The New Cuba

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The New Cuba Journal

  • Houses of Havana

    The newly released book, Great Houses of Havana (The Monacelli Press), is a visual celebration of the chic spirit of the island’s homes. Architect Hermes Mallea, a Cuban-American architect and author has been amassing a collection of photographs of Cuban residences for several years now. Included in his search were also vintage family shots which… Read more

  • Centro Vasco, Havana

    One day I visited the restaurant my grandfather owned in Cuba. It was a hub for all things cool in 1950’s Cuba. Several years earlier, during the Spanish Civil War, he was fighting on the Basque revolutionary, and finally decided it was time to leave his country, so he headed for Cuba. He built Centro… Read more

  • Big Game-Changer in Cuban Real Estate

    This past month has been an earth-quake for Cuba/US relations. On November 3rd, Damien Cave published a piece in the New York Times saying “Cuba announced a new property law Thursday that promises to allow citizens and permanent residents to buy and sell real estate — the most significant market-oriented change yet approved by the… Read more

  • Cuba’s First Big Zombie Movie

    It seems 2011 is the year for Cuban cinema to step up its game. Probably the most anticipated Cuban film to come out this year is Juan of the Dead. Not only is it probably the biggest action film coming out of Cuba, but also the first major zombie movie. I’m sort of obsessed with Zombie… Read more

  • Cuba’s Youth Angst

    On my last visit to Cuba this April 2011, I strolled the streets of Infanta, one of my favorite streets in Havana (with a few secret vinyl vendors). This last time, I walked past 3 movie theaters on the broad avenue where I noticed repeated posters of a local Cuban film called Boleto al Paraiso… Read more

  • A Negative Force Dies

    It’s a wrap for Orlando Bosch. On April 28th, it was reported that Orlando Bosch, an exiled Cuban militant, has died of undisclosed causes at age 84 in Miami. Bosch was a strange cat. Originally a pediatrician, he gave up his medical practice to pursue the armed struggle against former Cuban political leader Fidel Castro.… Read more