British Culture Week in Cuba favors gender equality

Dedicated to promoting diversity, equality and inclusion, the British Culture Week in Cuba will take place in this capital and Villa Clara from November 29 to December 8.

The United Kingdom’s Ambassador in Havana, George Hollingbery, told a press conference on Tuesday that the event aims to make a cultural and artistic approach to the LGTBIQ+ communities in the two countries, in addition to serving as an accompaniment to the implementation of the Family Code in Cuba.

He noted that the objective is to explore and share on issues of global importance such as the fight for equal rights and respect for diversity, in addition to promoting the exchange between various social stockholders from both countries on the achievements and current challenges in terms of social inclusion, as an essential value for development.

Hollingbery expressed gratitude for the collaboration of various institutions of the Cuban cultural system, the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture, as well as the Office of the City Historian and the authorities of Villa Clara, among others.

The inauguration of the event will take place on November 29 at the El Mejunje Cultural Promotion Center, in the city of Santa Clara, which has been acknowledged as one of the most influential and inclusive cultural stages in the country and is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

The events in Havana will begin on December 1 with the world premiere at the Abdala Theater of “Profundidad” (Depth), a play that recreates the letter sent by the famous British writer Oscar Wilde to his lover from prison, where he served a sentence due to his sexual orientation.

Performed by the Kilómetro 0 Theater Company, directed by Liliana Lam, the play will be presented again on Monday of next week in the same in the same theater.

The event will continue during the next week with various initiatives, including the monologue “Todo en español” (Everything in Spanish), by the well-known British actor and comedian Eddy Izzard, on December 6 at the National Museum of Fine Arts Theater.

And as a highlight, the musical show “Muévete” (Move Yourself), at the Avellaneda Hall of the National Theater, on December 8, by musical producer Andrés Levine, winner of a Grammy Award and with more than 25 years of cultural exchanges with Cuba.

The show aims to be a musical bridge between the United Kingdom and Cuba, using as a theme the fight for equality and the rights of LGTBIQ+ groups in both countries, honoring the work of British celebrities such as Elton John, Virginia Woolf and Freddy Mercury.