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Cuba Nostalgia: Festival Takes People Back to Pre-Castro Cuba

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:45:45 -0400

It’s a journey that takes you back to Cuba before Fidel Castro rose to power, when the island was a must-stop for tourists and was the Caribbean’s crown jewel.

“Everybody talked about how wonderful and beautiful Cuba was," said Emilio Callejas. "But there wasn’t anything to celebrate, the culture, the art and food.”

Now there is. Callejas co-founded Cuba Nostalgia, a festival that will be celebrating pre-Castro Cuba.

Beginning Friday and running through Sunday, Cuba’s Independence Day, the event is expected to attract 40,000 people. Most of the attendees will be second and third generation Cuban-Americans who have never visited the island, but have heard all the stories passed down by their parents and grandparents.

“I was always curious about my heritage that my parents instilled in me,” said Henry Gomez, a first generation Cuban-American born in Philadelphia and raised in Miami. “It's in the name, ‘Nostalgia,' there’s something magical and amazingly alluring about Cuba, that everyone who’s been there, visited or never been, carries in their blood.”

The festival commemorates the 400th anniversary of Cuba’s patron saint, La Caridad del Cobre, Our Lady of Charity. Dozens of artists will compete to create the best rendition of the saint known as the beacon of hope for thousands of Cubans who brave the Florida straits in search of freedom. Pope Benedict XVI recently visited Cuba in March in honor of the celebration.

Visitors who attend Cuba Nostalgia at the Fair Expo Center travel back in time as they take pictures in front of a mock-up of El Malecón, Havana’s famous sea wall, and a replica storefront of El Encanto, a landmark department store that was destroyed in a bomb explosion during the revolution.

“The people reminisce over a Cuba that disappeared when they stand over a 30 x 50 foot floor map of the city of Havana and cry over where they lived when they see it on the map,” said Callejas.

All things Cuban will be on sale, such as Guayaberas, (the traditional Cuban dress shirt), old vinyl records, Cuban movies from the 50s, stamps and postcards. Bacardi Rum will be selling mojitos and Cuba Libres (Rum and Coke) in celebration of their 150th anniversary.

“We’ll also be roasting a lechón (pork) on a Caja China (Cuban barbeque) and serve Cuban sandwiches, croquetas and Materva and Ironbeer soft drinks,“ Callejas said.

Renowned Cuban pianist and composer, Enrique Chia, will move the generation of exiles in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s with romantic boleros of a golden era.

Many authors and even bloggers who write about Cuba will exhibit their works and there will be guest speakers talking about Cuba’s politics and its future.

“I became involved with Babalu Blog after attending my first Cuba Nostalgia festival,” said Gomez, a former managing editor and now contributing writer for Babalu, a blog about Cuba.

“It’s very painful for a lot of people not to be able to go there. Cuba is more than just the land – there’s the people and the culture that make Cuba and a good chunk is here in Miami,” Gomez said. “It’s a way to come together and celebrate that Cuba survives despite 53 years of dictatorship.“

Facebook Petition Urges Pope to Seek Equal Time with Cuban Dissidents

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:06:30 -0500

On most days, Giancarlo Sopo, Nicolas Jiménez and Keith Fernández are polar opposites in matters regarding politics.

Fernández was a former assistant to U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). Sopo worked on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2007 and Jiménez, who defines himself as a Libertarian, volunteers for non-profit organizations.

What the third generation Cuban-Americans do have in common is their plight to create awareness about human rights issues in Cuba before the eyes of the world.

The three men are on a mission to encourage Pope Benedict XVI to grant equal time to human rights activists in Cuba during his upcoming visit to the island this month.

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"I can think of no better way for the Pope to make human rights the centerpiece of his visit than by taking the time to personally meet with the island's leading human rights activists, such as the Ladies in White, Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet and Yoani Sánchez," said Sopo, a marketing executive and political consultant in Miami.

The three activists, who have become close friends, believe the Cuban regime will discourage the Vatican from recognizing individuals outside a select-few who will be pre-approved by the government.

"This shouldn’t surprise anyone as we have all seen the horrific images of state security forces beating and dragging women through the streets of Havana for the mere crime of marching for human rights," added Sopo. "These men and women need to know we have their backs."

The Cuban-Americans set out to create a consensus on the issue of human rights in Cuba and engaged the power of the Internet to launch a Facebook page, One Cuba, where by signing a petition "supporters can promote the plight of the dissidents in Cuba who otherwise wouldn’t have a voice," said Fernández, a law student at the University of Florida.

The petition campaign was an organic effort.

"Like good Cuban sons, we were talking, via Facebook, about how messed up this world is and how someone should do something," said Fernández. "We looked at each other and said, 'why not us?'"

Tech-savvy Jiménez, who resides in Madison, Wisconsin, was charged with implementing the petition. "The Church has always been at the center of change in a lot of societies, but we feel this has the potential to be something of a turning point if enough voices are heard."

The 25 year-old has traveled to Cuba on three occasions and has met in person with dissident leaders and independent journalists such as Guillermo Fariñas and Yoani Sánchez..

"Cubans-- especially young Cubans-- are hungry for change. Meeting with them intensified my dedication to helping them in their mission," said Jiménez. "It’s hard to see their scars and not feel compelled to help them in their struggle."

The U.S. policy on Cuba is usually a divisive issue amongst Cuban-Americans, especially between the younger and older generations. However, the petition for One/Una Cuba is a bi-partisan cause that appeals to everyone, the founder said.

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"Whether you’re 18 or 70, you arrived from Cuba yesterday or 50 years ago, when it comes to human rights we’re on the same page," said Fernández.

Over 150 Facebook friends have already signed the petition in just a few days. The Cuban-Americans will submit the signatures to the Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, on March 23 and will forward the same to the Vatican prior to the Pontiff’s scheduled visit to Cuba on March 26-28.

"We firmly believe those brave men and women, human rights activists on the island, need to know that the young people in this country unequivocally support their right to be free and have their voices heard, to have economical rights and personal freedom," Sopo said.

Cristina Puig is a freelance writer based in Miami.

The Students Behind SoBe's Wine & Food Festival

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:29:43 -0500

It’s one of the hottest tickets in South Florida. What started 11 years ago as a small festival on a college campus has become one of the most prestigious gatherings of gourmet chefs in the country.

But what many people don’t know about Food Network’s South Beach Wine and Food Festival is that its 900, mostly Latino students from Florida International University, that help make it happen – at least behind the scenes.

Sizzling Latino Chefs: Aaron Sanchez

The students work side-by-side with big-name chefs like Emeril Lagasse and Guy Fieri – they chop, prep and serve up delicious meals at the foodie paradise.

“Let me put it this way,” said Chef Chris Lilly, who has participated in 11 SoBe festivals. “As soon as the students from FIU stop helping with this event, I will stop coming to this event.”

The festival, which began as a one day event attended by 600 guests is now a four-day food extravaganza featuring 50 events and attracting nearly 60,000 people. Last year’s festival raised $2.2 million in proceeds to benefit the students of FIU’s prestigious Chaplin School of Hospitality, Tourism and Management.

Sizzling Latino Chef: Jose Garces

“This is an amazing experience,” said Macarena Morros, 23, an FIU hospitality student from Chile. “After working at a hotel when I was 18, I decided that I wanted a career in the hospitality industry and this event opens up so many doors for that.”

Carlos González, a 2011 FIU graduate, said the experience he gained from working the festival three years in a row helped him land a job at the exclusive Loews Hotel on South Beach.

“You deal with real chefs, recipes, inventory, equipment, entertainment,” said González, who is Colombian-Guatemalan. “This experience looks great on a resume.”

Sizzling Latino Chef: Ingrid Hoffman

Chris Hastings, an Iron Chef contestant and owner of Alabama’s Hot & Hot Fish Club, said he shipped a thousand pounds of quail, previously cured and smoked at his restaurant, then grilled it on the beach. He served it with baby carrots, beets and onions, then topped it off with chives and his signature white BBQ Sauce.

“Impossible! There's no way I could cook and prepare 1,500 plates of food by myself,” he said.

Some of this year’s new events include “Salsa at Sea” on an afternoon party boat hosted by Food Network chefs Aaron Sanchez and Douglas Rodríguez.

Miami’s top food carts and trucks will officially close the festival with “Trucks on the Beach “ hosted by Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern.

For more information, go to www.sobefest.com.

Cristina Puig is a freelance writer based in Miami.

Florida Latinos at GOP Forums Voice Concerns About Jobs and Small Business

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:08:10 -0500

Javier Figueras says he’s voting for presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the Florida primary because of his business experience.

"I trust his ability to bounce the economy back,” said Figueras, a 20-year-old sophomore attending the Miami Dade Honors College Program in Miami. “I don’t want to speak badly of President Obama, but we should be in a better place by now.”

A finance major, the third-generation Cuban-American says students like him are concerned about employment.

“We want to make sure that we’re going to have a job when we graduate that will allow us to pay back our college debts.”

His was among the many concerns expressed by a cross-section of students and business leaders who attended various forums hosted on Wednesday by Univision Network, Miami Dade College and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC).

GOP hopefuls Romney and Newt Gingrich, who attended separate forums, are neck and neck in the Florida primary, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. Approximately 72 percent of the Hispanic voters in Miami-Dade County are Republican.

Over three million Hispanics own businesses in the United States, according to Nina Vaca, chairperson of the USHCC.

“Sixty-four percent of jobs created in America come from small businesses,” Vaca said, “and Hispanic businesses are the fastest growing of that sector.”

The owner of Pinnacle Tech Resources, a staffing company, Vaca added that “many business owners are interested in legislation that will promote the prosperity and growth of their companies.”

Henry Fleches said his biggest concern as an entrepreneur is taxation for private institutions.

“When you compete against regulation and taxation, it’s an additional threat to small business owners like me,” Fleches said.

Fleches, who is president and CEO of United Data Technologies, says he is concerned about the large sums of money the United States is borrowing from China.

“How do we stand on our own two feet,” he asked, “when we’re borrowing money from the same country whose goods we’re consuming?”

Many business owners admitted they still haven’t decided which GOP candidate they will vote for in the Florida primary, but they believe the forums will help them form an opinion.

While in Miami, Gingrich gave a lecture on Latin American policy at Florida International University.

Romney addressed a crowd on the same subject at the Freedom Tower, a building that served as a processing center for thousands of Cuban political refugees in the Sixties. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul, trailing in the polls, did not schedule appearances in Miami.

Cristina Puig is a freelance writer based in Miami.

Newt Gingrich Talks Cuba, Sips Cafecito in Miami

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:48:40 -0500

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich rallied support in South Florida from the Cuban-American community, an important constituency needed to win the Florida primary.

The former Speaker of the House sipped on his café cubano at Versailles Restaurant near Little Havana, a popular stop for political candidates.

Gingrich told a roomful of Cuban exiles that as president, he would be committed to a transition from a dictatorship in Cuba, under the Castro brothers, to freedom.

“We should worry about Cuba even more than the Middle East," said Gringrich."My goal as president would be creating a Cuban Spring, which will be more exciting than an Arab Spring.”

Gingrich stressed that the United States also needs to pay more attention to all of Latin America given this week’s meeting between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez,as well as leaders of Nicaragua, Ecuador and Cuba.

“Ïranians are trying to penetrate Latin America," he said, "and the United States is not paying attention.”

On immigration, Gingrich outlined a plan for what he describes as “a humane and rational policy that still meets the law."

“We need to modernize our visa system to include a guest worker program where everyone is legal and not hiding in the shadows.”

South Florida Republicans say they’re taking their time to listen to all the GOP candidates.

"We don’t want to be forced into making a decision just yet, “ said Tea Party activist Marcos Sendon.

“The apprehension for Romney has less to do with the person himself than the haste the establishment has in crowning him the winner,” added Sendon.

Gingrich told the crowd he wasn’t concerned that his leading contender, Mitt Romney, had larger coffers to fund a campaign.

“Remember that Romney outspent McCain 10-1 in Florida in 2008 and still lost.”

Noticeably missing from Gingrich’s visit to Miami were some of Florida's most powerful Republican political leaders, including Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart.

The Cuban-American legislators were across town holding a fundraising breakfast for Gingrich’s leading rival, Mitt Romney, who did not attend the event.

According to Gingrich’s Florida campaign director, Jose Mallea, the Speaker's performance speaks for himself.

“Newt’s campaign is based on ideas, not rhetoric," Mallea said. "He’s the one person in this race who can put together a bipartisan program."

At the rally, Gingrich introduced his daughter, Kathy Gingrich Lubbers, a South Florida resident of 11 years, who delighted the crowd with a brief campaign message in Spanish.

On Friday afternoon, Gingrich headed to Orlando to oversee the opening of his Florida campaign headquarters.

Cristina Puig is a freelance writer.

Does the GOP Need Univision?

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:30:57 -0400

Just a decade ago, any political candidate who wanted Latinos to pay attention had to get someone else's attention first: Univision.

The largest Spanish-language network in the U.S. was the dominant player in the Latino market – and how they covered a story influenced how Hispanics viewed a political candidate or issue. The network had the power to elevate or sink a candidate.

But Marco Rubio’s ongoing saga with Univision underscores how its near stranglehold on the Latino market is weakening as a growing number of networks are now paying attention to the growing political influence of Latinos in the United States.

The rift between the Florida Senator and Univision burst into the open over Univision's in-depth story on the conviction of Orlando Cicilia, Rubio's brother-in-law, during the federal-led "Operation Cobra," in the 1980s. According to a report by the The Miami Herald, the Senator's staff felt that the network tried to use the investigation as leverage to strong-arm Rubio into an interview.

Univision, the paper said, offered to soften or even kill the story about the senator’s brother-in-law if he agreed to appear on Al Punto, a weekly news show, to discuss his views on immigration. Sources told Fox News Latino that when Rubio declined to be interviewed by Jorge Ramos, the host of the show, Univision canceled an interview the senator had previously scheduled with a reporter from the network’s Miami affiliate.

Univision has strongly denied the allegation that it made any such offer to Rubio.

“With respect to Senator Rubio, Univision covered the story in the same objective, fair manner we cover every significant story,” the network said in a statement. “Univision did not offer to soften or spike a story...we would not make such an offer to any other subject of a news story and did not offer it in this case."

“There’s obviously a serious disagreement between the Rubio staff and the Univision staff,” said Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist. “Univision has been the dominant political platform to reach Hispanics, but now this will make political candidates take notice of other alternatives out there.”

The GOP has called for a boycott of Univision, and so far several presidential contenders -- Texas Governor Rick Perry, businessman Herman Cain, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman -- have said they would boycott Univision's proposed January 29th debate over the flap.

And some candidates are using as leverage the fact that Univision is not the only network where they can go.

"With NBC and Telemundo (Univision's much smaller Spanish-language competitor) also hosting a debate the same weekend in January 2012, we will have ample opportunity to engage with Spanish-speaking Americans," Perry's communication director, Ray Sullivan, wrote in a letter to Univision CEO Randy Falco.

But Miami Democrat strategist Freddy Balsera said the brouhaha over Univision just proves how far Republicans have to go to understand Latinos.

“Univision is the number one source for news and information for Latinos in the US. In my view, ignoring Univision shows how little certain Republicans understand how to communicate and connect with Latinos,” Balsera said.

He said the GOP still doesn’t get that it cannot win the presidency without Latino support.

“You cannot win swing states like Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia without having strong results among Hispanic voters,” Balsera said. “How do these Republicans propose to do that by boycotting Univision?”

Cristina Puig is a freelancer based in Miami.

Activists in Cuba Vow an Egypt-Style Democracy Movement Will Sweep the Island

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:08:50 -0400

Lawyers in Cuba say there will be a peaceful pro-democracy movement on the island that will lead to the same change that took place this year in Egypt and Tunisia.

Speaking to congressional representatives by telephone from Cuba on Thursday during a Washington D.C. briefing on human rights on the island, Rene Gomez Manzano, who was disbarred almost 20 years ago for his criticism of the Castro regime, said: “Lawyers like me are dedicated to the implementation of a democratic government in Cuba, an independent judiciary, and the establishment and respect for the rule of law.”

The briefing was hosted by members of the Cuban American Bar Association (CABA) in Washington, DC. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Mario Diaz-Balart, David Rivera, all Republicans from Florida, and New Jersey Democrat Albio Sires, participated in the briefing. All four representatives are Cuban-American.

CABA officers said they wanted the briefing to raise awareness about human rights violations in Cuba.

“We hope to raise awareness, that there’s a place 90 miles away that doesn’t have the rule of law, the opportunity to go to court, or have issues adjudicated,” said Victoria Mendez, president of CABA.

Josefa Lopez Pena, founder of The Ladies in White, a group that formed in Havana in 2003 and consisted of wives and mothers of jailed dissidents, told those at the briefing that a changing mindset was taking hold in Cuba among the people.

“The Cuban people are waking up,” Lopez Pena said. “And it is important to continue to give the dissidents on the island a voice.”

Lopez Pena was forced to leave Cuba in 2006 with her husband, Miguel Sigler Amayo, a political prisoner who was released from jail after completing a 25-year sentence. Lopez Pena affirmed her conviction to continue supporting political dissidents in Cuba and the Ladies in White movement-- albeit from a distance.

“Those are the true heroes,” she said.

The group also spoke by phone with Laritza Diversent, another dissident lawyer who operates a legal clinic known as Cubalex.

“I am dedicated to informing and educating the average Cuban citizen about their legal rights, as well as answering their legal questions,” Diversent said. “The Cuban government will not authorize Cubalex's formal representation of Cuban citizens, as Cubalex is an independent organization.”

Ros-Lehtinen praised CABA and others who participated in the briefing. (In Miami, a group of about 20 CABA members gathered at the law firm of Broad and Cassel to watch the briefing via Skype.)

“It’s great to see a new generation of Cuban-Americans working for “La Causa,” bringing democracy, human rights and freedom of elections in Cuba,” said Ros-Lehtinen.

CABA did not reveal the names of their guests until yesterday for fear they would be persecuted in Cuba.

Cristina Puig is a freelance writer.

Miami's Little Venezuela Abuzz About Hugo Chávez and His Stay in a Cuba Hospital

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:38:56 -0400

As Venezuela President Hugo Chávez lies in a hospital in Cuba, uncharacteristically quiet for the last two weeks, speculation is running rampant in Miami’s Venezuelan exile community about his health, and the future of the South American nation.

Some leaders there believe the nation’s legislators should address what they say is a power vacuum in the presidency.

Oswaldo Muñoz, publisher of El Venezolano, a newspaper that reaches nearly 150,000 Venezuelans who reside in Miami, says: “He is a recovering patient in a foreign country and the national assembly should declare who is in charge while he is out of the country.”

Chávez's Twitter account carried three messages Saturday, but it has not provided any information about his health.

It’s been more than two weeks since doctors in Cuba performed emergency surgery on Chávez. Little is known about his condition, and it remains unclear when he will return to Venezuela. His frequent television appearances and endless speeches have been absent from the airwaves, causing many to speculate about his health and who’s in charge back home.

“That is the $64,000 dollar question,” Muñoz said. “He’s been gone for almost 20 days and no one knows when he will return to Caracas.”

Chávez, who is 56, was on an official eight-day trip to Brazil, Ecuador and Cuba. According to statements released from Venezuela’s information ministry, government Twitter posts and state media, he underwent surgery to remove a pelvic abscess.

Officials have provided few details regarding Chávez’s health and have limited their comments only to say that he is recuperating.

“We’ve only seen a photograph of him looking haggard next to Raúl and Fidel Castro,” said Muñoz, while discussing the layout of next week’s publication with his staff in Doral. Muñoz noted that like the Castro regime, “Venezuela is guarding Chávez’s physical condition like a government secret.”

A few blocks down the street, customers at El Arepazo 2 gathered to speculate on Chávez’s health and whereabouts. The diners at the Venezuelan eatery jokingly tossed around theories about why Chávez has been absent from the public view – and whether he may have a life-threatening disease such as cancer.

Many are critical of the Venezuelan government’s silence.

“There is so much misinformation from the government," said Lorenzo Di Stefano, owner of the restaurant. “Whether we like it or not, he is the president and the constitution stipulates that all citizens have the right to be informed, especially when it concerns our president.”

Meanwhile, Venezuelans in Miami say the country is facing other serious domestic issues that must be addressed, such as crime, inflation and energy woes. No one has heard Chávez speak publicly since June 12, when he told Venezuelan state television via telephone that he was recovering from surgery.

He added that further tests showed no sign of any malignant illness.

According to Manuel Corao, host of a radio talk show on La Poderosa 1070 AM in Miami, “Creating this mystery about Chávez’s health could also be a ploy to motivate empathy for the president due to the decline of his approval ratings in recent polls.”

The Venezuelan journalist went on to say that sources have confirmed that Chávez’s urologist, Ariel Kaufmann, is also in Havana.

Meanwhile, many speculate the Venezuelan leader’s return is imminent, and that he will possibly return in time to celebrate Venezuela’s Independence Day on July 5.

Cristina Puig is a freelance reporter based in Miami.