Cuban culture builds bridges in Brussels

From the expressions of Art Nouveau in Havana to rumba and son, Cuba conquered spaces in Brussels this week, as a worthy end of the days of Cuba's culture in Belgium.

In the lobby of the Lumen Cultural Complex, various demonstrations coincided on Thursday in a unique evening of traditions and solidarity, including a photo exhibition by renowned Cuban photographers such as Roberto Chile.

Artists Ulises Mora and Irma Castillo with their Timbalaye project brought a flavor of Cuban cultural syncretism, including rumba as an element inscribed in the Intangible Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Mora read a message entrusted to him by writer Miguel Barnet, who called to defend Cuban culture from foreign interference.

“Culture is the homeland and the homeland is the energy of spirituality that saves us,” one of the emblematic figures of Cuban culture warned.

The audience was also captivated by singer Annie Garcés and guitarist Eduardo Corcho, who presented a panorama of Cuban music from the past to the present, including songs like La Bayamesa, Venga la Esperanza, 20 años, Sábanas blancas and Cuba que linda es Cuba, which were sung by those present at the Lumen Cultural Complex.

The cultural gala was closed by Tumbao Cubano, a band that cultivates son and the farewell was to the rhythm of Guantanamera, with all the artists sharing the stage.

On Wednesday, the emblematic and busy Halles de Saint-Géry gallery hosted the exhibition entitled The Traces of Art Nouveau in Havana, with 18 large-format photos by Cuban artist Néstor Martí, who demonstrates the presence of that artistic and decorative movement inspired by nature.

It is an honor to inaugurate this exceptional exhibition, which celebrates the encounter between two cultures, the Art Nouveau of Brussels and the present in Havana, Gallery Director Thierry Wauters said.

Wauters expressed satisfaction with the initiative and praised the importance of cultural exchange, endorsed by Cuban Ambassador to Belgium Yaira Jiménez.

Among the prominent figures attending the event were the secretary of Cuba’s National Assembly, Homero Acosta; the president of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), Fernando González; and the president of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), Luis Morlote.