Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto addressed the 35th UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization) General Conference in Paris recently, where he said the only way the international organization could reach its objectives and goals would be by undertaking more solidarity-based policies, Prensa Latina reported.

On 20 October in Bayamo, Cuba, thousands of Cuban children, youngsters and adults sang once again their National Anthem, in the place where their ancestors did the same on October 20, 1868. This day is now celebrated as Cuba's National Day of Culture.

An optimistic view on Cuban culture was givrn recently in Paris by Cuban Culture minister Abel Prieto, who was heading a delegation from the island to the 35th General Conference of the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO).

Prieto stressed that three hurricanes, the world economic crisis, and the US blockade would be more than enough reasons for devastation, except in Cuba -he said-, where culture finds a privileged space.

To watch Los Van Van, Cuban super group, perform in Revolution Square, Havana, at the Peace without Borders concert in September click on this YouTube link

DJ Gilles Peterson has been spending time in Havana with musicians over the last year or so and has joined up with Havana Cultura to produce a double album, released 26 October.

Trans in Cuba, an LGBT community festival, will take place in Havana from 27-29 November 2009.
The festival marks a new step towards full acceptance and equal rights the LGBT community in Cuba. Organisers say: “For gays, lesbians and transsexuals the festival will be an historic opportunity to present themselves intentionally and openly as a community to the general public in Cuba.”

Cintio Vitier, the Cuban poet, essayist and novelist, who won the Juan Rulfo prize for literature in 2002 and was considered one of Cuba's foremost intellectuals, has died aged 88.

Local television reported, without providing details, the death of Vitier, who also won Cuba's National Literature Prize in 1988 and was awarded the title of Officer of Arts and Letters by France.

Following his own great passion, Bruce Forsyth presents a BBC TV series on the history of modern dance.

He concludes his journey in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the US, finding the Latin influences on popular dancing, beginning with Saturday Night Fever and the Latin roots of disco.

When Cuba hosted a huge rock concert organised by Colombian singer Juanes and others on 20 September, BBC's Michael Voss was there to report. Watch the video on the BBC website.

The New York Philharmonic has put off plans to perform in Cuba for the first time this month because the U.S. government has not allowed its sponsors to travel to the communist-led island.

"The postponement is due to existing U.S. Government restrictions on travel to Cuba which would affect project funders and supporters, without whose financial support the trip is not possible," it said in a statement on Thursday.

The New York Philharmonic issued a communiqué last week saying that it was indefinitely postponing concerts planned in Havana because of the US financial, commercial and economic blockade of the Caribbean nation.

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans flocked to sprawling Revolution Plaza on Sunday for an open-air "peace concert" headlined by Colombian rocker Juanes, an event criticized by some Cuban-Americans who say the performers were lending support to the island's communist government simply by showing up.

Miguel Bose of Spain, one of the other singers in the 5 1/2-hour concert, announced the crowd size at 1.15 million – which would be one of every 10 Cubans. It was impossible to independently verify that number, but Juanes' visit to Cuba was clearly the biggest by an outsider since Pope John Paul II's 1998 tour.

Over a million Cubans attended the 'Peace Without Borders' concert in Revolution Square, Havana, on 20 September. The concert was organised by Colombian singer Juanes who lives in Miami and brought together artists from Miami, Latin America and Cuba, including Los Van Van and Silvio Rodriguez on stage. Juanes said the show was about peace and tolerance, not politics, telling the audience that "the important thing is to swap hate for love".

"We are here for the music and it is a message of peace and unity, not only for Cuba, but for the entire region," said Latin Grammy winner Juanes.

…a welcome revival of this thoroughly delightful, engaging and deeply humane film from 1993 by the late Tomás Gutiérrez Alea.