For the less academic and non-Spanish speakers, the festival's wealth of performances will be more interesting. Various venues will be staging concerts of symphonic, electro-acoustic, choral and chamber music from contemporary Cuban and international composers. Given the importance of the date, this is likely to be the best chance beside the August festival at Alamar to hear the cream of Cuban rap. One of the best is likely to be this eclectic variety show that is featuring a wide range of well and lesser-known popular musicians. The mixed musical bag includes pop bands, cabaret dancers and the ubiquitous salsa.
Artists are yet to be confirmed but the event is definitely worth checking out.
The best Cuban orchestras and singers will pay homage to the legendary 'barbaro del ritmo' in a series of events throughout the week, including three major concerts of his own compositions. Boxers and Ballerinas' is exactly what it says - 16 stark black and white pictures of Cuba's superb athletes and dancers in the rehearsal room and the ring. The focus for this mixed exhibition is images of Cuba in the 1980s and early-1990s from some of the country's best photographers. The 'turning points' of the title refer to the dramatic period a decade ago when the collapse of the Eastern Bloc left Cuba high and dry. This crucial point in Cuba's history is recorded here by artists still working on the island and some who have since left.