Tuesday, March 12, 2013

CUBA Part II: December 2011


International Havana Jazz Festival

We were very excited to arrive back in Cuba, this time to enjoy the famous jazz festival and to learn more about the Methodist Church in Cuba.

So, first, the Jazz Festival:  The dates were December 15-18, 2011.  There was a lot of excitement in the city and large crowds at the performances.  Late afternoon and evening concerts were held in a couple of different theatre  venus, then jazz groups continued to perform over the city until “all hours.”  We attended the evening programs at the Teatro Mella (Mella Theatre).  These concerts featured a number of jazz groups each evening.  Musicians and groups were from Cuba, of course, but also from other countries, including Europe, Asia and the U.S.  The event featured world class jazz, and this year the theme featured jazz in relation to classical music.  The final concert at the Mella Theatre featured a 40 piece Afro-Cuban jazz orchestra, and the last performance that evening was a magnificent presentation of “Rhapsody In Blue.”  Maestro Frank Fernandez was featured as the pianist.

Following the evening concerts in the theatre, we attended ongoing jazz music at our hotel each evening.  These presentations were an official part of the festival.

The quality of the music was outstanding.  It was a thrill to be there and to share in the festival and to hear and see amazingly high quality musicians perform.  I (Don) was able to video the music that we heard, and the recordings turned out quite well.  There is also some music from the festival on UTube.

We have a few pictures in addition to the video (which I cannot seem to add to the blog).


The official International Havana Jazz Festival 2011 poster
 
Crowds on Havana walking streets, including people who were in Havana
for the Jazz Festival
 

 
Our friend, Alan Schuyler from Roberts, Montana was with us in Havana in December.  
At this point we were relaxing on an afternoon and, of course, listening to some live music.
 
 
Don & Nancy enjoying the afternoon in Havana
 
 
Evening jazz performance
 

 
Pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and his combo performing at the Mella Theatre. 
 
 
Standing ovation and long applause for the conductor, the featured
pianist, and the orchestra at the conclusion of the "Rhapsody In Blue" at the end of
the final concert of the 2011 Havana Jazz Festival
 
 
Chuco Valdez, famous Cuban pianist and chair of the festival organizing committee.
Valdes is Cuban, but he lives in the U.S. most of the time.
 
 
Colorful jazz festival poster
 

Sweet sounds of the trumpet....
 
 
Roberto Fonseca and his fantastic Cuban jazz combo
 
 
 
Jazz music - and crowds of people to listen
 

Another festival poster
 
Proclamando las maravillas que Dios esta haciendo en la Isla...
 Proclaiming the wonders that God is doing in the Island.
This sign or similar signs, can be seen in various places around the country.  At this point over 90% of the municipalities in Cuba have a Methodist church or a Mission Community that includes preaching and other activities.  The Mission Communities are started with the intention that they will transition into an organized Methodist Church.  Though there were tough times during the early years of the communist era, free religious participation is now much easier.  Thus, a lot of people are taking advantage of this opportunity to join, or at least attend, a Christian Church.  The Catholic Church is still the largest denomination, but the Methodist Church has been growing at the rate of about 10% a year for more than a decade.  Over 60% of the new members are under the age of 35! 
The Methodist Church in Cuba was born in the 19th century, the result of the work of Methodist missionaries, mostly from Florida.  Though the Cuban church is now autonomous, i.e., independent, it remains closely related to the United Methodist Church in the U.S. and elsewhere.  Many United Methodist churches in Florida have a sister church relationship with a Cuban Methodist church.  It is now easier for the church people in Florida to have regular contact with Methodists in Cuba as well as offer support in a variety of ways.  Groups of 15 to 20 persons frequently travel to Cuba to meet with pastors and lay people, to attend district meetings and other special gatherings.  Sometimes a group goes as a Volunteer in Mission group to help with a needed project in Cuba.
Since there is not much in the news about this sort of subject, we want to give at least a bird’s eye view of this dynamic and positive, indeed exciting, “happening” in Cuba today.  On our visit to Cuba last December we had the opportunity to visit one of the many Methodist churches located in Havana.  We attended the University Methodist Church that is near the university in Havana.  This church has a membership of about 2,000 (and is not the largest Methodist church in Havana) plus participating constituents.  The church sanctuary was completely full for the worship service when we attended.  Plus, their fellowship hall in the basement was full as well – with a large video screen enabling those people to share in what was happening.  Seats were reserved for us and for Don’s brother, Ray, and our friend, Alan.  The pastor had also arranged for a lay person, Rudolfo, to sit with us and translate parts of the service.  We were surprised that a United Methodist pastor from Angola was also visiting.  He, and our group, were introduced and given the opportunity to speak briefly.  We later learned that the Cuban Methodist Church has a small number of missionaries serving in Angola.
The worship service included a lot of music.  They had a Cuban style band that played, and the people sang, and danced, and smiled with joy.  The music was certainly Christian in content, yet it maintained the musical spirit of rhythm and movement that we encountered all over Cuba.  The service included a sermon, of course, and some moments in which the pastor recognized and individually blessed persons recovering from surgery or other illness or who were facing surgery.  It wasn’t over dramatized but, rather, was supportive.  The minister read a remark that was made by the Cuban bishop in a talk in the U.S..  He said that the people come to church to worship, that it is a vital time of the week when there is a strong sense of community and belonging.  He said that the people will stay for 3 or 4 hours without hesitation – week after week.  The service that we attended was 4 hours long.
Here are a few pictures:
 
Ray & Don in front of the University Methodist Church
in Havana
 
Close up of the Methodist Church

The church sign
 
 
The bell tower and cross on the top of the church
 
 
The church altar
 
 
The sanctuary is filling up for the service
 
 
The pastor is blessing a young child who was to be baptized in
the near future.
 
 
Two young girls enjoying the worship service
 
 
Another young Methodist - with Mom
 
 
Bishop Pereira of the Cuban Methodist Church
 
 
District Conference in Havana - Bishop Pereira is presiding
 
 
The Camaguay District Conference
 
 
Methodist musicians
 
 
Nuevitas Methodist Church at worship
 
 
A bit of drama during a Methodist worship service
 
 
Worshipping Methodists
 
 
Drama at a Conference Women's Assembly
 
 
Another Havana Methodist Church - and the pastor and his family
 
 
Alan and Rodolfo, translator during worship and
guide around parts of  Old Havana.  The are standing in front of
a large mural that depicts life from the past.
 
 
At the airport - waiting for our first flight towards home
 
 
Ready to board our Airbus plane of the Cuban Airline.
Goodbye, Cuba, at least for now.
 
 
 

 
 

Monday, March 11, 2013

CUBA Part I: January 2011


We wanted to travel to Cuba long before we started doing our trips to various parts of the world.  Even before the Revolution, Cuba appeared to be a desirable place to visit.  Finally, we made it!  In January 2011 we spent about 3 weeks traveling through various parts of the country, including such places as Havana, the Sierra Del Rosario Biosphere Reserve, the Vinales Valley and caves, the Zapata Marshlands, Bay of Pigs, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, the Escambay Mountains, and Santa Clara.  We traveled by bus, so we also saw a lot of the Cuban countryside as we went from place to place.

We enjoyed Cuba so much that when we had an opportunity to return in December, we jumped at the chance.  The December trip was just about a week long, and we spent it all in Havana.  The focus of this trip was to connect with the Methodist Church in Cuba and to attend the annual International Havana Jazz Festival.  We also had a good opportunity to further explore Havana. 

We begin by saying that we enjoyed our experiences on both of our Cuban adventures.  The country is beautiful, and the people are friendly.  It was easy to mix with people.  We always felt safe and welcome. Though most of the people are far from wealthy, they have a spirit about them that transforms their hardships, somehow, into a rhythm of living that is positive.  This can certainly be seen through the way that music and the movements of dance are evident everywhere.  Walking down a street in Havana, for example, it won’t be long until you will come upon musicians playing in a square, in a park, or just on the sidewalk.  We seldom had a lunch or dinner when we did not have live music.  Sometimes it would be one or two musicians; at other times, it would be a group 5 to 8.  The music was always inviting, melodic, and full of rhythm.  What a treat!  And, as the music flowed, people seemed instinctively to move to the rhythm, even if it was just nodding a head or the tapping of feet to the music.

We enjoyed our group of 16 persons plus Alex, our guide.  Together, with the experienced help of Alex, we delved into the life and culture of Cuba.  We saw historical sites in the towns and cities and had the chance to see the people in action.  We had the opportunity to visit several UNESCO World Heritage sites along the way.  We were inspired with the way that the Cuban people have dealt with the sanctions imposed by the U.S.  It has been difficult, but they have gone ahead with life.  One example: it is almost impossible for them to obtain fertilizer due to the sanctions.  So, they have gradually moved to an agricultural system that is almost totally organic.

I will briefly discuss the jazz festival and the Methodist Church in Cuba after the first set of picture.  To sum up this general summary:  Our visits to Cuba are high on our “favorite trips” list.  Now is a good time to visit – before multitudes of tourists begin to change the unique qualities of the country.
 
Havana scene from our hotel - a busy, rainy morning.
(Click on picture to enlarge for viewing)
 

Havana scene
 
 
One of the thousands of old American cars that are beautifully maintained.
 
 
A good place to observe and mix with people.  This is on a long open pedestrian promenade.  People gather to visit and hang out; children and young people play.
 
 
Observing the activity from above.
 
 
A beautiful courtyard in Old Havana
 
 
Enjoy the beauty of the children!
 
 
Typical Havana scene.  Buildings are being restored to their former beauty in
Old Havana
 
 
Old Cuban fort and part of the bay of Havana
 
 
One of a number of fishermen that we saw working from shore.
 
 
Along the shore, people visit and watch the noisy breakers
hit the protective wall.
 
 

Traffic of several kinds
 
 
Don and Nancy - being watched by Ernest Hemingway.  This
was taken in Heminway's favorite restaurant\bar, the Floridita.  We have
had a couple of wonderful meals there and, yes, music too!
 
 
 
This ferris wheel is in a permanent recreation park for people
of all ages.
 
 
These workers are taking a break from their
window washing job.
 
 
A lifesized carving of St. Francis
that is on a church named after him.
 
 
A building of many colors.  We often saw the use of bright colors
on buildings, evidence of the delight with colors that
the Cuban people obviously have.
 
 
A Havana enclosed food market.  This one is huge, and
the produce looks good, a result of their use of organic
farming.
 
 
Church tower with cross.
 
 
Colorful dress.  She would like a contribution for a photo.
 
 
 
Another photo opportunity.  These costumed people add
color and atmosphere to the large city squares.
 
 
She has a good view to see the attractions.
 
 
Did Nancy rub his beard like everyone else obviously does?
 
 
Don and Nancy in a beautifully maintained Olds.  Our guide arranged for our
whole group to be picked up and taken to dinner in American cars
similar to this one.
 
 
 
 
 
 
A sign near Hemingway's home - which is now a carefully mainted museum.
The interior of the home is kept just as it was when Hemingway died.
 
 
 
A view of Hemingway's home in Havana
 
 
Hemingway's study where he did a lot of writing, including his
The Old Man and the Sea
 
 
Yes, another car.
 
 
 Well, I had to try a Cuban cigar.  We also visited a cigar factory in Havana
 
 
We saw these guys and gals on both Cuban trips.  They really are tall.
They walk around in the old town of Havana.
 
 
They do have a sense of humor.  At least they can see
what a snow man might look like, though never in Cuba.
 

 
Nancy didn't eat this piece of candy, but it was all for fun anyway.  As you can see, this is in a
large square.
 
 
 

A very large and beautiful statue of Christ
 
 
 
 
These guys put out some fantastic Cuban music.
 
 
A Havana food market
 
 
Yes, this building is modeled after the U.S. capital.
 
 
Don and brother, Ray
 
 
Another type of taxi.  It requires energy but no expensive gasoline.
 
 

 
'Tis time now for the wedding pictures.  It appears that the bride is a bit more formal in her dress than is the groom.
 
 
A woman shows off her craft work at a Senior Citizen Center.
 

Time to look as some pictures of the beautiful children......
 

 
 
 
 
 
The Havana Cathedral and large cathedral square that is often filled with people and music.
 
 
Can't you just almost hear the music that is coming from these guys?
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
An afternoon boat ride in the waters near Havana
 
 
A Greek Orthodox Church in Havana
 
 
A mosaic plaque near the church that shows Fidel Castro presenting the
Orthodox bishop the keys to the restored church.  (see below for close up
of the words in English)
 
 
"This cathedral is a gift from the people of Cuba to the Greek Orthodox Church...."
 
 
 
 
 
They like chocolate in Cuba too.  This crowd is waiting to get in the chocolate factory.
 
 
 
 
We had a drum lesson led by two popular professionals.  Nancy is giving it a whirl.
 
 
Don's turn.....
 
 
Alex, our guide (with his hands up) translating for us and the tobacco farmer.
Our visit to his tobacco farm was quite interesting.
 
 
One of the farmer's fields of tobacco
 
 
 
Don's brother, Ray, and Ray's wife, Laurie
 
 
Time for Cienfuegos - but first, the Botantical Garden of Cienfuegos
 

A multitude of school children in a parade during the observance of The Big Revolution.  Note, though, the revolution in question was the one against Spain when Cuba gained its independence.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Cuban flag
 
 
Botanical Garden
 
 
Nancy and Don in the garden of beautiful flowers and other plants
 
 

 
Approaching Trinidad
 
 
A landmark picture of Trinidad
 
 
A poster view of Trinidad
 
 
A picture in itself - but as the sign says you can rent the donkey long enough for a picture.
 
 
Our group sharing a dinner together, a familiar scene during our tour.