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Published: March 30th 2021
After our ride Friday night in the classic cars, we were ready to learn about one man’s private enterprise to literally capitalize on these flamboyant vehicles.
Julio Alvarez greeted us a bit late because he already had some tourists seeing his garage. Full of good humour and passion, he had us listening raptly to his story of passion and strategy. His father was a mechanic who trained his son from an early age; however, he actually wanted him to get a better education. Julio graduated university in Mechanical Engineering and later became a specialist in computer technology, rising to CIO for a part of the government. However, when his and the country’s circumstances were right, he gave up his job and invested all of his money into restoring one classic car.
Competing with the government-owned classic car taxi monopoly was difficult, but he succeeded through offering tours rather than taxi rides. When he had restored a second car in a wild pink hue, his wife also drove. Novelty and service led to success. Now he has 22 cars on the road, including 12 which friends own and run under his brand of
NostalgiCars . He employs drivers and mechanics, some
Boat Race by Kcho
Created for the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habanagraduates from his partnership with the government trade school. The fortunes of Julio and
Nidialys rose higher when they were invited to visit Washington to address students about cars and entrepreneurship in Cuba. To their amazement, they were further invited to the White House, where they had a video conversation with President Obama. Julio laughed at his own lack of formal clothing, hidden by the angle of the video camera. Later, when Michelle Obama visited Cuba, she rode in one of his cars; he proudly displays the letter of thanks.
The garage where he so passionately told us his life story was completed only 2 months ago and featured a model gas station from the fifties. He was also passionate about his ability to change Cuba from the inside; he is demonstrating to the government that small-scale private enterprise is not to be feared and is a source of good jobs.
In artistic contrast, our next visit was to the
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes ; like our other guides, Glenda was passionate about her specialty. She took us to several specific paintings from the eighties and nineties, explaining the history and symbolism that we would never have known on our own.
Laid out on the lobby floor was a work entitled,
Boat Race, by
Kcho , an internationally recognized Cuban artist. He takes his inspiration in the moment by doing the installations personally. Dozens of crudely-made little boats formed the shape of a large boat pointed towards the United States. Inside the outline were more little boats and detritus, such as a head-less doll and a worn sneaker, all acknowledging Cubans lost at sea as refugees. This “boat” represents the island of Cuba and reflects the turmoil of the 1990s, especially the
Mariel boatlift.
Glenda’s favourite painting,
Milicias campesinas (1961), was full of implied action as men’s faces pushed up into the frame in swirling colours and lots of black. She explained that the figures proclaimed the ideal post-revolutionary citizens - male, strong, straight, passionate and peasant. Close by was
Molote (1966). Faces are again pushing into the frame, but these are pale and frightened, if they are alive at all. By 1966, Cuba had experienced the
Bay of Pigs invasion , men had died for the revolution, and counter-revolutionaries threatened the new independence. Also, restrictions, shortages and chaos had upset revolutionary ideals. These painting dramatically revealed people’s personal and social turmoil.
Although the official rhetoric says otherwise, through her commentary, Glenda confirmed my impression that Cuba is still a male-dominated society; it does seem to be softening, perhaps because of equal education.
La annunciacion (1963) was painted by the first and only recognized female artist in the 1980s,
Antonia Eiriz. The woman in the painting is clearly unhappy to be pregnant in a time of chaos and uncertainty - counter to the Christian reverence for Mary’s annunciation. The artist was strongly condemned by both the government and the people for her criticism of contemporary society. One of her overtly political works, entitled
Una tribuna para la paz democratica (1968), depicts a sea of anonymous faces as seen from a political platform and podium. The facelessness of the audience indicates that they are actually unimportant to the politician, even though he might pretend to cater to the various interests of the people, as portrayed by some being darker than others. Of the five mikes on the podium, four twisted ones are wired to the same source, undermining the idea of real opinions. The only straight mike is not wired to anything. In front of the painting are folding chairs on a ramped platform,
Café del Oriente
Superb service, superb lunch implying that the supporters of the politician are interested in upward mobility and wealth.
Although I loved the tour of such meaningful paintings and art installations, lunch was a welcome respite from critical thinking. The Café del Oriente was in a beautifully restored eighteenth-century building, one of the oldest in Old Havana. We were offered a welcome Mojito, in addition to the wine with lunch. After shrimps in salad as an appetizer, we were served chicken breast Cuban style – pounded and thoroughly grilled – with steamed vegetables, accompanied by Chilean white wine.
In our free time I bought a bottle of Havana Club 7-years-aged rum (about C$25), as recommended by Daniel. Then I felt free to wander the streets, taking photos of interesting scenes. Gary happened along, and we stared at a Churritos cart. Churritos seem be nothing more than cake batter pushed through a star-nozzle into a deep-fryer; it is pulled out when browned and chopped into about six-inch pieces and eaten as a snack.
Nearby was a rather unattractive vegetable and fruit market where vendors called for me to buy, even though tourists can’t pay in pesos (non-convertible, local money). Considering the shortages, I
Local Havana Market
Oh, to buy some fruit! think it would be unethical for foreigners to buy food and goods in local shops. Reportedly Cuba will do away with the two-tiered currency system, perhaps as early as next week. Meanwhile, the US blockade and embargo of Cuba is causing hardship, although not actual starvation, thanks to the ration system for basic food-stuffs.
On our last night came the highlight of my trip - The Buena Vista Social Club! This band and the signature sound of Cuban music was founded in the fifties. New musicians have inherited and recreated the tradition. Dinner preceded the performance, and three drinks were included. The pork soup was deeply flavourful, with vegetables in a rich broth. My main dish was “ground beef”, which proved to be a stew with a little sauce, plus bits of vegetables, olives and fruit. Also, yellow rice (coloured by mild spices), rice and beans, and salad were served for the table. While we ate, the
Nymphs, a female string quartet, played pop standards. During my second glass of red wine, they left the stage, and slowly members of the main band set up their instruments.
When about a dozen musicians had moved onto the small stage,
coloured lights suddenly flashed. Big, complex sounds bounced out to the audience. Two salsa dancers kept the pace fast, enticing us to clap in rhythm. The MC roused the excited crowd, introducing three original members of Buena Vista. Their age and the age of most of the headliners had not diminished their abilities to belt out songs and entertain us. My favourite was Omara Portuonda, who sang deep alto with her whole body.
As each headliner sang, we clapped and shouted praise or sang the choruses of the better-known songs. Some band members were singled out for special talents. The guitar player was a virtuoso, plus he joked with the crowd and fellow performers - playing behind his head while keeping up the fast pace was particularly impressive! The bongo drummer and the man on the drum-set showed off and challenged each other in ever-more complicated sequences. One encouraged a woman from the audience to come on stage. They gave her sticks and quickly taught her some riffs – she learned immediately and followed them with surprising skill.
As the show went on, more audience members were called up for dances. Then the MC started asking people where
Horns howl!
Buena Vista Social Club they were from – from all over the world, including Ethiopia and Korea, and a birthday party of Canadians. With each response, someone was brought up to the stage to dance. Above the stage a screen showed the correct flag, and the band played and sang a bit of representative song. Canada’s tribute was Paul Anka’s
Diana, a really old one! The band played salsa continuously.
After calling out a dozen or so countries, the headliners and the dancers came down from the stage. We were asked to stand, swaying to the music. A conga line formed in the tight spaces between the tables, arriving slowly up on the stage to jump and sing the now familiar refrains. Fewer people were sitting than were dancing on the stage. What a finale!
">See my video.
Too bad I had only three hours sleep before taking a taxi to the airport.
Ake Och Emma
Ake Dahllof and Emma Holmbro
One thing we missed
You saw and did a lot in Cuba that we missed. Buena Vista Social Club is one. Well, that will be for next time. Thanks for posting your blogs. They bring back many memories. /Ake