CUBA welcomed the International Year for People of African Descent, declared by the United Nations, with an intense program throughout 2011.

According to UN Resolution 64/169, the year was an opportunity for governments to strengthen national measures and regional and international cooperation to the benefit of persons of African descent.

Twenty days following the connection of a solar power system to the national grid, specialists are weighing the possibility of implementing the alternative on a large scale.

The International Book Fair Cuba 2012 wound up in Santiago, after having toured western, central and eastern Cuba. More than one million copies were sold and over two million Cubans visited the event's main headquarters throughout the island.

Cuban film director and essayist José Massip unanimously received the 2012 National Film Award in recognition of his more than 50 year career.

The Cuban intellectual was chosen by a jury headed by renowned Cuban actress Eslinda Nuñez, filmmaker Gerardo Chijona and photographer Raúl Perez Ureta.

Cuban musician Eliades Ochoa is a candidate to win this Sunday for the second time a Grammy Award, since he was nominated in the category of "World Music" by his "Afrocubism" album.

In a very special Cuba50 offer, one lucky person and their friend can be taken backstage at each concert on Roberto Fonseca's UK tour to meet the man himself.

Children's and youth writer Nersys Felipe received the National Literature Award for 2011 at a ceremony held at the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress as part of the International Book Fair Cuba 2012 currently underway in Havana.

The Cuban writer was granted the coveted prize for the work of her entire life as a novelist, short story writer and poet. The jury was headed by 2010 National Literature Prize winner, Cuban-Uruguayan novelist Daniel Chavarría, and made up of critic Zaida Capote Cruz, essayist José Antonio Baujín, and poets Georgina Herrera and Nelson Simón.

Cuban light heavyweight Julio Cesar La Cruz was selected the top boxer of the Americas in 2011, the year when he became world champion and leader of the 16th Pan American Games.

Cuban Singer songwriter Sara González, member of the Movimiento de la Nueva Trova (Cuban New Song Movement) died in Havana .

Text written by the author for the book "La memoria y el olvido" [Memory and
Oblivion] recently presented in Havana

The president of the organizing committee of the 6th Congress on Sex Education, Counselling and Therapy, Mariela Castro Espin, was very pleased with the progress and outcome of the event, which ended on Thursday in Havana.

Unlike previous stages, this conference was characterized by the richness of the discussions and the participation of renowned Cuban and foreign experts, which outnumbered the numbers forecast, she told reporters.

Havana's 21st International Book Fair will be held from February 9th – 19th then travel through Cuba until 4th March.

Cuban essayist Zuleica Romay, who recently won the special 2012 Casa de las Americas Literature Award on black presence in the contemporary Americas and the Caribbean, called for cultural policies to face today's stereotypes and racist behaviours.

After receiving the award, the author of "Elogio de la Altea o las Paradojas de la Racialidad" (Altea Praise and Racial Paradoxes), told Prensa Latina that the the work allows her to appreciate racial prejudices through socio-cultural processes that are often covert.

Thanks to ComoNo, Cuba50 have a pair of tickets to give away to see the amazing Los Van Van in concert at The Electric Brixton in London on 1st March 2012.

To enter the competition – send an email to office@cuba50.org with 'Los Van Van comp' in the subject line, with your full name and a contact tel number to arrive by 22 February 2012.

Gallery 27 Cork Street, London – 23 to 28 April, 2012
The Lighthouse, Glasgow – 7 to 13 May, 2012

Beyond the Frame: Contemporary Cuban Art presents fresh and diverse artworks by 29 of Cuba's leading artists specially selected for this unique UK exhibition. Works by the island's internationally acclaimed contemporary artists will be displayed alongside top documentary photographers, some of whom have shaped perceptions of Cuba, both real and imaginary. Looking beyond the frame, the exhibition will offer a snapshot of an art scene that is engaging, eclectic and exciting. Pieces in vivid colours and more sombre items, both abstract and figurative, will be displayed alongside conceptual work using found materials and familiar iconic images.