Havana, another anniversary and many challenges ahead

As is tradition, November 16th commemorates the definitive foundation of the Villa of San Cristóbal de La Habana, established very near the entrance to the bay.

It’s been six years since a celebration marked by a fully lit Capitol Building right after a major renovation and by fireworks that turned the harbor and its surroundings into a giant stadium to enjoy the spectacle.

Viewed from across the city, those flashes of light were the climax of the Half Millennium celebrations, brimming with vivid memories cherished by those who witnessed such a well-deserved and necessary celebration.

San Cristóbal now hails its 506th anniversary as Cuba faces a challenging context with a constrained economy, shortages of all kinds, a crisis in vital services, and a proliferation of arboviruses, including dengue and chikungunya.

Also overshadowing the event is the persistent US blockade, condemned for the thirty-third time at the United Nations, this time by 165 nations resolved to stand by Cuba despite the maneuvers undertaken by the Trump Administration across five continents to avoid it by offering everything and persecuting developing and developed countries alike.

This account of adverse factors alone might suffice to grasp the magnitude of the situation but, given the complex circumstances, a major offensive has unfolded in Havana since the beginning of October to improve basic services such as electricity, water supply, sanitation, and garbage collection with the help of ministries, institutions, state and non-state entities, officials at all levels of management, and the population. However, much remains to be done to improve the situation in the city.

Meetings led by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez are held with top local authorities to discuss every aspect of the critical situation facing Havana, whose residents were called upon to engage in arduous cleanup campaigns days on the weekends.

The battle for Havana—to make it clean and better—is a colossal task that demands unity, through order and control and requires all available resources.

During the usual press conference before the commemoration of the foundation of the city, the Office of the Historian announced a program combining historical heritage with contemporary proposals.

The Old Section becomes a multicultural stage with the celebration of Belgian, Japanese, and Italian Weeks and the exhibition "100 Years of Art Deco: From Brussels to Havana" since November 13, an elegant visual dialogue between two cities united by art and architecture.

The celebrations include special performances, the traditional walk around the Ceiba tree, the exhibition "Legacy and Memory" about the rehabilitation works in Old Havana, and the campaign "Fidelity and Loyalty" in honor of the transformative vision that turned the Old Section into a global benchmark in conservation.

According to Magda Resik, Director of Communications, this initiative evokes the close links between the historian Eusebio Leal Spengler and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, symbolized by the exchange of a handkerchief and a black tie with the meaningful words: "Take my loyalty, and I will keep your fidelity."

Not only will these actions salute the history of these domains, they also represent a firm commitment to culture and civic participation in the celebrations and to people’s role in restoring the city's image.

Despite the hardship, there is desire, love, and determination among the Cubans to make of Havana a better, more livable, and more sustainable city.

Other happier anniversaries will come under better circumstances; meanwhile, we must be aware of the many ever-defying challenges we have ahead.