women who, microphone in hand, gave Cuba a musical expression that is pure emotion that goes beyond any distance…”

	Voy por cigarros Teatro El Sótano Calle K entre 25 y 27, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 0630	Tue, Wed and Thu, 5:00 pm / 2009
	A rerun by the Rita Montaner Theatre Company, written and directed by Gerardo Fulleda León. The critic Ines María Martiatu has said of the play: “It is Santiago de Cuba during the carnival, and more precisely, in Magnolia’s dressing room. Singer of a long career, there she receives Serafín ‘Tato’ Armada, the love of her life: her first boyfriend, lover, husband, the father of her children…In spite of the many years together, he still can’t calculate her potential as a singer.”

	Fausto Sala Adolfo Llauradó Calle 11 entre D y E, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 5373	Viernes y sábados, a las 8;30 pm, domingos a las 5:00 pm / 2009
	The Teatro de Bolsillo company, directed by the also actor Julio César Ramírez, present Fausto by the Cuban playwright Reinaldo Montero. According to the program of a previous run, the play “revisits one of the favourite myths of modern times. A perhaps tired Faust, who from Havana, pursues a notion of happiness, more than the knowledge of it…A metaphor of the Cuban social process in the Revolution, it focuses on the obsessive topic of the island in recent years: the division between wishing and process, between search and result, between utopia and reality.”

	Rosa Fuentes Sala Adolfo Llauradó Calle 11 entre D y E, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 5373	Tue, Wed and Thu, 6:00 pm / 2009
	The Teatro de Bolsillo company and its director Julio César Ramírez seem to have chosen for this season the works of the prolific playwright, narrator and poet Reinaldo Montero. Based on the novel Un mundo de cosas by José Soler Puig, in this play, the living and the dead, myth and reality, history and stories are combined in an insightful questioning of absolute truths.

	Los mangos de Caín Sala Hubert de Blanck Calzada 657 entre A y B, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 830 1011	Tue, Wed and Thu, 6:00 pm / 2009
	Directed by María Elena Sotera, the Hubert de Blanck theater company presents a play by the outstanding Cuban playwright Abelardo Estorino, National Prize Winner for Literature and Theatre, in which the Biblical parable of Cain and Abel becomes the motive of a searching look into the present.

	Manteca Teatro El Sótano Calle K entre 25 y 27, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 832 0630	Through 17 May. Fri and Sat, 8:30 pm; Sun, 5:00 pm / 2009
	The Rita Montaner Theatre Company has chosen Manteca, a play by the Cuban playwright, Alberto Pedro, whose works are characterized by the incisive examination of the contemporary reality of his country. Directed by Gerardo Fulleda León, with the art direction of Sarah María Cruz, the play is about three brothers who, during the worst time of the so-called special period, raise a pig in a small Havana apartment. The dramatist uses de decision-making process of sacrificing the animal to question the loss of values in a dramatic period of time in recent Cuban history.

	Virulo y El Buenarisa Social Club Teatro Mella Línea entre A y B, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 830 4987	2, 7, 8, and 9 May, 8:30 pm; 3 and 10 May, 5:00 pm / 2009
	A comedy directed by Alejandro García, Virulo, one of the most insightful and intelligent Cuban comedians who has pursued a successful career in Mexico, but is always attentive to the everyday events in Cuba and their impact on the ordinary citizen.

Dance

	Danza Contemporánea de Cuba Gran Teatro de La Habana Prado y San Rafael, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 861 3077 al 79	29 and 30 May, 8:30 pm; 31 May, 5:00 pm / 2009
	Concert program directed by Miguel Iglesias as part of the many performances that will take place throughout the year on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, the first modern dance company ever founded in Cuba.

	Programa de concierto Gran Teatro de La Habana Prado y San Rafael, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 861 3077 al 79	1st and 2 May, 8:30 pm; 3 May, 5:00 pm / 2009
	Varied program by the students of the National School of ballet, directed by Ramona de Saa. A peek into future Cuban ballet stars.

	Compañía Yoldance Cine teatro Regla Aranguren esquina a Máximo Gómez, Regla Tel. +(53) 7 797 8080	9 May, 8:30 pm, 10 May, 5:00 pm / 2009
	Directed by Yolanda Alonso, the Yoldance dance company will perform part of its repertory which is composed of works that combine contemporary dance with elements of Cuban and international popular dances.

Cinema

Che. Part 1: The Argentinian (USA-Spain-France / 2008 / 131’/ Dir. Steven Soderbergh / Benicio del Toro, Demián Bichir, Santiago Cabrera, Jorge Perugorría, Rodrigo Santoro, Elvira Míngues, Edgar Ramírez

	Che. Part 1: The Argentinian (USA-Spain-France / 2008 / 131’/ Dir. Steven Soderbergh / Benicio del Toro, Demián Bichir, Santiago Cabrera, Jorge Perugorría, Rodrigo Santoro, Elvira Míngues, Edgar Ramírez ACAPULCO Avenida 26 esquina a 39, Nuevo Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 833 9573 INFANTA (SALA 1) Infanta entre Neptuno y San Miguel, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 878 9323 PAYRET Prado 513, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 863 3163 YARA Calle L esquina a 23, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 831 1723 / 832 9430	7-13 May/ 2009
	Based on Passages from the Revolutionary War, testimonies by Ernesto Che Guevara during the revolutionary struggle in Cuba against the dictator Fulgencio Batista.

Che. Part 2: Guerrilla (USA-Spain-France / 2008 / 131’ / Dir. Steven Soderbergh / Benicio Del Toro, Carlos Bardem, Demián Bichir, Joaquim de Almeida, Eduard Fernández, Marc André Grondin, Jorge Perugorría)

	Che. Part 2: Guerrilla (USA-Spain-France / 2008 / 131’ / Dir. Steven Soderbergh / Benicio Del Toro, Carlos Bardem, Demián Bichir, Joaquim de Almeida, Eduard Fernández, Marc André Grondin, Jorge Perugorría) ACAPULCO Avenida 26 esquina a 39, Nuevo Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 833 9573 INFANTA (SALA 1) Infanta entre Neptuno y San Miguel, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 878 9323 PAYRET Prado 513, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 863 3163 YARA Calle L esquina a 23, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 831 1723 / 832 9430	14-20 May / 2009
	Uisng Che’s Diary in Bolivia as its primary source, the film is a reflection of the years in which Che left Cuba to reappear in Bolivia as leader of the guerrilla until his assassination on 9 October 1967 in a school house in the small village of La Higuera.

La anunciación (Cuba / 2009 / 93´/ Dir. Enrique Pineda Barnet / Verónica Lynn, Héctor Noas, Broselianda Hernández, Ismael de Diego, Roberto Díaz López)

	La anunciación (Cuba / 2009 / 93´/ Dir. Enrique Pineda Barnet / Verónica Lynn, Héctor Noas, Broselianda Hernández, Ismael de Diego, Roberto Díaz López) ACAPULCO Avenida 26 esquina a 39, Nuevo Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 833 9573 INFANTA (SALA 1) Infanta entre Neptuno y San Miguel, Centro Habana Tel. +(53) 7 878 9323 PAYRET Prado 513, La Habana Vieja Tel. +(53) 7 863 3163 YARA Calle L esquina a 23, El Vedado Tel. +(53) 7 831 1723 / 832 9430	21- 27 May / 2009
	A n old woman who is a spiritualist and has just become a widow summons the estranged family to read her husband’s moral testament, making some changes seeking a family reunification. Although the meeting relives the differences among them, there is hope for reconciliation. However, a grandson has hidden the actual testament. A parable of the most recent Cuban history. The director has claimed the movie to be his ”own testament.”

EVENTS

	Romerías de Mayo Ciudad de Holguín	2-8 May/ 2009
	Continuing a tradition that dates back to colonial times, in 1993 a group of young artists decided to organize these romerías with the arrival of Spring. Every year musicians, actors, researchers, artists, writers and dancers come together to share their artistic endeavour during intense days and nights in which the diversity of their propositions is exhibited. Over 400 people will participate this year in an event that includes the following activities: PREMIO MEMORIA NUESTRA A meeting among young researchers, dedicated to regional cultures and the experience of community artistic actions. BABEL-CIUDAD ABIERTA: DE LA ALDEA, A LA ISLA, AL MUNDO A visual arts event with many venues with solo and collective exhibitions of the most representative works of certain regions. LA LITERATURA: UN PUENTE, UN GRAN PUENTE Writers and publishers will take part in public spaces and communities and will interact with different artistic manifestations. ENCUENTRO DE TEATRO Y DANZA CALLEJERA Street theater and dance companies will perform in public spaces. Important directors and creators of theatre and dance will give guest lectures and take part in workshops dedicated to contemporary stage arts. ENCUENTRO RAÍCES Event that emphasizes the effort of rescuing traditions in remote regions. Everyone is welcome to participate in applied arts and regional crafts, in the preparation of typical foods and drinks, in the performances of folk music and dance, in native games, oral narrations and any other activities that contribute to preserve the memory of the peoples. MUESTRA INTERNACIONAL DE AUDIOVISUALES LA CÁMARA AZUL This event includes the participation of radio, TV, and video creators of several countries in workshops and shows in the regional TV station. The local radio stations will implement a linkage with other radio stations and producers throughout the Island. FIESTA DE LOS ABRAZOS University students will share their experiences and customs through the exhibition of local costumes, dances, music, stamps, coins, visual arts, audiovisual materials, and many more. CONCERTS Plazas and parks will open up to rap, rock and trova concerts, to name a few. On 6 May, the Plaza de la Revolución Mayor General Calixto García will be filled with the music of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, performed by the Holguín Symphony Orchestra. Over 200 musicians from orchestras throughout the island will get together on this grand occasion.

XIV Festival Internacional de Poesía de La Habana

	XIV Festival Internacional de Poesía de La Habana Ciudad de Holguín	25-30 May / 2009
	Over 120 poets from the Middle East, the Maghreb, Korea, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Mozambique, Nigeria, Latin America and Canada will get together with their Cuban colleagues in the many activities of the Havana International Poetry Festival, which will be dedicated to the poetry of the Middle East and where the main topics “Poetry and citizens’ responsibility” and “The poets and the struggle against war in the Middle East” will be discussed. The main activities of the Festival include a tribute to Mahmud Darwix, the National Poet of Palestine; the 5th World Meeting of Poets for peace and in defense of humanity; readings in open spaces, communities, schools and universities; the poetic action Word of the World; a workshop on poetry writing; the planting of The Tree of Poetry; concerts, plays, and movies, among others. The Palestenian writer Hamid Al Qasem, the Iraqi poet and filmmaker Abdul Hadi Sadoun, Jeryes Hanna Jeryes Samani, Vice-Minister of Culture of Jordan; the former Minister of Cuklture of Marruecos, Mohamed Al Achaari, y los prestigiosos poetas Jotamario Arbeláez, de Colombia; Hildebrando Pérez, de Perú, y Zolani Mkiva, de Sudáfrica. 26 MAY, 6:00 PM, Basílica Menor del Convento de San Francisco de Asís: Pening ceremony: Palabra del Mundo (Word of the World) 27 MAY, 9:00 AM, Salón Solidaridad, Hotel Habana Libre World Meeting of poets for peace and in defense of humanity 30 MAY, 6:00 PM, Parque Central de La Habana Closing ceremony Contact details: Alex Pausides General Coordinator of the festival Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) Calle 17 No. 354 entre G y H, El Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana Tel. +(53) 7 832 4152, Fax: (53-7) 833 3158 email: escritores@uneac.co.cu, proyectosurcuba@uneac.co.cu

A PREVIEW OF THE COMING MONTHS

XLII Jornada Cucalambeana y XVI Festival Iberoamericano de la Décima
29 June-5 July
Las Tunas

In commemoration of the birth of Las Tunas-born poet Juan Cristóbal Nápoles Fajardo (El Cucalambé), the most important Cuban decimista—country-ballad poet—of the 19th century, musicians, poets, repentistas (improvisers), researchers and folklorists get together in this unique festival to enjoy the songs and dances of Cuban country people. The event is presided over by the décima, a Spanish stanza of ten octosyllabic lines, created by the Spaniard Vicente Martínez Espinel (1551-1634). The décima was adopted by the popular sector of the population in America, especially the peasants, who accompany their songs with guitars and the lute. The event includes other traditions of Cuban country people, including, dances, games, food and drinks, and handicrafts.

I Taller Transdisciplinario El Hip Hop en Cuba: Voz e Imagen de una Cultura de la Resistencia

	I Taller Transdisciplinario El Hip Hop en Cuba: Voz e Imagen de una Cultura de la Resistencia 1-3 June Instituto de Literatura y Lingüística, La Habana
	The workshop will deal with the achievements and present challenges of hip-hop culture in Cuba divided into two working sessions: in the morning, discussions; and in the afternoon, documentaries, launch of publications, concerts and conversations with representatives of this culture.

	Festival Rock Atenas 4-7 June Matanzas
	Rock bands will gather in the city of Matanzas in an event that aims at promoting rock music and at creating a special place for the enjoyment of rock fans.

Coloquio Internacional Ernest Hemingway
June
Ambos Mundos Hotel, Old Havana

Dedicated to the study and work of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Ernest Hemingway, and organized by the Hemingway Museum (his former home at Finca Vigía in the outskirts of Havana where he lived for 21 years) and the Hemingway Department of the National Institute of Journalism in Havana, the event will take place at the Ambos Mundos Hotels where the famous author resided on his first visit to Cuba in 1928. Researchers from different parts of the world will discuss Hemingway’s Love for Cuba, Mirrored in his Life and Work; Hemingway’s Social Relationships; Hemingway’s Favorite Italian Cities and Haunts; Hemingway Associations and Institutions Worldwide, the Preservation and Promotion of his Legacy.

Festival Internacional Boleros de Oro
June
Havana and other cities in Cuba

Bolero, a musical genre which emerged in Cuba in the second half of the 19th century is what this festival is all about. This genre has had a marked influence in other countries of the area, including places as far away as Spain and Japan, and its first festival, held in Havana in 1987, is considered the oldest of its kind in Latin America. A Havana celebration in its beginnings, other provinces would become venues in later years given that Bolero is one of the most loved and performed genres in the Island.

	Festival Internacional Varadero 2009 June Varadero beach
	Presided by Juan Formell, director of the legendary Van Van band, the main attractions will be the performance of Cuban and international singers and bands of popular music. The event has also included theoretical discussions, the sale of CDs, books and magazines plus an art exhibition.

Bienal de Cerámica Amelia Peláez
June-July
Havana

Celebrated for the first time in 1989 with the exhibition of small-scale ceramic pieces, after the opening of the National Contemporary Ceramics Museum, the event widened its scope to include large-scale works. In later years, it has been also dedicated ceramic vessels, sculptures and installations. The diversity of techniques, themes and aesthetics has characterized this event, which has contributed to revitalize this art. The 2009 competition, dedicated to vessels, will open in June with an exhibition of prized works and will include showings by other ceramists, demonstrations of the different phases of ceramic art and sales points.