Cuban Art Factory, fostering 10 years of creativity, expression in Havana
For ten years, the privately-funded Cuban Art Factory in Havana has provided a space for local talent to exhibit their creations in what was once a train station. The FAC, as it is known, has become internationally renowned as a gallery and nightclub -- a place for expression in a country where saying what you think can land you in jail.
Every week, from Thursday to Sunday, hundreds of visitors pay the equivalent of $4 to attend music concerts, see plays, dance, or simply stroll through its corridors replete with modern art. Everything is on offer here: nights of techno music, exhibits of plastic works, photography, fashion and just plain fun. ´+HUH \RX FDQ VHH WKLQJV \RX FRXOGQ·W even imagine,” Olivia Rodriguez, a 30-year-old musician, told AFP as she waited for renowned Cuban salsa singer Issac Delgado to come on stage. He SHUIRUPHG DV SDUW RI WKH )$&·V WK DQniversary celebrations.
“Since we opened here, this (venture) has been carried by artists, always focusing on the work and the message,” X Alfonso, founder and leader of the avant-garde project, told AFP. The provocative and light-hearted contributions of some artists have sometimes caused problems, admits Alfonso, but he does not want to dwell on the subject.
Hundreds of Cubans, including artists, are in jail for daring to speak out against the communist state or demonstrating against poverty amid the comPXQLVW LVODQG·V ZRUVW HFRQRPLF FULVLV LQ 30 years, marked by shortages of fuel, medicines and food.
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Like the city that harbors it, the FAC enjoyed prosperous years with the easing
of ties between Cuba and the United States in 2015 under the presidency of Barack Obama (2009-2017).
American cruise ships landed full of tourists eager to drive in an old convertible and discover the nightlife of Havana. 7KH HFRQRP\ RI WKH FLW\ ÁRXULVKHG
Celebrities such as Quincy Jones, Michelle Obama and Jon Bon Jovi visited WKH )$& SUHPLVHV LQ WKH DIÁXHQW GLVWULFW RI Vedado, and Mick Jagger performed at a concert in Ciudad Deportiva, another cultural venue. And in 2019, Time Magazine LQFOXGHG WKH )$& LQ LWV OLVW RI WKH :RUOG·V 100 Greatest Places. But the good times did not last, with Donald Trump reversLQJ PRVW RI KLV SUHGHFHVVRU·V RYHUWXUHV Sanctions were toughened after a crackdown on protests in July 2021.
The Covid pandemic did not help, starving the island of much-needed tourism. Today, Cuba battles recurring power outages, and running the FAC has become a daily struggle.
In October, it was threatened with closure by authorities seeking to reduce electricity consumption. But it did not come to pass. Providing some 300 direct and indirect jobs, the FAC is a “union of SULYDWH FRPSDQLHV µ VHOI ÀQDQFLQJ DQG without sponsors, said Alfonso, proud to “owe nothing to anyone.” “The most important thing is that the factory is a living organism, living in Cuba, with all the needs and problems that exist. But it is still alive and still trying... to survive,” he said.—AFP