Britain through Cuban eyes

I’m still smiling. We’ve just come to the end of ten very successful days of British culture in Havana; ten days of British music, history, theatre, science, film and dance. There were events throughout the city, at all times of day and night and for a range of audiences, including kids.

We explored the breadth and depth of British culture with a jazz band playing The Beatles, actors performing Shakespeare, Sarah Kane and Alice in Wonderland, Elizabethan music played on a lute, historians talking about Darwin and Churchill and actors walking around Old Havana dressed as Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood. Adele couldn’t make it (her invitation is still open for next year); instead Robertico Carcasses and Interactivo played Led Zeppelin and Amy Winehouse. To support the growing Cuban private sector we had ‘secret’ parties in private restaurants. And we worked with museums, bookshops and the Castillo de Real Fuerza on different events.

There were many highlights. To huge acclaim and a packed San Francisco de Asisi basilica, violinist Ruth Palmer and the Camerata Romeu played Bach and Elgar beautifully. The dance performance in Casa Gaia based on Romeo and Juliet with male dancers playing both male and female roles was athletic, elegant and moving. And my personal favourite, Yilliam de Bala Version 3.0, an experimental mix of performance art, video and dance, bombarded the senses with images and ideas, cleverly challenging Cuban and British cultural stereotypes.

Almost all the performers were Cuban. Rather than bringing in a plane load of Brits, we chose to support Cuban innovation and creativity and promote their interpretation of our country. We wanted to demonstrate that Britain is innovative, modern and diverse and that the Cuban appreciation of our culture extends beyond a love of our flag. I think we achieved this but let me know if you disagree.

The big lesson I take away from the week is this. Despite our differences, despite the fact that Cuba and the UK have different political and economic systems, despite the miles of ocean that lie between our two countries, there is a lot more that unites us than divides us. That may sound like empty rhetoric and a cliché. But I think we’ve seen a lot of evidence in the past ten days that it’s true. Long may it last.