By Andy de la Tour reporting on the Havana International Theatre Festival
Our group of actors didn't know quite what to expect when we took our show, ‘Harold Pinter in Cuba', to Havana for the 14th International Havana Theatre Festival in October. In the event, it was a bigger success than we dared hope. Two packed out shows in the modern auditorium of the beautiful Museo del Bellas Artes, standing ovations and a half page in Granma were testament to the international reputation of Harold Pinter.

Although Harold was known by many Cubans as an outspoken critic of the US embargo and as the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature, few in our appreciative audiences really knew Harold's written work. Our evening of excerpts from his plays, poems and prose gave them an entertaining insight into the breadth and depth of Harold's writing, his wisdom, his humour, his romanticism and his lethal dissection of corrupt power. From the moving poem to his widow, Lady Antonia Fraser, It is Here, to the brutal realism of ‘Mountain Language', Pinter's words revealed themselves as a universal language whose meaning was easily grasped by audiences not wholly fluent in English.

Raíces Cubanas, led by virtuoso violinist and musical director Omar Puente, headlined a fabulous night to celebrate Cuba's national day of Culture in October. The event at Conway Hall was a packed out, fun filled evening which also featured dance and poetry sets from Tio Molina, beautiful boleros from Yuri Moreno plus a special set from guest Colombian singer Fabian Velez dedicated to the Miami Five. The event also heard from Cuban Ambassador Esther Armenteros.

La guarida del topo (The Mole's Den) is the latest full-length Cuban film currently being screened in movie theatres nationwide. Its director, filmmaker Alfredo Ureta, spoke to Juventud Rebelde newspaper about the leading character, "the mole," a lonely man performed by Cuban actor Nestor Jimenez.

Danza Contemporanea de Cuba received overwhelming acclaim for their first ever major UK tour in 2010. The fresh, joyous and passionate programme of work featured the outstanding Mambo 3XX1, created by resident choreographer and dancer George Céspedes and nominated for both and Olivier and TMA award for his outstanding contribution to dance.

This internationally renowned company return in spring 2012 with a programme including the world premiere of a piece by award-winning choreographer and influencer of modern dance Itzik Galili, and another chance to experience the incredible Mambo 3XX1.

The UK based Santiago Quartet were formed in Mexico City in 2008 with the intention of playing rarely performed pieces by living Latin American composers, and through concerts and classes are introducing audiences to a rich repertoire. Ahmed Dickinson is a Cuban classical guitarist based in the UK.

Rogelio Orizondo, received the 2010 Virgilio Pinera Award with Ayer deje de matarme gracias a ti,Heiner Muller(I Didn't Kill Myself Yesterday because of You,Heiner Muller).

Watch this teaser for documentary being shown in the London Latin American Film Festival this November

Cuban swimmer Lorenzo Perez won the first gold medal for the Cuban delegation taking part at the Fourth Parapan American Games in Guadalajara.

The 2011 Human Development Report, just published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), places Cuba in the 51st position, two steps up compared to the previous report.
According to the document, Chile -in the 44th spot- is the best-ranked nation in Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by Argentina (45), Barbados (47), and Uruguay (48).

Haiti (187) is the only country in the region included in the "Low Human Development" category, out of a total of the 187 nations listed.

Last friday Cuban nueva trova singer Silvio Rodriguez gave an outdoor concert in Revolution Square – General Antonio Maceo – in Santiago de Cuba to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the monument dedicated to Antonio Maceo, hero of the War of Independence.

Cuban culture has lost about 14,913,300 million USD as a consequence of the U.S.-imposed economic, trade and financial blockade for the last 50 years.

This has included lost earnings from exports of goods and services, relocation to other markets, additional spending on freight, and monetary-financial damages.

The Cuban Minister of Tourism announced that the Caribbean nation already received -for the eighth consecutive year- its two-millionth foreign visitor in September.The press release notes that the figure was reached 32 days sooner than in 2010 and it reaffirms Cuba as one of the main tourist destinations in the Caribbean area.

In its announcement, the Minister of Tourism recognizes the contribution made by friends all over the world, including clients, tour-operators, travel agencies, airlines, hotel chains, and journalists, among many others.

'Too Much' by Lowkey featuring Shadia Mansour, is produced by Nutty P. Lowkey is a Poet, Playwright, Political Activist and Hip Hop artist.

There is a scene that recurs as a mantra in Cuban geography several times a year, where a group of young people travel from one point of the island to another in order to claim their place in the birth of each new rock festival and any other event of significance related to the hardest rhythms in Cuba.

Thousands are following in their footsteps, and more than anyone else they follow the established groups in the first division of this genre, in which the calibre of the line-up includes the likes of "Zeus", "Agonizer", "Combat Noise", "Hipnosis", "Tendencia" and "Escape", without overlooking the excellent stylistic rigour of groups such as ‘Anima Mundi' and ‘Tesis de Menta'.

A group of UK actors will perform a selection of Harold Pinter's works in Havana, Cuba in November at the Havana International Theatre festival.