Direct from Havana, the Cuban dance spectacular, Havana Rakatan, is back in the West End for a red-hot fifth season! Featuring brilliant dancers and live music by 8-piece son band Turquino.
13 September – 09 October at Peacock Theatre, London

Miami Republican David Rivera and a coalition of small groups of the anti-Cuban mafia in Miami asked Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Jiménez to cancel the upcoming Miami performance of Cuban singer Pablo Milanés.
The protest was issued Tuesday in a letter addressed to county authorities, stating their opposition to Milanes performance on Aug. 27 at the American Airlines Arena.

With contemporary and radical rock styles like the grind core, black metal, death metal and hardcore, seven European bands will perform concerts in Camaguey, Cuba, on August 26 for Brutal Fest.

The bands, coming from Switzerland, France and England, will make presentations along with the local group Grinder Carnage.

The International Symposium of Cuban Hip Hop 2011 opened last August 17 in Havana (until 27th) with the attendance of Canadian, American, French, Haitian, and Colombian singers, bands, and dancers.

Cuba beat Chinese Taipei 10-5 in July and in the process took the crown of the World Baseball Challenge tournament that concluded in the Canadian city of Prince George.
The Asian team, who had defeated Cuba in the opening game of the final round, opened the score in the second inning with four runs thanks to an error of the Cuban defense and four hits -including a three-run homer by catcher Chun Chieh Wang- off Cuban starter Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez.

Then, while reliever and winner of the game Norberto Gonzalez held the China Taipei attack to only five hits and one run in 7 1/3 frames, the Cuban batters scored a 10-run rally in the fifth inning to secure the victory.

On Tuesday 5 July 2011, the UK and Cuba signed a formal declaration to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Cuba Solidarity Campaign Director, Rob Miller welcomed the declaration saying:

Director of Latino Research at the DePaul University, U.S., Felix Masud Piloto choose not to travel to Cuba for an international forum after Washington imposed degrading conditions on his trip to the island.
In a message sent to the organizers of the First Colloquium titled "Cultural identities and Latin presence in the United States," hosted by Casa de las Americas, Masud Piloto said Barack Obama's government has let down those who were looking to normalization of relations with Cuba.

Manuel Galban, who died this week, was an exceptional guitarist who played a major part in the success of the Buena vista Social Club. His playing on Ibrahim Ferrer's 'Buenos Hermanos' album showed he had not lost his talent for innovation which first emerged when he founded and led of the highly successful 1960's Cuban doo-wop group Los Zafiros, who wowed Paris at the same time as The Beatles were failing to impress Parisian audiences. This footage shows why John Lennon asked to stay an extra night in Paris so he could check them out.

This rare footage from 60 years ago shows quite clearly why Benny More is still regarded by Cubans as the greatest of them all. He was a brilliant singer, composer, bandleader and showman, and many consider that he represents the absolute peak of Cuban popular music- and all this despite the fact that he could not read a note of music.

Review of CD: The Havana Suite: Ahmed Dickinson & Trio Mestizo
Cubafilin Records 2011

In a short space of time Ahmed Dickinson Cardenas has deservedly gained a reputation as a brilliantly gifted Cuban guitarist. He qualified a year early at Havana's top music school, went on to study in London at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall and has already produced two fascinating albums both as a solo artist and in collaboration with others.

Review of new CD: A Beginners guide to Timba – Salsa Cubana
3 x CD, Nascente NSBOX081, 2011

Carnival time in Santiago de Cuba begins July 21 and runs until July 27, an emblem of traditional popular culture and one of the most famous carnivals in Cuba.

The main areas for these celebrations were ready: Trocha, Marti, Santa Ursula, and the neighborhood of Sueño, while the neighborhood of Victoriano Garzon was set to host the jury that will judge the traditional comparsas (parade groups), floats and congas (music groups).

Cuban guitarist and composer Manuel Galban, founder of Los Zafiros quartet and featured guitarist of Buena Vista Social Club, died on Thursday in Havana at 80. His ashes will be buried Friday at the Colon Cemetery in Havana.

Cuba beat Chinese Taipei 10-5 on Sunday and in the process took the crown of the World Baseball Challenge tournament that concluded in the Canadian city of Prince George.

Last week Cuba launched the interactive forum 'El engaño de las razas' ('Deceit of races' ) at www.foroscubarte.cult.cu which has been organized by CUBARTE and the Cuban Association of Artists and Writers, UNEAC, in the context of the celebrations for the International Year of the Afro-descendants.

The United Nations General Assembly 64th period session declared 2011 as the International Year of the Afro-descendants with the object to strengthen national measures and international and national cooperation for the benefit of the Afro-descendants regarding the total enjoyment of their economic, cultural, social, civil and political rights, their participation in all fields of society and the promotion of a greater respect and knowledge of their diversity, their heritage and their culture.