Monthly Archives: February 2009
Havana in Transition/La Habana en Transicion
Text: Martin Pei de la Paz Photos: Brayan Collazo English version; vease abajo para la version en espanol ** Hurry, Havana is changing! Two things come to mind for most people when they hear the word “Cuba”: old cars and the famous “camellos” (camel buses), the cargo trucks converted into public transportation. But the end … Continue reading
Book Review: The Island of Eternal Love
Text & Photos: Julie Schwietert Collazo Dragon/License Plate Photo: Brayan Collazo * I’m not a regular reader of fiction. I find real life far too interesting. But it was my interest in real life—specifically, my own work interviewing Chinese Cubans in Havana that began in 2008—that led me to Daina Chaviano’s novel, The Island of … Continue reading
Why I Wasn’t Born Brazilian
Text & Photos: Julie Schwietert Collazo There’s a reason I wasn’t born Brazilian, I realized last night in my sleep and food-deprived delirium: I simply do not have the constitution to spend six days partying frenetically without stopping. Hard-core Carnaval goers (read: Brazilians) would likely scoff that I haven’t had the “true” Carnaval experience, and … Continue reading
Al Compas del Son/Looking for the Cuban Sound
Text: Francisco Collazo [vease abajo para la version en espanol] Photo: Mikelo I remember that when I arrived in the United States, the first thing I missed was my music. I remember vividly that all the Latin music I heard around me sounded old, out of style, different, and strange. I felt no connection with … Continue reading