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Art and Culture
By María de la Soledad
News from all over
The government of Japan has just presented the
National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba a complete set of instruments made
in Japan which will soon reach the island. Also, Japanese
guitarist Antonio Koga came to Havana with an important donation
of 25 pianos for the National School of Arts, the Higher Institute of
Art and the National Theater.
The Trop@cósmica (Cosmic Troop) met in Cuba
last month. It’s a large group of friends from several countries
that linked via the Internet. Their friendship goes back to 1996
due to their common admiration for Cuban singer/songwriter Silvio Rodríguez.
From there on in, and always linked to Silvio, they have gone on to
other issues, not only in the world of culture, but also of world events.
From their original interest in Silvio and other figures of the Cuban
Nueva Trova, such as Pablo Milanés, Noel Nicola and Vicente Feliú,
they have followed their path of exchange with the younger troubadours,
called The Newest Ones. 185 “troopers”, as they call themselves, and
their Apprentice (as they call Silvio) had met earlier in Havana in 1999
and 2001. This time they came from 14 countries and the Trop@
keeps on growing.
By the way, Silvio Rodríguez and Vicente Feliú
were invited to Chile and sang at the National Stadium on September 11
for the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the bloody coup that
overthrew president Salvador Allende. The stadium was renamed
after Chilean troubadour Víctor Jara, the author of “I remember you,
Amanda” and “Prayer to a Farmer”, among his many songs. On September
11, 1973, Jara was arrested and taken to that stadium along with
thousands of his fellow countrymen. He was murdered by the
military – shot 44 times – after his wrists and hands were crushed.
One of the best known Cuban museums, the one
at Guanabacoa, reopened its doors after 8 years of total
reconstruction. The museum has instruments, garments and objects
from the cult of religions of African origin that are practiced in Cuba.
They are shown in its impressive Yorubá and Regla Conga collections.
Another exhibit is the transitory one for art related to the theme, and
yet another that honors the memory of three famous Guanabacoans:
composer Ernesto Lecuona, singer Rita Montaner, and singer/composer
Ignacio Villa, known as Bola de Nieve (Snowball). The museum also
exhibits the podium from where Cuban Independence hero José Martí
spoke in the 19th century in Guanabacoa, as well as the machete used by
another illustrious Guanabacoan, Pepe Antonio, when he led the villa’s
people against the English invasion in the 18th century.
The Spanish dailies El Periódico, La Vanguardia
and El País all echo the fact that in Santa Susana, a village near
Barcelona, Spain, a festival was held in the last days of August
entirely dedicated to William Shakespeare. The productions
covered all genres with the most original points of view.
The festival opened with a classical staging of
Richard III. But from then on everything changed. There was
a flamenco version of Romeo and Juliet, to the music of famous
flamenco singer Tomatito. Shylock¸ a monologue based on The
Merchant of Venice’s main character, played by Manuel Barceló, delves
into a reflection on xenophobia. A Midsummer’s Night Dream was
staged by its director Angel Llacer in a 1950 atmosphere. Actress
Norah Krief staged a rock version of Shakespeare’s sonnets, and Ana Güell
made a children’s story out of Hamlet and A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
The British troupe Festival Players Theatre presented A Comedy of Errors
as a musical. The Twelfth Night was the proposal of an Italian company,
Teatro Stabile dell’Umbria, performed only by women. Critics
raved about the “work in progress” 4 + Shakespeare = Hamlet
Machine, based on texts by the German writer Heiner Miller, but
choreographed and playing the role of Ofelia by the great dancer Sol Picó,
who danced her character while actor Marc Rodríguez acted the difficult
texts by Shakespeare-Heiner. This was the first Shakespeare
Festival at Santa Susana, but they hope to hold it every year.
Also in Spain, but far away to the south, near
Africa, in Tenerife, the Canary Islands, they held the Yearly Latino
Festival where a great concert was held: three generations at the
piano, the Valdés’. None other than the great Cuban
musician Chucho Valdés, with his father, the also great Bebo Valdés,
and Leyanis, Chucho’s daughter, making her debut as a professional
after finishing her piano studies in Havana and Italy. Journalist Pedro
de la Hoz wrote in the Cuban daily Granma that Chucho told him that he
hoped that he could “someday be a bridge between what my father taught
me and the legacy I should leave my daughter”. Well, that day
has arrived for the three of them.
The Eighth Havana Biennial will be
celebrated from November 1 to December 1 at the Cuban capital. The
greatest event of fine arts in the country will have works of 150
artists from the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean,
Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australia. The central
theme of this edition will be Art and Life.
A numerous group of important Cuban artists are
showing their work in Mexico under the sponsorship of the engraving shop
La Siempre Habana. The exhibit is at the House of Culture of
Tlaplan, with beautiful engravings by Isidro López Botalín, Diana
Balboa, Agustín Bejerano, Adigio Benítez, Nelson Domínguez, Zaida del
Río, Roberto Favelo, and Ever Fonseca.
Actress Daisy Granados is traveling to Mexico, who
for years has been called “the face of Cuban cinema” for her
performances in films such as Memories of Underdevelopment, Cecilia,
Portrait of Teresa, among her many roles. Now she will be
performing García Márquez’ magnificent monologue Diatribe of Love
Against a Sitting Man. If you have never seen it, make sure
you do if given the opportunity. Directing Ms. Granados will be
film director Pastor Vega (Portrait of Teresa, Amanda’s Confessions).
But it’s not only Cuban artists going to Mexico.
Mexicans are also coming to Havana, where the play Love Letters, by
American playwright A. Gumey was staged. Performers were
Carmen Montejo and Ignacio López Tarso. By the way, Ms. Montejo
was born in Cuba in 1925 and when she was 15 her whole family moved to
Mexico, where she made a career in Mexican films such as We, the Poor,
with Pedro Infante; In the Palm of your Hand, with Arturo de Córdoba;
and more recently, in 2001, Broken Hearts. López Tarso is best
remembered by his films The Golden Rooster, Tirano Banderas and Nazarín,
a classic by Spanish director Luis Buñuel.
And that’s
all for now. See you in two weeks.
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