Cuban Residents in USA to Meet in April

Havana, Feb 23 (Prensa Latina) Washington will host the 1st National Meeting of Cuban Residents in the United States on April 28, convened by the Cuban Interest Section in that city.

The event will bring together representatives of Cubans who reside in the United States and are linked to their country respectfully, aware of the urgency to defend sovereignty and national identity, says a press release published by the Cuban diplomatic section in Washington.

According to the information, posted on Cubadebate website, participants in the event will receive a call and a form of accreditation timely.

The meeting is part of the irreversible normalization of relations between emigres and their homeland, which the Cuban government began implementing during the "1978 Dialogue" and continued with the "Nation and Emigration" Conferences, held in Havana, the document says.

The event will be an opportunity to examine what we have done and the ways and means to continue working together in favor of the normalization of relations between Cuba and its emigres.

It will also discuss the effects of the U.S. hostile policy, the blockade on Cuba and the manipulation of the migration issue, as well as the situation of the "five Cuban antiterrorist fighters" unjustly held in U.S. prisons, concludes the text.

Modificado el (jueves, 23 de febrero de 2012)

NOTA DE PRENSA: I Encuentro Nacional de Cubanos Residentes en los Estados Unidos de América

NOTA DE PRENSA
El 28 de abril de 2012 tendrá lugar en la ciudad de Washington DC, el I Encuentro Nacional de Cubanos Residentes en los Estados Unidos de América, convocado por la Sección de Intereses de Cuba en este país.

Participarán en este evento una representación de nuestros compatriotas que residen en los EE.UU. Su convocatoria y formulario de acreditación se harán llegar oportunamente a los invitados.

Esta importante cita se inscribe dentro del proceso irreversible de normalización de las relaciones de la emigración con su Patria, iniciado por nuestro Gobierno durante el “Diálogo de 1978” y que continuó con las Conferencias “Nación y Emigración”, celebradas en La Habana.

La cita acogerá a los residentes cubanos en Estados Unidos, que se vinculan con su país de manera respetuosa, conscientes de la urgencia de defender su soberanía e identidad nacional.

La reunión brindará la oportunidad de examinar en común, el camino recorrido y las vías y medios para continuar trabajando a favor de la normalización de las relaciones entre la nación y sus emigrados, además de los efectos de la política norteamericana de hostilidad y bloqueo hacia Cuba y su manipulación del tema migratorio, así como la situación de los “Cinco luchadores antiterroristas”, presos injustamente en los EE.UU.

Washington, 22 de febrero de 2012

Mojitos, cigars and an ode to Hemingway in Washington D.C.

Bartenders poured mojitos for guests at the opening night of Hemingway's Bar. (WTOP/Alicia Lozano)

Friday - 11/4/2011, 12:01pm ET

Alicia Lozano, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Diplomacy can often be messy, but at opening night of Hemingway's Bar in Northwest D.C., it was nothing but good will and mojitos.

And cigars. Lots and lots of cigars.

The invite-only watering hole inside the Cuban Interests Section -- the equivalent of an embassy -- boasts a small yet impressive collection of historic photographs. Most of them involve Ernest Hemingway fishing, smiling and slapping Fidel Castro on the back. The two shared an affinity for marlins, a sporty fish with an elongated body and spear-like snout.

During his dedication speech, Mission Chief (ambassador) Jorge Bolanos told a story about Hemingway spending a day on the high seas with Castro and his then right-hand man, Che Guevara. The trio was so engrossed in their expedition that Castro missed a number of important meetings. When he finally surfaced, the communist dictator apologized for being late and joked that at least his fish was bigger than Hemingway's.

This was the birth of the Ernest Hemingway International Billfish Tournament, an annual sporting event that fancies itself a cultural bridge between the U.S. and Cuba.

The creation of Hemingway's Bar is billed in much the same way. Opening statements revolved around the writer's deep love of the island country -- he made Finca Vigia his home for some 20 years -- and of nurturing a cultural relationship between the historically hostile countries. No one mentioned embargoes or detainees.

"Hemingway clearly started his life as a full-blown American, but he really spent the last third of his life in Cuba and became more and more Cuban," said Jenny Phillips from the Finca Vigia Foundation. "It's that dual identity that allowed this project ... to become a cultural bridge. This is not a political bridge."

Bolanos called the bar a pet project, something he hopes will show people how much the two countries have in common -- including an iconic writer.

"Hemingway called Cuba his adopted nation, and donated the medal of the Nobel prize to the patron saint of Cuba," Bolanos said. "He had a very close relationship" with the country.

Follow Alicia Lozano and WTOP on Twitter.