The Havana Times, that ever reliable information source on Cuba, alerted me on the holding of the Alamar Winter Rap Festival. Initially organized in 1995 as an underground music festival by Cubans who were influenced by the rap and hip-hop movement in the United States in the backdrop of the […]
On 04 February, few noticed the passing of the anniversary of the Philippine-American War (which is known as the Philippine Insurrection in the United States). By and large, the war has become a mere footnote in history, which is not really surprising as the Philippines has become one of America’s […]
Baracoa, Cuba’s La Primada, is the site of the first Spanish settlement where the famous explorer Christopher Columbus landed in 1492. Established as a settlement in 1511, the place is so remote that it was technically reachable only by sea until a road was constructed through the picturesque Sierra de […]
I found out about the Las Parrandas Festival a few years ago when I had my first glimpse of Cayo Santa Maria in Villa Clara province. Despite wanting to see the festivities for the longest time, I could never find the time to visit as I usually spend my Christmas […]
Sunday,10 p.m., 11 December 2011, Cubans begin lining up at the Riviera Theater to attend the first recorded participation by a Filipino film in the Havana International Film Festival. The film they were lining up to watch is an indie flick entitled Lola (abuela in Spanish). Directed by the up-and-coming Filipino auteur Brillante Mendoza, the […]
Cyberspace was recently treated to a heated debate (if you can call it that way) between dissident Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez and President Raul Castro’’s daughter, Mariela Castro Espin. Mariela has just recently joined Twitter to defend herself from unflattering comments quoted to her about her trip to Amsterdam’s infamous […]
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) routinely votes in favor of Cuba to condemn the unilateral trade, financial and economic sanctions being imposed by the United States on Cuba. This is an emotional issue which, rightly, majority of the UN member states including the Philippines have condemned. As history has […]
Once in a while, I visit the Necropolis de Cristobal Colón (aka Christopher Columbus, in English) just to get away from the daily grind. Named after the famed Genoese explorer who discovered Cuba in 1492, this ageing Havana cemetery reflects the Cuban society at large – traces of a bygone […]
Visiting the United States post-9/11 has been a taxing experience. However, being only 90 miles away from Cuba, it still is the most convenient location to chill out despite the blood-sucking prices those Charter flights are charging for a mere 45-minute flight. Never mind those cranky Homeland security personnel and […]