Herencia Cultural Cubana

Invitación a importante exposición

2012-02-23T16:58:00.001-05:00

HERENCIA CULTURAL CUBANA Y LEON MEDICAL CENTERS

Tienen el placer de invitar a suscriptores y amigos a una exposición detallada de ideas para adaptar la Constitución de 1940

de manera que sea un documento vivo y útil en una Cuba post Castro.

Constitución y Libertad: Ideas para crear un Estado de Derecho Perdurable

Invitación Ciudadana: Hora de Pensar a Fondo

Constará de dos sesiones en power point. En ambas se compararán los cambios, artículo por artículo, presentándolos en pantalla con explicación en cada caso por el autor del trabajo, Dr. Alberto Luzárraga. Se trata de intercambiar ideas entre ciudadanos preocupados de un futuro viable y no de una simple exposición. Se contestarán preguntas del público y habrá comentarios y preguntas de un panel.

Panelistas primera sesión: Dr. José Villalobos Esq., Lic. Luis Fernández Esq. y Lic. Arturo Riera.

Moderador: Arq. David J. Cabarrocas

FECHA: Primera sesión, jueves 23 de febrero. Segunda sesión, jueves 1ro. de marzo.

HORA: Recepción: 6:30 p.m. Presentación: 7:00 p.m.

LUGAR: Leon Medical Centers – Flagler Center , 7950 NW 2nd Street

Miami , Florida 33126 (in front of Mall of the Americas )

Bacardi at a glance: Company’s 150-year highlights

2012-02-01T11:19:00.000-05:00

Bacardi Ltd. Chairman Facundo L. Bacardi with a portrait of his great, great grandfather Don Facundo Bacardi Masso. CHARLES TRAINOR JR / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/30/2612854/bacardi-at-a-glance-companys-150.html#storylink=cpy

1862: Bacardi is founded by Don Facundo Bacardí Massó in Santiago de Cuba.
1898: In Daiquirí, Cuba, American mining engineer Jennings S. Cox originates the Daiquirí cocktail made with Bacardi rum.
1900: The world’s first Cuba Libre is created when Bacardi rum and Coca-Cola are mixed with lime to celebrate the end of the Spanish-American War in Cuba.
1919: Prohibition becomes law in the United States and Americans flock to Cuba to drink Bacardi rum.
1930: The iconic Edificio Bacardi opens in Havana and celebrities frequent its Art Deco bar.
1930s: Bacardi establishes facilities in Mexico and Puerto Rico. The facility at Cataño, Puerto Rico is the largest premium rum distillery in the world.
1944: Bacardi establishes an imports company in New York City to supply the United States market.
1960: Bacardi operations in Cuba are illegally confiscated without compensation by the Cuban government. Bacardi continues its operations from four other countries: the U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
1964: Bacardi moves its U.S. headquarters from New York to Miami, opening the landmark Bacardi Building on Biscayne Boulevard. Bacardi U.S.A. calls it home until November 2009.
1965: Bacardi opens a distillery in Nassau, Bahamas. Bacardi International Limited relocates from the Bahamas to Bermuda.
1978: Bacardi rum becomes the No. 1 premium distilled spirits brand in the U.S. with more than 7 million, 9-liter cases sold.
1992: Bacardi Limited is formed, unifying five separate strategic operating units of the Company (Bacardi International Limited – Bermuda; Bacardi & Company Limited – Bahamas; Bacardi Corporation – Puerto Rico; Bacardi Imports, Inc. – United States; and Bacardi y Compañía S.A. de C.V. – Mexico).
1993: Bacardi finalizes the acquisition of General Beverage, owner of the Martini & Rossi Group. With this acquisition, Bacardi doubles in size and becomes one of the top five largest premium spirits companies in the world.
1995: Bacardi launches Bacardi Limón in the U.S.
1998: Bacardi acquires Dewar’s Scotch whisky and the Bombay and Bombay Sapphire gin brands. Bacardi becomes one of the top four spirits companies in the world.
2002: Bacardi forms an alliance with Anheuser-Busch to develop, market and distribute Bacardi Silver, a clear malt beverage in the U.S.
2002: Bacardi acquires Cazadores 100 percent blue agave tequila, a top-selling premium tequila.
2002: Bacardi opens a facility in China.
2002: The Casa Bacardi Visitor Center opens at the Bacardi distillery in Puerto Rico, a tourist experience celebrating the history of the company and the brand.
2004: Bacardi purchases Grey Goose vodka, the world’s No. 1 super premium vodka.
2005: Facundo L. Bacardi, great-great grandson of the company’s founder, becomes chairman of the board of directors of Bacardi Limited.
2008: Bacardi announces an agreement to purchase a significant stake in the parent company of Patrón tequila.
2012: On Feb. 4, the company and Bacardi rum celebrates their 150th anniversary.
2012: Bacardi is launching several new products including Grey Goose Cherry Noir vodka and Bacardi rum’s, Black Razz and Wolf Berry.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/30/2612854/bacardi-at-a-glance-companys-150.html#storylink=cpy

Evolution of Bacardi: Company marks 150th anniversary

2012-02-01T11:16:00.001-05:00

The company celebrates its past while looking forward to growth in the competitive spirits business.

By ELAINE WALKER

ewalker@MiamiHerald.com

When Bacardi family members gather over the next week to celebrate the company’s 150th anniversary, they will crack open limited-edition, $2,000 bottles of an aged rum blend made especially for the occasion.
A fitting toast would celebrate how far the company has come, particularly in the last two decades. During that time Bacardi Limited has transformed itself from a family-owned company known almost exclusively for its namesake rum to a multi-branded spirits company featuring a collection of well-known premium brands ranging from vodka to gin, scotch and tequila.

The expansion wasn’t just a matter of growing market share. In a shark-like global marketplace, Bacardi needed to grow if it wanted to survive.

“We saw consolidation happening and with a single brand it would have been very difficult for us to compete,” said Manuel Cutillas, a Bacardi family member and shareholder. Cutillas lead the first phase of the diversification as chairman and chief executive during the 1990s. “We had to grow. Had we not done that we would have found ourselves having to sell or merge with a larger company.”

Bacardi learned that lesson the hard way during the 1980s and early 1990s. As rum sales declined amid the growing popularity of premium vodkas and tequilas, Bacardi rum lost its rank as the top selling spirit in the world. When consolidation swept through the industry, the company struggled to remain competitive with industry leader Diageo and the fast-growing Pernod Ricard.

The company’s move toward diversification began in 1992 with the acquisition of Martini & Rossi, then picked up speed with the 1998 acquisition of Dewar’s scotch and Bombay Sapphire gin. In 2002, it added Cazadores Tequila. The crown jewel came in 2004 when the company spent $2 billion to buy Grey Goose vodka, the world’s top super premium vodka. That deal made Bacardi a player in the hottest beverage category, where it had long been missing in action.

Initially, some industry watchers were skeptical about the growth potential of the new brands.
“The doubters have been proven wrong,” said David Fleming, executive editor of Impact, an alcoholic beverage industry trade publication. “There were some people who thought the only thing Bacardi knows is rum. They’ve shown that they’re real brand builders.”

Internally, the Grey Goose acquisition also seemed to silence the rumblings that had been brewing for more than a decade about Bacardi’s potential transformation from a private company to a publicly traded one. The option was seen as way to raise expansion capital.

Chairman Facundo L. Bacardi said the family values its independence and has no intention of going public. Bacardi has fewer than 500 shareholders; all but a handful are family members. Today, there are eight generations of Bacardi family members.

“There are plenty of acquisitions out there that we can do without resorting to being a publicly-traded entity,” said Facundo Bacardi, the great, great grandson of founder Don Facundo Bacardi Massó and one of the company’s largest shareholders. “You don’t realize how hard it is to manage a company quarter-to-quarter and fiscal year-to-fiscal year. We don’t think that way. Some of our plans go out 10 years. We take a long-term view on a number of initiatives.”

Today, the company that Don Facundo founded in 1862 in Santiago de Cuba is the third-largest spirits company in the world, with more than 200 brands. In the last two decades, Bacardi has quadrupled in size.
While the Bacardi Limited empire is based out of Bermuda, its U.S. headquarters has called Miami-Dade County home since 1964. The U.S. remains Bacardi’s top market and the company puts most of its resources behind its six core premium brands.

“I think that’s one of the secrets to our success,” said Robert Furniss-Roe, regional president of Bacardi North America, who has spent 23 years in executive positions for the company around the world. “We’ve remained very focused on building a few brands very well. We’re not stretched terribly thin across 15 different things.”

Accordingly, Bacardi has bought little in recent years. Its most high-profile deal since Grey Goose was the 2008 “significant” investment in the parent company of Patron tequila.

The company has been rumored as a potential bidder should Beam Brands (maker of Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Courvoisier) break up, but that’s not likely in the immediate future. The major voids in Bacardi’s spirits portfolio revolve around cognac and bourbon.

“We always keep our eyes open for acquisitions that make sense,” said Séamus McBride, president and chief executive officer of Bacardi Ltd. “I think the shape of our portfolio is self-evident. Some of those are gaps we could fill if we saw the right acquisition at the right price.”

McBride, who took over the helm in 2008, is one of a string of chief executives since 2000 who have come from beyond the Bacardi family. As the company has grown over the last decade, it has focused on bringing in outside management with more diverse skills. Like McBride, many of the executives have come from a background in the consumer products industry.

Even the number of family members working at Bacardi has dwindled to less than 100 of the company’s nearly 6,000 global employees. Bacardi’s 16-member board of directors also now includes nine non-family members, a practice that started in 2003 among several moves to strengthen the company’s corporate governance.

Yet, Facundo Bacardi said the family has by no means separated itself from the decision-making process.
“At the end of the day the buck stops with the family,” said Bacardi, 45, who became chairman in 2005 and also runs Apache Capital, a Coral Gables investment company. “The family needs to make sure everybody is reading off the same page. People look to me to ensure we follow the same values that my great, great grandfather started this company with 150 years ago.’’

But industry experts say the changes internally and within the industry have had far-reaching impacts on the way Bacardi does business.

“They don’t have the kind of unitarian power they once had,” said Tom Pirko of BevMark, an industry consultant “They’re playing by other people’s rules, much more than they ever did before. Sometimes that’s good because it brings discipline. Sometimes that’s bad because it stifles creativity. There was always a kind of exuberance about Bacardi. They were more spirited in what they did. Now, they’re more confined. It’s a response to forces bigger than they are.”

Although its acquisitions have pushed Bacardi up the ranks to the third-largest, major international spirits company, a huge gap remains between the family-owned company and its two larger competitors, Diageo and Pernod Ricard.

“They’re not playing at that level and they probably never will,” said Olly Wehring, editor of just-drinks, a leading London-based industry trade publication.

While Bacardi waits for appropriate brands to come up for sale, the company is focusing its attention on innovation, with the rollout of new products at a pace never seen before.

The anniversary will mark the launch of Ron Bacardi, de Maestros de Ron, Vintage: MMXII. Cutillas and seven other of the family’s retired master blenders gathered for several days in Puerto Rico to create a product using rums aged in cognac barrels, some as long as 25 years. Only 1,000 bottles have been made, each in a numbered, hand-blow glass decanter. Most will go to the family, but a limited number will be available for $2,000 a bottle at select travel retail locations, including Miami International Airport.

For most consumers, of greater interest is last fall’s unveiling of Bacardi Oakheart. The spiced rum is designed to compete against Captain Morgan and appeal to the sense of adventure among its young male target audience. It has already been the company’s most successful launch since Bacardi Limon.

“It’s an offensive play, not a defensive play,” Furniss-Roe said. “We spent an awful lot of time trying to come up with a product that was far superior to anything else in the marketplace. We’ve already taken beyond the marketshare we were expecting.”

On tap is an emphasis on new fruit flavors: Bacardi rum’s, Black Razz and Wolf Berry; Grey Goose Cherry Noir vodka, and Bombay Sapphire East gin flavored with lemongrass and black pepper.

And that’s only the beginning. Look for another high-profile super-premium product launch designed to fill a category gap in Bacardi’s portfolio.

“The consumer today is always looking for new experiences,” McBride said. “They have more choices than in the past and they are more sophisticated. They want variety. Flavor line extensions can increase the frequency of our existing user base or bring in new customers.”

Innovation is just one way that Bacardi hopes to boost sales.

“The best way to grow the business is organic growth,” Facundo Bacardi said.
The company says its business is once again back in the growth mode. Like other companies in the consumer products business, sales took a hit during the recession as consumers cut back on going out to bars and restaurants for cocktails.

Although the privately-held Bacardi does not have to file financial reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, documents were available until Sept. 2008. The last full year of documented financial results show 2008 fiscal year sales, less excise taxes, hit a record of $4.5 billion compared to $4 billion the previous year. Net income for the year ending March 31, 2008 was $794.7 million, up from $730.5 million the previous year.

But by Sept. 2008, although sales were still increasing because of higher prices, Bacardi reported a 2 percent decline in global case volumes for the first quarter of Fiscal 2009. The picture was even worse in the U.S., which saw a 7 percent decline in global case volumes.

“Traditionally our industry has been viewed as a defensive proposition during economic downturns, but the possible breadth and depth of the current downturn suggests that past history may not be a good guide to this very deep and very global recession,” Bacardi wrote in a Sept. 2008 note to shareholders. “Having repositioned ourselves as a premium and super-premium branded spirits company, we remain even more cautious. The tightening in the credit markets is impacting both our consumers and our customers.”

While post-2008 financial results are not available, industry sales reports show Bacardi’s core brands all took hits in volume during 2009. The turnaround has begun, as most brands have started to grow again and have rebounded either to where they were pre-recession or close.

Alcoholic beverages as a whole stood up better than many industries during the recession, as consumers opted for drinks at home instead of pricey cocktails at bars. Others traded down to less expensive products, which took its toll most on super premium brands like Grey Goose.

“It’s been very tough in the U.S.,” Furniss-Roe said. “The brands that were higher priced faced more challenges and the brands that were more affordable were less challenged. We’ve basically held on to our marketshare during the recession. I think 2012 will be a substantial turning point, both in the industry and the company.”

Bacardi sees opportunity in the emerging markets. The company has put an emphasis since the late 1990s on developing its business in markets like India, China, Brazil and Russia, all of which have seen sales growth at least double the rate of the developed world.

Industry experts say Bacardi needs to pick up the pace of growth both internationally and in the U.S. if it hopes to continue to thrive.

“In this industry you lose if you’re not continuing to grow,” Pirko said. “You grow or somebody grows at your expense. The decisions Bacardi makes now are going to determine what happens in the next five to 10 years. If you don’t have the resources to go after a competitor with deep pockets like Diageo, you’re always going to be behind.”

Always a leader in creative marketing, Bacardi has adapted to changing consumer patterns. Today, you’ll find Bacardi engaging with more than 2 million Facebook fans, introducing brands through events and aligning its brands with art and culture.

“There is no consumer today that drinks a brand because they saw an advertisement,” said Juan Rovira, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Bacardi U.S.A.. “Engagement with a brand goes through multiple touch points. It’s a much more complicated seduction process.”

It’s why for the 150th anniversary, Bacardi is throwing a VIP birthday bash at the Super Bowl in a space reminiscent of Cuba during the 1950s. A Bacardi-sponsored promotion on LCD screens in New York’s Times Square celebrates 2012 as the United Nations Year of the Bat. Contests on Bacardi’s Facebook page give away tickets to birthday celebrations around the world, vintage Bacardi T-shirts and crates packed with all the accoutrements to throw one’s own Bacardi birthday bash.

“We’re trying to talk about the history in a way that’s relevant and engaging to our consumer,” said Toby Whitmoyer, Bacardi U.S.A.’s vice president and brand managing director for Bacardi rum. “Social media is absolutely critical. A more engaged consumer purchases your brand more often; that link is clear.”

During the anniversary, much of the marketing effort will focus on the namesake brand. No matter how much Bacardi grows, its focus will always remain back where it started.

“We may own other brands, but it’s always going to be a rum company,” Facundo Bacardi said. “Our mother brand has the name of the family on every single bottle. We may spend a lot of time thinking about ways to succeed in other spirits categories. But we know where we come from.”

Presentation of "Republican Cuba" by Raul Chao

2012-01-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

A large audience was at hand at the University of Miami’s Casa Bacardí on Monday, January 24^th for the presentation of Republican Cuba, Raul Chao’s latest book. Panelists included Dr. Eduardo Zayas-Bazán, Rev. Marcos Antonio Ramos and Mr. Manuel Salvat. The presentation was co-sponsored by Dupont Circle Editions, Cuban Cultural Heritage, the National Association of Cuban-American Educators (NACAE) and the University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies.

Republican Cuba is an illustrated history of the fifty seven years of existence of the Republic of Cuba, 1902 to 1959. With 494 pages and over 1200 photographs of key people and places in the history of the Cuban Republic, Republican Cuba is an invaluable resource to anyone studying Cuban history.

Invitación a la presentación del libro "Republican Cuba" de Raúl Eduardo Chao

2012-01-19T18:13:00.001-05:00

Dupont Circle Editions

Herencia Cultural Cubana

La Asociación Nacional de Educadores Cubanos (NACAE)

Se complacen en invitarlos a la presentación del libro

“REPUBLICAN CUBA”

por

Raúl Eduardo Chao

Una historia ilustrada de los cincuenta años de existencia de la República de Cuba, desde 1902 a 1959.
Contiene más de 1200 fotografías y documentos que ayudan a comprender su situación presente y los eventos, éxitos y fracasos de los años en que la República se desarrolló. El libro está dedicado a los que llegaron a conocer la República de Cuba y a sus hijos y todas las futuras generaciones de sus descendientes.

PRESENTACIÓN: Juan Manuel Salvat, fue participante por el Directorio Estudiantil en Cuba de numerosas operaciones de protesta al régimen de Castro en los años ’60. En el exilio, como fundador y dueño de Ediciones Universal y Librería & Distribuidora Universal, ha jugado un rol preponderante en la publicación y distribución no sólo de libros en español, sino de colecciones completas de libros sobre Cuba.

COMENTARIOS: Marcos Antonio Ramos, conferencista, historiador y columnista. Doctor en Teleología con especialización en historia. Mercy College lo designó doctor honoris causa (1980). Ensenó en seis universidades y se jubiló con rango de “Profesor Emérito” (2010). Es Editor General de la revista Herencia y Vicepresidente de Casa Cultural Dominico-Americana, Cuban Cultural Heritage y Editorial Cubana, e investigador asociado de ICCAS. Autor de numerosos libros, ensayos, y artículos periodísticos.

Eduardo Zayas-Bazán, tiene una maestría en idiomas de Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia, Kansas, y un doctorado en derecho de la Universidad Nacional José Martí, La Habana, Cuba. Zayas-Bazán es Profesor Emérito de Idiomas de East Tennessee State University, jubilándose en mayo de 1999 después de 31 años de servicio. De 1994 a 1998 el profesor Zayas-Bazán fue director asociado de Hispania, la revista de la American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Es co-autor, co-editor y traductor de dieciocho libros. Dos de sus libros de texto de español, ¡Arriba!, y Conexiones, publicados por Prentice Hall, se enseñan en más cien universidades. Es el co-autor de la novela histórica El pez volador, la versión inglesa es The Flying Fish.

AUTOR: Raúl Eduardo Chao rrecibió su Ph.D. en Ingeniería Química de Johns Hopkins University y, por 18 años, fue consultor de la NASA y Director de Ingeniería Química en las universidades de Puerto Rico y Detroit. Luego fundó The Systema Group, una consultoría internacional de gerencia basada en Miami. En sus funciones científicas y luego gerenciales, ha escrito más de 70 artículos para revistas profesionales, así como columnas semanales en El Excelsior de México y El Listín Diario de República Dominicana. En los últimos años, se ha dedicado a la investigación sobre temas cubanos, habiendo escrito tres novelas históricas, Contramaestre, Baraguá y Jimaguayú, un libro de Poemas y Memorias de Cuba, y esta historia ilustrada de la república.

FECHA: Lunes, enero 23, 2012

6:30 p.m. Recepción

7:00 p.m. Presentación

LUGAR: Casa Bacardí /Instituto de Estudios Cubanos y Cubano-Americanos
Universidad de Miami, 1531 Brescia Ave., Coral Gables

RSVP: Para reservar llamar al Instituto al (305) 284-CUBA (2822). Espacio limitado.

Homenaje a Cachao este fin de semana en Lincoln Center

2012-01-19T17:47:00.000-05:00

Foto: EFE

Publicado en http://www.martinoticias.com/

La orquesta de Jazz Latino del Lincoln Center de New York brindará este fin de semana un concierto con obras de Israel López.

La orquesta de Jazz del Lincoln Center de Nueva York rinde este fin de semana un homenaje al músico cubano Israel López, "Cachao", fallecido en el 2008.

El programa repasará la obra de Cachao, incluidos danzones, mambos y sus inolvidables "descargas". Será producido por el historiador de la música latina René López y tendrá como director musical a otro virtuoso del contrabajo, el neoyorquino Carlos Henríquez.

Henríquez, quien conoció al autor del danzón "Mambo" y ha tocado con otras estrellas cubanas como Celia Cruz y Gonzalo Rubalcaba, dijo al New York Daily News que Cachao le mostró al mundo que uno puede tomar el bajo y convertirlo en un tambor africano.

En las descargas, se escucha claramente que él es un percusionista que juega con las tumbadoras y los demás ritmos, señaló el músico de ascendencia puertorriqueña.

Cuba: Espejo de paciencia y piratería

2011-12-16T14:55:00.000-05:00

Por Armando de Armas, Publicado en http://www.martinoticias.com/

El filibustero francés Gilberto Girón y el escritor canario Silvestre de Balboa y Troya de Quesada mano a mano en el origen mismo de las letras cubanas.

Grillo: El más famoso y temible de los bandoleros cubanos de la mar

2011-12-16T14:52:00.000-05:00

Por Armando de Armas, http://www.martinoticias.com/

Mulato, ex esclavo, prófugo y pirata, el Lucifer de los Mares pelea valientemente a las órdenes de lo más granado de la nobleza europea y, preferido de la Corte, es recibido con honores por los monarcas británicos.

Tiant, Miñoso y Oliva se quedan fuera del Salón de la Fama del béisbol

2011-12-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

Tiant, Miñoso y Oliva se quedan fuera del Salón de la Fama del béisbol

Por Marino Martinez y Jorge Ebro, Publicado en El Nuevo Herald

¿Se va a morir Miñoso sin una plaza en Cooperstown?

2011-12-06T21:08:00.002-05:00

¿Se va a morir Miñoso sin una plaza en Cooperstown?

“Yo aspiro a estar allí (en Cooperstown) antes de morirme, porque si otros han probado el dulce, yo también quiero hacerlo.”

Raul Arce/ Especial para martinoticias 06 de diciembre de 2011

"La Gran Vía" una tradición de casi un siglo

2011-11-30T22:04:00.000-05:00

Uploaded by TVMartiNoticias on Nov 29, 2011

(TV Martí Noticias) — Una familia cubana dueños de la dulcería La Gran Vía ha puesto el sabor de Cuba en boca de muchos, preparando los deliciosos pastelitos de guayaba. Alfredo Luján informa.

130 Aniversario: Fusilamiento de los Ocho Estudiantes de Medicina.

2011-11-27T16:04:00.003-05:00

Fusilamiento de los estudiantes de medicina.

130 Aniversario: Fusilamiento de los Ocho Estudiantes de Medicina.

José Díaz Pimienta, pirata cubano de San Juan de los Remedios

2011-11-25T18:41:00.000-05:00

José Díaz Pimienta, pirata cubano de San Juan de los Remedios

Smiles, Tears and Nostalgia at Miami Book Fair International

2011-11-21T23:08:00.000-05:00

Three generations of Cuban-Americans inquire about Cuban Cultural Heritage's mission.

A Russian émigré relating his experiences in a Soviet Siberian prison. A son reminiscing with his mother about prominent Cuban doctors while reading an issue of Herencia magazine. Children bringing their parents to look at books and information about Cuban history and culture.

Volunteers at CCH's booth greeted the public with smiles and information.

These are some of the scenes that took place at Cuban Cultural Heritage’s booth at the 27^th annual Miami Book Fair International. The booth was decorated with posters of Cuban monuments and allowed visitors to become members and obtain past issues of Herencia magazine.

Prominent Cuban personalities, such as Ambassador Armando Valladares, visited CCH's booth.

Thousands of visitors from across the U.S. and around the world attended this year’s book fair. This diversity was particularly evident at CCH’s booth. Among the many stories that visitors shared was one from an Argentine visitor who had visited Cuba years ago. Pointing to the Herencia magazine covers, she mentioned that the images of the landmarks displayed on the covers do not reflect those of today’s Cuba. She added that, during her trip to Cuba, she stayed at Havana’s historic Nacional Hotel. As a tourist, she was appalled to see dilapidated rooms crawling with insects and cold water flowing from the faucets.

CCH's booth welcomed visitors from across the globe.

Another poignant element was the large number of young men, women and children visiting the booth. An important part of CCH’s mission is to preserve Cuba’s history and culture for future generations. Events such as this allow CCH to showcase its tireless efforts towards preserving Cuba’s heritage for future generations.

Sculptor left mark on art world

2011-11-21T11:25:00.002-05:00

BY CHRISTINE DOLEN
cdolen@MiamiHerald.com

Published in The Miami Herald on Saturday, November 12, 2011

Manuel Carbonell, a sculptor whose work could be imposing or intimate, sensuously abstract or intricately realistic, died Thursday at the age of 93.

The Cuban-born artist died from natural causes at Kindred Hospital Coral Gables, his 87-year-old sister Angela by his side, as she had been through most of his life in the United States.

Read the full story here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/12/v-print/2499605/sculptor-left-mark-on-art-world.html#ixzz1eMFkmLB6

Cuban Cultural Heritage at the Miami Book Fair International 2011

2011-11-14T18:44:00.000-05:00

Cuban Cultural Heritage (CCH) will participate in the 27^th Miami Book Fair International. CCH will operate a booth during the Street Fair, which will take place from Friday, November 18^th until Sunday, November 20^thfrom 10AM to 6PM. At its booth, CCH sell its books, magazines and other publications related to Cuban culture and history. CCH’s booth will be located in Section E, located on N.E. 3^rd Street between 1^st Avenue and 2^nd Avenue. We look forward to seeing you at our booth!

El Gobierno saca unos 600.000 dólares de la venta de patrimonio artístico en Subasta Habana

2011-11-14T18:40:00.000-05:00

Agencias | La Habana | 05-11-2011 - 6:39 pm. http://www.ddcuba.com/

'La guitarrista', de Mario Carreño.

El Gobierno vendió en la décima edición de Subasta Habana, la principal puja de arte que se celebra en Cuba, más de 600.000 dólares en artes plásticas, consiguiendo sus mayores ingresos desde 2007, reporta EFE.

El director del evento, Luis Miret, informó que la subasta, celebrada el pasado 3 de noviembre en el Hotel Nacional de Cuba, vendió el 57 por ciento de las obras plásticas en oferta, con lo cual se supera la cantidad de lotes colocados el año pasado.

Miret dijo que desde la edición de 2007 Subasta Habana no lograba ese nivel de ingresos en el apartado de plástica cubana, y apuntó que los detalles serán informados próximamente a la prensa.

La cifra total de los ingresos de esta edición aún no está disponible, ya que también se debe incluir la venta de piezas de arte decorativo realizada en la sesión del 2 de noviembre.

Según los organizadores, la décima edición de Subasta Habana presentó la mayor cantidad de lotes y valor de su historia, con un total de 110 piezas cuyo valor de partida ascendía en conjunto a 1,2 millones de dólares.

De esos lotes, 50 correspondieron a piezas de arte decorativo, como cristales, bronces, cerámica o mobiliario.

Las 60 piezas restantes incluyeron obras de arte correspondientes a 44 autores cubanos, entre ellos Mario Carreño, Wilfredo Lam, René Portocarrero, Tomás Sánchez, Servando Cabrera Moreno, Amelia Peláez y Raúl Martínez.

EL PREMIO ‘’HERENCIA’’, ENRIQUE ROS Y EL MACEO DESCONOCIDO

2011-11-14T18:28:00.000-05:00

Por el Rev. Marcos Antonio Ramos

Este martes 18 de octubre del 2011, a las 6.30 P.M., en la Casa Bacardí del Instituto de Estudios Cubanos y Cubanoamericanos de la Universidad de Miami, 1531 Brescia Avenue en Coral Gables, Herencia Cultural Cubana entregará el Premio “Herencia” al historiador Enrique Ros. Se hará también la presentación formal de su libro “Vicente García: El Incomprendido Mayor General Cubano” que comenté hace semanas.

El Premio será entregado por el Presidente de Herencia Cultural Cubana el doctor Luis Mejer Sarrá y por su Chairman el doctor Alberto Sánchez de Bustamante. La contribución de estos insignes cubanos a difundir nuestra cultura, y en el caso específico de Sánchez de Bustamante, a rescatar el patrimonio nacional, ameritarían un estudio en el que sería necesario añadir a varios notables y dedicados colaboradores suyos que han hecho posible la revista “Herencia”. Otro altísimo galardón que otorga Herencia Cultural Cubana, el Premio “Libertad”, fue otorgado recientemente al doctor Horacio Aguirre. Algunos prominentes cubanos han sido honrados con el Premio “Herencia” que ahora se otorga a don Enrique Ros, así como la condición de Miembro Emeritus de esa benemérita institución.

Pasando a la presentación del libro, el texto sobre el Mayor General Vicente García será presentado por figuras muy reconocidas. Ha sido seleccionado el doctor Horacio Aguirre, director de Diario Las Américas, ex presidente de la Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa y miembro de la Academia Norteamericana Correspondiente de la Real Academia Española, entre muchas otras actividades y distinciones merecidas. También hará su presentación el doctor José Sánchez Boudy, antiguo Profesor de la Universidad de Carolina del Norte, autor de infinidad de libros que acreditan su labor como polígrafo que ha hecho su aporte a varios géneros literarios. Un historiador dedicado a las investigaciones históricas cubanas y que también tiene obra publicada, Antonio Calatayud, aportará su dedicación de muchísimos años al tema de las luchas por la independencia de Cuba.

Regresando al Premio Herencia, me corresponderá describir en el acto del martes la labor de Ros, considerada como un gran todo, aunque con algunas referencias al trabajo biográfico sobre el Mayor General Vicente García. Ya me había referido a algo que es descrito oportunamente en la introducción de Ros: “Muchos historiadores…han unido consistentemente el nombre del Mayor General Vicente García sólo al episodio de Lagunas de Varona y a la Sedición de Santa Rita sin mencionar su excelente hoja de servicios como militar, por muy pocos superado…Aunque algunas figuras distinguidas lo han recordado con el respeto que debía haber recibido…”

El Reverendo Martín Añorga, con esa minuciosidad y erudición que caracteriza a los clérigos presbiterianos y de tradición calvinista formados en Princeton nos ofreció en las páginas de Diario Las Américas una reseña maravillosa, muy díficil de superar, sobre este libro de Ros. Por lo tanto, aprovecho mi propio artículo simplemente para llamar la atención del lector sobre otro caudal de datos y un enfoque equilibrado sobre un aspecto de la vida y las luchas del Lugarteniente General Antonio Maceo, “El Titán de Bronce”, al que Ros, debido a la relación de Maceo con acontecimientos en la actuación de Vicente García, dedica parte del séptimo capítulo de la obra.

El título escogido por el autor para identificar ese capítulo es “El Maceo Desconocido para muchos, su duro ascenso y su discriminación”. En el recuento que hace Ros se destacan incidentes que son situados cronológicamente con un tremendo valor de convencimiento para probar lo que el autor llama “el largo y doloroso camino de Antonio Maceo para alcanzar el grado de Mayor General”.

Por ejemplo, según el orden utilizado por Ros, el 12 de octubre de 1868 ingresa Antonio Maceo como simple soldado en el Ejército Libertador. Ese mismo día participa en su primer combate. En un tipo de guerra en el cual se conceden ascensos por causas como prominencia personal, combate y número de reclutas que se llevan al campo de batalla, Maceo es ascendido a Teniente el 12 de noviembre de 1868, el 16 de enero de 1869 a Comandante y dos días después a Teniente Coronel. En el texto leemos; “Todos estos meritísimos ascensos bajo la presidencia de Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, el Padre de la Patria.” En 1872 pasaría de Teniente Coronel a Coronel. Céspedes lo asciende a General de Brigada el 8 de junio de 1873 ante su heroismo y heridas. Y gracias a Maceo se sumaron legiones a los mambises. Céspedes estuvo a la altura de eso con justicia y generosidad.

El 16 de mayo de 1873, tres años después de la destitución de Céspedes y del último ascenso recibido, Maceo escribe al entonces Presidente de la República en Armas: “El exponente, Ciudadano Presidente, supo hace algún tiempo, por personas de buena reputación y prestigio, que existe un pequeño círculo que propalaba haber manifestado al Gobierno no querer servir bajo las órdenes del que habla por pertenecer a la clase de color, y más tarde, por distinto conducto, he sabido han agregado no querer servir por serles contrario y poner miras en sobreponer los hombres de color a los hombres blancos” En esa fecha solo era Brigadier Asunto que con el tiempo sería superado, pero que no la mejor página aquella guerra.

Sería difícil explicar en un artículo situaciones profundas, que se comprenden en algo cuando se trata de la condición humana. Debo sañadir que en sesión de la Cámara de Representantes el 6 de mayo de 1877 se hizó pública la votación relativa al ascenso a Mayor General de Maceo, convertido ya en figura fundamental de la lucha. El representante Miguel Betancourt declaró en esa sesión que mientras Maceo había prestado servicios eminentes como militar y ciudadano, se le exigían pruebas para concederle un bien ganado ascenso mientras que a otros, sólo ocupados en la política y de conducta indisciplinada, se le otorgaban grados sin examinar sus antecedents negativos.

De la misma manera que todo eso se fue superando entre los cubanos y que Maceo llegó a ser Lugarteniente General del Ejército Libertador en la guerra de 1895, debe imitarse el ejemplo de Miguel Betancourt, y ahora de Ros, en sacar del relativo olvido y marginación a figuras que, como Vicente García superaron en valor, continuidad y desempeño, independientemente de errores ocasionales, a muchos otros a quienes se les ha dedicado enorme atención. Si quiere saber de todo eso le será indispensable leer el nuevo libro de Enrique Ros, un historiador que no oculta datos desagradables porque conoce perfectamente que la misión del historiador profesional no consiste en tal cosa. Por esa y muchísimas otras razones, Enrique Ros recibirá el martes el Premio Herencia y el reconocimiento de sus lectores. (FIN)

Enrique Ros Receives Herencia Prize

2011-11-14T18:18:00.000-05:00

Cuban-American author Enrique Ros received the Herencia Prize before a large audience on Tuesday, October 18^th. The award was presented during the presentation of his 17^thhistorical book, Vicente García: El Incomprendido Mayor General Cubano. Among those present were Reverend Marcos Antonio Ramos, Dr. Horacio Aguirre, and the author’s daughter, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

The Herencia Prize is given to prominent Cubans and Cuban-Americans who have significantly contributed to preserving Cuban culture while promoting freedom and democracy in Cuba. Past recipients of this prestigious award include architect Nicolas Quintana, journalists Josè Ignacio Rivero and Ariel Remos, painter Gina Pellón and Monsignior Agustín Roman.

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2011-11-08T18:17:00.000-05:00

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