cultural icons of United Kingdomsuch as the playwright and poet William Shakespeare and the group The Beatles, will be revisited in Havana as part of the tenth edition of British Culture Week.
The event, which will take place from February 21 to 26, will have as its seal the reinterpretation, by Cuban artists, of the cultural influence of that European nation on the island, as confirmed this Thursday at a press conference by Sir George Hollingbery, ambassador of the United Kingdom in Cuba.
The celebration, the diplomat emphasized, seeks to highlight the connections and shared values between the two countries and strengthen bilateral ties through art and culture. Institutions such as the Ministry of Culture, the Cuban Cinematheque and the Office of the Historian of Havana are also involved in its activities, along with the Embassy, while Ron Santiago and the Johnnie Walker whiskey brand serve as sponsors.
Exceptionally organized outside its usual date —towards the end of the year—, the British Culture Week will have its opening on the afternoon of next Tuesday the 21st, in the Plaza Vieja of the historic center of Havana. As a prologue, the UK classic car club will parade from Vedado to Old Havana, followed by the inauguration of a large-format graphic design exhibition.
At the expo, a group of designers —among them Nelson Ponce, Raupa González, Lyly Díaz and Idania del Río— will dialogue with British culture from different registers and authorial perspectives, in works exhibited in the public environment and in which there will be no shortage of approaches to themes and figures such as the author of Hamlets and The Lear King.
A day later, on Wednesday the 22nd at 6:00 pm, the British artist Freya Hollingbery and the Cuban Elio Jesús will open a joint exhibition at the Taller Gorría Gallery, in the well-known San Isidro neighborhood. remains of the day is the title of the exhibition, which will display pieces made from recycled materials.
Another of the highlights of the week will be the concert by the group Real Projet at the Teatro Martí, on Thursday 23rd at 7:30 pm. In it, the band will perform songs from the album together with invited musicians Let it beby The Beatles, in instrumental arrangements and from the freshness and contemporary sound, while fragments of the documentary will be screened The Beatles: Get Backby the New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson.
The theater will have its moment from Friday the 24th to Sunday the 26th, with the staging of the play mary for mary, based on the life of the writer and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, a pioneer of modern feminism. The presentations, under the direction of Liliana Lam, will take place at 7:30 pm at the Cuban Art Factory.
One of the novelties of the week will be the “pub crawl” experience in four bars in Old Havana. Those who participate in the tour of these private establishments, on Friday afternoon and evening, will be able to enjoy cocktails and tapas with a “British touch”, according to its organizers.
Other activities of the day will be the launch of a series on the creation of audiovisuals for children and young people; an English language festival, with games, contests and songs, organized by the British Council; and a guided visit by invitation to the residence of the British Ambassador in Havana, by the American architect of Cuban origin Hermes Mallea.
The closing of the week will feature the singer and percussionist Brenda Navarrete, who will pay homage to British culture through Afro-Cuban music. This closing concert, scheduled for the night of Sunday the 26th, will take place at the Cuban Art Factory and will have a previous “surprise”, which the artist preferred not to reveal.
