I have the pleasure of opening this section with two sets of news that will go down in the history of this treasured island: the first visit of a North American president for eighty-eight years, and one of the biggest concerts given by the legendary Rolling Stones that captivated half a million people in the capital’s Ciudad Deportiva sports complex.
Barack Obama’s visit was an event that held the whole country’s attention from the very moment the US president and his family first stepped out onto Cuban soil, and absorbed the rest of the world too as a transcendental moment in the process towards achieving normal bilateral relations.
This edition will circulate during FitCuba 2016 that takes place in Havana and is dedicated to Canada this year, a fact that lends extra significance to the event given that Canada sends more tourists to Cuba than any other nation, with over a million visitors every year.
In this particular issue we’re including an important piece on the Canadian company Wilton Properties Ltd. Wilton is currently developing the hotel Arte@HABANA project that is set to promote contemporary Cuban art in the well known Miramar district, as well as a new hotel and residential development, Villa Jibacoa, that will incorporate four 5-star hotels with different themes—Golf, Spa, Village and Beach—located in Jibacoa, a forty-five minute drive from both Havana and Varadero airport.
Among other top picks, there’s an interview with Canadian Ambassador Mr. Yves Gagnon covering relations between the two countries with a focus on tourism.
Art always features in CubaPlus, and this issue includes a report on Cuban musician Edesio Alejandro, another on artist Maykel Herrera and the final piece in our series on the renowned photographer Alberto Korda.
In fashion, we take a look at a Havana based community project called Artecorte, which supports community development through its hair salon and a hairdressing school that trains local young people for free.
Floridita, the legendary bar-restaurant that turns 200 in 2017, also features in this edition with a languid look at the birthplace of the daiquiri. The place is known the world over and has also inspired writers like the Nobel prizewinning Ernest Hemingway who turned the bar into “his home”.
I’m sure that this issue of CubaPlus will captivate countless readers, who can also find out more and keep up with the real Cuba via our website:
www.cubaplusmagazine.com
Kind regards,
Dominic Soave
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