Holguin Remembers “El Guayabero”

The Holguin branch of the animation studios of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) presented this week the video "Mi son retozón", dedicated to the legendary singer Faustino Oramas "El Guayabero". The new video features images of the picaresque character whose humor made him as popular as his quixotic figure. “Los guayaberos”, founded by Faustino Oramas, provided the music for this tribute to the singer known for his humorous songs and who toured the country with a unique Tres guitar and peculiar hat. “El Guayabero” died in 2007 in Holguin and was one of the greatest exponents of son music, deeply rooted in the eastern region of the island. He began his musical career at age 15 with the La Tropical Septet. The song "Marieta" was undoubtedly his most popular , recognized and hummed over and over again by his followers.

The historical Biran

If you come to Holguin you can visit Fidel Castro birthplace and learn about his extraordinary life.

Biran is a historical place located in this eastern province, founded by Angel Castro Argis, father of the Cuban leader of the Revolution. Castro Argis built 27 houses and facilities forming the Biran Castro Batey.

You can enjoy the scenic community which, along with its buildings, has also protected the natural environment. Eleven of the original wooden buildings constructed by Castro Argis remain well maintained today, the majority painted yellow with red zinc roofs. Members of the Castro Ruz family, along with other residents, often share interesting local anecdotes with visitors.

There´s a two-story house where President Fidel Castro grew up and where his parents Angel Castro Argis and Lina Ruz Gonzalez resided until their deaths.

Among the buildings is the Rural School #15, which was brought to Biran by Angel Castro and served as school for his children and the rest of the community’s children.

Gibara: Low-Budget Film Festival Begins

The International Low-Budget Film Festival that takes place each year in Gibara, opened Monday with the traditional parade and the screening of the Cuban film "Un dia de noviembre" by the late film director Humberto Solas.

The Cuban actress Eslinda Nunez, Margarita Maguregui from Spain and Mexican Filmmaker Ricardo Benet make up the jury that will grant the awards for the winning films in the category of fiction.

A jury made up by Gonzalo Fredes from Chile; the Cuban Xenia Rivery and Ivan Trujillo from Mexico will grant two awards in the section of rough cut projects and unpublished scripts for feature films, sponsored by HIVOS and Swiss Effects.

Filmmakers Jesus Leon, from Spain; Lissette Vila, from Cuba and Mexican Guillermo Moteforte will grant the prizes in the category of documentary, video art and experimental works.

The program for the event includes forums to debate topics related to the Cuban film such as "The invisible offices, an unresolved school," and “For a less Low-Budget Film: Towards an optimal post-production with greater potential for distribution."

The festival will pay a special tribute to Cuban filmmaker Tomas Gutierrez Alea, with the screening of the documentary “Titon: de La Habana a la Guantanamera,” directed by
Mirta Ibarra, on Tuesday at 7:00 pm at the Jibá movie. Films like "Fresa y Chocolate" and "La muerte de un burócrata," both directed by Titon, will also be shown during the festival.

Gibara Welcomes International Low-Budget Film Festival

The coastal city of Gibara in Holguin, will host the 7th "Humberto Solas International Low-Budget Film Festival, schedule from April13 to 19.

Convened by the Cuban Institute for Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), the Ministry of Culture and the Governments of Holguín and Gibara, the event will pay homage to the late Cuban filmmaker Humberto Solas, author of the project. Participants will compete in the categories of documentaries, feature films and short fiction, unpublished scripts, and experimental video works, among others.

The Jiba cinema of this city, also called “La villa blanca”, will be the headquarters for the Festival and will also host the opening and closing galas, while the Culture Center will host conferences on world cinema. In addition to film screenings, the event will once again include a mix of different artistic manifestations such as theater, painting, music and literature.

Despite the damage caused by Hurricane Ike in Gibara on September 7, 2008, the organizers have made available to participants a date with film that refused to disappear.

Holguin: older than it seems

Recent finds in Holguin could confirm the existence of an aboriginal and Hispanic community with certain economic development before 1752. The finds might corroborate the hypothesis supported by specialists from their previous work on the house of the Lieutenant Governor. For researchers, there was already an important population group since the mid-seventeenth century.
The excavations of what could have been the interior courtyard, revealed a collection of time materials like fragments of utilitarian pottery clay, English earthenware of the 18th and 17th Centuries, Spanish majolica in the early eighteenth, and fragments of flint blades, cut in the manner of the aboriginal inhabitants of the area.
The background of this research is found in the excavations carried out at the house of the Lieutenant Governor and the San Isidoro Church, used as a cemetery in the eighteenth century.
The new findings underline the need for greater attention to the architectural knowledge of history of this Cuban province of a remarkable architecture beauty.

Guayabero: a new brand of wine to excite the senses

The new brand of wine El Guayabero, named after a Cuban folk singer known for his humorous songs, will exceed other wines capacity to unleash the tongue, as it enriches the bouquet with a special double sense to make drinkers blush or generate excitement.

Beyond its quality, which many local sommeliers ponder, this wine had its success guaranteed when it was named after the famous folksinger whose double sense compositions and serious face made people hilarious.

Faustino Oramas(El Guayabero) was considered the King of doublé sense and for many fans to perpetúate his legacy in a red, sweet wine, is to do him a magnificent and just homage.

To remember him and please the palate at the same time, this new wine was born after his demise at 95 years of age, when considered a national symbol, loved by his people. This calls for a toast.

Humpback Whale Seen in the Coastal Town of Gibara

A humpback whale about 11 meters long and about 15 tons was spotted Tuesday by sport fishermen in the coastal town of Gibara, in Holguin.

Identified of similar proportions as one captured in coastal waters of Gibara 30 years ago, the cetacean was seen by Carlos Merino and Juan Tejeda in the area around the inlet of “La Canoa”. This inlet is located between Punta Rasa and Goleta, so the whale came to a relatively short distance from the coastline in the Atlantic waters.

The whale emerged about 40 meters from his small boat that seemed to be a huge vacuum, and observed that water vapor expelled from a hole in his head, said the two sport fishermen, then the huge mammal submerged in the ocean waters without paying any attention to the amazing fishermen.

The humpback is one of the 78 species of whales reported worldwide, which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Many of these animals often make long migrations during the colder months to warm areas, which includes the north region of Cuba and hence this humpback ride along the coast of Gibara. The finback or blue whale is among the biggest whales which can measure up to 30.5 meters long and weigh about 200 tons.