Soltura Cuba Travel Blog

Written by Sophia Bass Fashion and art trends are becoming more widespread throughout Cuba. When President Obama opened the doors to Cuba in 2016, floodgates of Americans began traveling to Cuba  bringing clothing styles from New York, L.A., and Miami into Havana. If you walk around the Malecon, this is evident as men, women, and children are wearing sportswear and accessory brands from international clothing companies. When I was in Havana this summer, I asked several individuals about the shifting culture around fashion and art. Many Cubans expressed that graphic design is becoming more popular. Artists are wanting to incorporate their designs into clothing. Women throughout Havana are finding ways to intertwine their local art into products, such as handbags, jewelry, shirts, and hats. When walking around Old Havana on Calle Obispo, I noticed a small artisan market tucked between two old Spanish style buildings. Calle Obispo is known for its buzzing nightlife, music, a...

Written by Sophia Bass (traducido al español) Translated below by Izzy. “Cuba and the Cameraman,” has been widely talked about in the last week. Alpert, a filmmaker and journalist, has been capturing Cuba’s revolution and shifting society for five decades. He developed the film by utilizing portable technology and became more sophisticated as the film progressed. Using 15 types of cameras, he began the filming in 1972. This documentary is basically a museum of the entire evolution of electronic image-gathering,” says Alpert. As the film initially was filmed in black and white, it transitioned into color over a period of time. Alpert explains that he and his crew had difficulty filming at times because the government was suspicious of their activity. Alpert used a Sony color Portapak system that was so heavy in weight they had to transport it around. This attracted Fidel’s attention and led to successful documentation of the regime. This began a relationship that would conti...

Written by Sophia Bass If you’re a seafood lover, you will be pleasantly surprised by the amount of delicious seafood Cuba has to offer. Lobster, fish, shrimp, scallops….seafood was endless on the Caribbean island. I was in awe of the complexity of flavors and spices that were incorporated into each dish which has inspired me to cook Cuban food in my home. There was one dish in particular that continues to resonate with me even months after returning to the U.S. After four nights in Havana, I decided to travel to Playa Larga which is located on the Southern part of Cuba. Playa Larga is close to a small town, known for fishing more than anything. A typical dinner for a local family consisted of pescado (fish) , camerones (shrimp), or chicken and pork with a side of rice and portion of vegetables. The first night, my boyfriend and I stayed in a beautiful local beach casa and were told that the best meal was three houses down from ours. A man at our hotel said we could get lobster f...

Written by Sophia Bass The Economist article provides insight into the lives of Cuba’s cigar-factory workers. Lectores have been reading at cigar factories since 1865, when Nicolas Azcarate, a leader of a movement for political reform, proposed that education should be instilled in the minds of factory workers. Cigar workers began listening to texts such as “The Count of Monte Cristo,” as they were stuck in the monotony of making cigars. These texts helped factory workers to take their minds off of tedious labor while also providing workers an education. Many believe that the influence of the texts on cigar workers contributed to Cuba’s independence from Spain. Today, nearly 200 Lectores are still in Cuba. While Cuba’s merchandise exports fell by 33% in 2016, Cigars continue to be one of the leading export industries as they rose by 5% to $445m. UNESCO is considering to designate la lectura as a form of “cultural heritage” to help keep it going throughout Cuba. “This is the only job...