Anniversary in Havana
From Progreso Semanal/RPA
HAVANA – They married in Paris and came to spend their fifth anniversary in Havana, Cuba. The famous travelers are none other than Beyonce and rapper Jay-Z.
It is not rare that many Americans spend their wedding anniversary in Havana, especially the very old who even enjoyed their honeymoon at the Hotel Nacional. But dozens of people in Havana exploded with curiosity and joy when they recognized the faces of this show business pair of the moment.
“Someone in the neighborhood said that Beyonce was there and there I went,” says Barbarita, a fiftyish mulatto woman living in the populous neighborhood of Centro Habana, and in one of the streets around the famous restaurant La Guarida, located in an ancient building that was used in the Cuban film Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate), directed by Gutierrez Alea. The couple and their companions ate in the restaurant, which has also served the Queen of Spain, Queen Sofia, as well as celebrities from around the world.
“We were so many, like a swarm of people, that the police showed up,” Barbarita said adding that “I know Beyonce for … well, you know!?” An obvious reference to the underground system of taping and distributing programs from the many different TV channels in the U.S.
“I wanted to see her, this gorgeous woman, but since I like rap I was interested in also seeing Jay-Z live and in color,” said Lachi (for Lazarus, that’s his name), a mere 20-year-old who lives in the neighborhood.
“My mother saw the Queen of Spain and many others … I do not remember their names … many visit this place from around the world who include many Americans who don’t give a shit about the blockade … they like Cuba, as we are, our music and how we enjoy the good life,” he said.
The couple also visited Old Havana, this monumental effort to reconstruct the colonial past, and appreciated the show of stilt walkers, those street performers who, dressed in colorful clothes, put on a show while dancing on stilts.
Progreso Semanal sources are telling us that the couple will be meeting with famous local artists during their visit.
