Cuban artists descend on NYC for three-month festival

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Thursday, 05.05.11
Cuban artists descend on NYC for three-month festival

New York will host hundreds of Cuban artists this spring for a three-month festival. Some South Florida communities have moved to stop such cultural exchanges.

By FRANCES ROBLES
[e-mail]

NEW YORK --

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The director and screenwriter of the 2010 film Ticket to Paradise is one of some 200 Cuban musicians, filmmakers, artists, dancers and writers who are expected in New York City this spring for what promoters say is an unprecedented display of Cuban culture. After months of increased cultural exchanges between the two nations, the Si Cuba Festival has become the most significant demonstration of the Obama administration’s departure from Bush-era policies.

“I applied for a visa once, was rejected and surrendered,” Chijona said Thursday night at the private screening of his latest film, part of the Havana Film Festival New York. “Only through dialogue can you understand each other. As we say in Cuba, ‘when you close the dominoes, there’s no more conversation.’”

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Brooks-Hopkins and other organizers said the unusual parade of Cuban works offers a “safe space” for artists and Cuba-lovers to engage — away from politics. But experts acknowledged that the event is possible in New York City, far from the politically-charged atmosphere in Miami, where such performances often end in litigation.

“I don’t know if they could do this in Miami,” Chijona said. “They’re kind of hard-headed there. But if they invite me, I’d go.”

More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/08/2203382/cuban-artists-descend-on-nyc-for.html