PRI's The World: Cuba Stories
Summary: The World visits the nation most Americans aren't allowed to visit, Cuba. Our series, "Cuba Stories" kicks off with the race against time to rescue Ernest Hemingway's crumbling homestead outside Havana. The World's anchor, Lisa Mullins, and producer Elizabeth Ross returned from the literary giant's home there. They report on the American and Cuban preservationists who are trying to save Hemingway's home, against the backdrop of the U.S. embargo and the acrimony between Washington and Havana. "Cuba Stories" also features our reports on why Cuba's considered a museum on wheels, a wild matinee at the ballet, a 70-year old architect remembers his role in the Cuban revolution, and a musical tour through the archives of EGREM, Cuba's version of Motown Records.
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- Artist: Public Radio International
- Copyright: Copyright 2006 PRI's The World
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Lisa Mullins visits Finca Vigia, the decaying former estate of writer Ernest Hemingway. The American author spent two decades of his life on this farm just outside of Havana. You can still find folks who remember him. American preservationists have now been given permission by the US government to restore Hemingway's former home.
U.S. relations with Cuba have been strained since Fidel Castro seized control in 1959. For more than 45 years Washington has imposed a trade embargo against Cuba. Lisa Mullins speaks with reporter Stephen Gibbs about the challenges he faces as a journalist in Castro's Cuba. The diplomatic tit-for tat between the United States and Cuba continues. The US Interests Section in Havana has put parts of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on display - Cuba has more physicians per capita than almost any other nation. Havana also sends many doctors to other countries. But experts worry that those countries are relying too much on Cuba's medical help. Also Lisa Mullins meets with Mario Coyula, one of Cuba's most respected architects.
Elizabeth Ross visits a vintage 1940's recording studio in Havana and Lisa Mullins checks out Cuba's classic cars. Then it's a night at the ballet where Cuban aficionados of the pas-de-deux are just as fanatical as sports fans - or maybe you'd rather spend the evening at the San Carlos de la Cabana Fort. Lisa Mullins also visits the Shrine of Saint Lazarus at El Rincon and takes us to a park in Havana that features a statue of John Lennon.
