Havana Remains Magnificent

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Havana Remains Magnificent

Revised: March 31, 2010Word count: 770

Over a half-century of Marxist rule has given Havana a distinctive look and feel among

her Caribbean neighbours. Boxy American shark-finned sedans from pre-revolutionary Cuba

share paved roads with Soviet-era Ladas, bicycle taxis, modern tour buses and European imports.

Crumbling colonial architecture, identical in style to Cairos wust el-baladdistrict (downtown)

remain standingsome buildings meticulously maintained and painted in bright pastels, others

have their pillars and faades eaten away by salt water breezes.

There are Cubans standing in lines, seemingly all day, and the shelves in local stores

appear to offer little more than essentials and rum. And while it seems rather odd that everyone

from barbers to baseball players are paid by the government in the same way as the armed forces,

I never saw large numbers of homeless people roaming the streets in Havana.

Cubans are a mlange of Spanish colonialists, black African plantation slaves and a pre-

Columbian culture of Amerindians called Tiano. There seems no overt racial tensions to the

casual observer. People in the cafs and bars of Havana are literate, educated and genuinely

friendly to visitors.

Men, women, boys and girls wend the winding streets, parks and alleys of Cubas capital

with love in their eyes and on their lips, evoking sensual attitudes from Henry Millers Paris. A

longing flirtatious gaze and a gentle anonymous touch could be considered compliments here.

Salsa music, pouring out of widows, provides an easy soundtrack for passing sun-bleached

humid days in the cafs and restaurants of downtown Havana, where rum is sold by the glass

from street cart vendors.

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Hemingway, who lived here for two decades at the height of his celebrity and literary

success, has become a posthumous caricature of himself, with guided tours of his residence

now, the Museo Hemingway. And the bars where Hemingway drank, wrote and fought are now

stops for tour buses, where bronze statues of Papa Hemingway, or Ernesto as the Cubans still

call him, are seated at the bar for a photo-op with a mojito or daiquiri. The hotel room in which

he wrote ForWhom the Bell Tolls, and the locale described in his tour de force, The Old Man

and the Sea, are also promoted as tourist attractions. Hemingways love for, celebration of, and

tenure in Cuba has not gone unnoticed here.

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Local art galleries pose a penetrating question for visitorsare the wood carvings sold in

the Khartoum airport the sort of items that local Sudanese use to decorate their salons and

parlours, or are they sold as representations of indigenous art to tourists? The lively subjects of

festively coloured oils and acrylics sold in the markets and galleries of Havana are certainly the

product of talent and technique, and they often portray urban life in Havana with heavy influence

drawn from Picassos Cubist period. Some of these paintings were indeed visible inside the

houses of Cubans, alongside Christian ceramic iconography. If looking for souvenirs more

intimate than cigars and Che Guevara t-shirts, an export permit is required to take larger pieces

of original art out of the country, though, most galleries and markets will arrange for this on your

behalf. Be sure to ask.

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The baseball here is first class, and though many Cubans leave home to play in the high-

salaried American leagues, other players have chosen to remain in Cuba out of loyalty. The

Latinoamericano stadium downtown Havana holds almost 60,000 spirited fans, and games are


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frequently sold out. Throughout the city, entranced fans gather around televisions and radios in

cafs and plazas, enthusiastically discussing the game at hand.

Boxing, Cubas other national sport, is also considered world class among contenders and

spectators. The Rafael Trejo boxing gym in Old Havana has daily training sessions and

regularly-held competitions. Young boyssome barefoot, others in tattered shoesfight in the

tropical mid-day heat, while their coaches shout words of encouragement and strategy. Some of

these fighters will compete for Olympic glory.

Boxing gear at that gym was sparse, with the boys exchanging headgear, gloves and

mouthpieces as they left the ring. Donations of used equipment are certainly appreciated, and

may even allow the generous visitor a lesson from the head coach. Sparring is not generally

recommended for visitors, as even entry-level Cuban boxers are fierce contenders with

tremendous ability.

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But there is much more to Cuba than boxing gyms, old cars and cafs. There are certainly

resorts, immaculate beaches, guided tours and tramping expeditions available. Scuba diving and

deep sea fishing are also on hand for the active tourist. All in all, a most charming destination.

Willows is a contributing writer to the Egyptian Gazette. He attended the American University in

Cairo and now lives in Toronto.


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Havana Remains Magnificent