rosita & frank:


What is your favorite scent?

r Gardenias.
f Me too, I love them.

What is your favorite poem or book?

f ?My favorite poets in Cuba were José Angel Bueza and Hilarión Cabrisas.

Do you remember specific poems?

r A stanza from Cabrisas!
f ?“When I die – that day should reach me
before it does you – as you kiss my rigid eyes,
know that if there is life after death,
I will love you still."

What is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning?

f ?What I have to get done and whether I have enough time in the day to do it.
r The first thing I think about is: did he make the coffee so he can bring it to
me in bed? He always gets up earlier than I do and when he sees I’m awake, he
brings me coffee in bed.

If you could have any job, what would it be?

f Something out in the open air.
r Maybe selling sandwiches to people on the beach.

What was the name of your first love? How old were you? Where is he/she now?

r My first love… Well, my first love – what I consider my first love – I was 13
years old. But it was my first platonic love, because I was crazy over a
schoolmate. But he never knew. That’s what I consider first love, the first
time a person feels an attraction. Man for woman, or woman for man. His
name was Leandro, or still is. He’s probably still alive since he was about my
age. He was from another classroom, not mine. That’s what I consider first
love, the first time you feel something for another person.

f My first love? There have been so many!
r He was a ladies man. I hope he’s not anymore, but he was a ladies man.
f My first love’s name was Senaya. It happened around ’60 or ’61.
I don’t know if she’s alive or dead…It was many years ago.

What is your biggest fear?

f Losing Rosita.
r ? We have to get lost together.

What is your happiest childhood memory?

r ?When we would go to my grandmother’s house to spend Christmas. The entire family would gather out in the country. That was very beautiful.

When you were a child, what was one of your dreams?

r ?I dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer. I began to take classes as a girl. But my parents couldn’t afford to keep paying for classes, so that dream ended. Now ballet classes are free.
f I liked baseball. But I was so bad at it that I got nowhere.

Are you happy?

r At present I’m very happy. There have been many stages in
my life. I had a happy childhood. There were some
deficiencies, but I was happy. My parents educated me
well. I had a happy adolescence. I had trouble in my
first marriage, but oh well. And now, in my "old age"… I
feel happy. I found a good partner who gets along with
my children and loves them. My children turned out very
well. I have a beautiful grandson. I live well. I have good
neighbors. I have my family nearby. And if they’re not
nearby, they visit all the time. I consider myself happy.
f In my view, there’s many happy moments and sad
moments. But you can balance it out and perhaps say,
“I’ve been happy, though there’s been some bad moments.”
I’ve been happy practically all my life, with a few rare
exceptions. But now at the end…
r Almost at the end. It’s not the end yet...
f Okay, almost at the end, I found something wonderful.

Do you two have a secret for a getting along and having so much love?

r Lots of understanding. We all have our characteristics, our
way of behaving, our habits. He has his ways and habits; I
have mine. I tolerate his, he tolerates mine, and we understand.
Understanding is the best – understanding and communication.
We tell each other everything.
f Because I have a very difficult temprement; respect and under-
standing. Without respect, you can’t have understanding. And
tolerance, if it wasn’t for that, I would have been kicked out a
long time ago.
r ?When people are more sensitive and open, I think they can touch everything in life more deeply, people, music, love. If your heart is more superficial it’s not possible.



valentin:

who are you?

My name is Valentin Marquez Quiñonez. I studied economics and got my degree at the University of Havana. I also studied a little bit of music. I also work in a city office, in the accounting department, in the economic area. I love economics. I also love music. I’m single now, however I’ve been married three times. I have no children, butI do have 28 nephews. My mother, Roselia, died three years ago. She had 10 children – five girls and five boys. And those nine siblings have given me 28 nephews. Of those 28, there are three that are more my children than theirs. Now that I’m divorced I dedicate myself to my work, music, and religion. I follow the religion of Yoruba. I ’m a believer now. I had a communion, I am Catholic – everything! That’s me. At present I dedicate myself to my work, my religion, my music. And I attend to my family, and they do the same for me.

What is your favorite smell?

V: The smell of roses. The characteristic smell of that flower. I also like jasmine. If they asked me what smells I would always want to have, it would be the smell of flowers. All flowers. I like that smell.

What is your favorite noise or sound?

The sound and noise of the street. That rustle you hear when you’re quiet. Speaking of noise, I think the words “noise” and “sound” are two different things. Noise is the noise of the streets, in it’s simplest terms. In the complex sense of the word, I don’t like noise. But sounds? All of them. I think a bus passing by is music. That pounding? It’s music. A child running by is music. That pounding has a rhythm to it. It’s music. When a Cuban speaks, there’s a musicality to it. And speaking of music, when I hear rumba, it kills me. When I die…I want them to play and sing a lot of rumba. I don’t want my family to cry. I want them to sing, dance, and listen to rumba.

What is your favorite poem or book?

As a boy, there was a poet named José Angel Bueza. He would recite poetry like, “Madam, how were you, how are things when they are of the soul?” Stanzas like, “There is suffering, my little punishment, suffering, torment of my torments.” and “If it’s a sin to love her as I have, forgive her, Lord, the fault is mine.” José Angel Bueza was my idol when I was young.

Is there anything about your neighbors that drives you crazy?

The yelling and the noise. There’s a picture where a neighbor hands an egg to another neighbor. That’s a nice gesture. Where the gesture goes bad is when one neighbor screams out from a balcony, “Hey, lend me an egg!” That’s noise. I would use the phone and say, “Neighbor, can I borrow an egg? Yes? Okay, hand it to me over the balcony.” That’s how.

If you could have any job, what would it be?

Director of a big, artistic company that presents a fabulous Broadway spectacle and travels the world. I believe there’s a circus – I’m not sure if it’s Canadian, American, French – that travels the world. That’s what I would like. Director or president of a big, artistic company. With artists everyone wants to see. My company would perform at the Oscars. My company would perform at a spectacle in Havana, in the Sauto theater in Matanza. Or in Versalles in Santiago de Cuba. Or Canada, Germany, the Soviet Union – wherever, but an artistic company.

What do you like to do?

Everything except staying still. Walking, moving, talking, dancing, working, everything. The only thing I’m scared of is staying still. What do I like to do? Everything. I like to make music. I like to analyze financial reports for businesses. I’m an economist. I would like to create a musical number for my group. A sensational musical number. You ask what I would like to do? Everything.

What was the name of your first love? How old were you? Where is she now, if you know?

Of course I know. Her name was Tania. I won’t say her last name, just in case. I was 9 years old. She was 12 or 13. It was in the Barrio del Osidio. She still lives there. She is about 4 years older. I would sneak out of my house at night to go see her. It was a beautiful thing to me. I don’t know about you, but they say your first love is the grandest one. That was it for me. But I’ve had some grand loves. Very beautiful loves. More than one, certainly. In fact, I was married three times, so you can imagine. But Tania was my first love. We went out about 3 years. And I kissed her only once. It was one of those pretend kisses. But she was the best. Now she’s old and ugly, but she was beautiful.

What is most important to you in life?

The most important thing in life is respect. Respect for others. Respect for others, whoever they may be. Respect. Be it a country, a person, a dog, whatever. Respect for others is the most important thing. It’s the same for a person, animal, or thing. Respect for this table, respect for you, respect for life.

What is your biggest fear?

Losing my family. I value my family. Unfortunately, I already lived through one of my biggest fears. It was my mother’s death. Another fear I have is losing any of my brothers and sisters. I would rather be the first to go. I’m afraid of losing my brothers and sisters. I’m afraid of losing any of my 28 nephews. There are three or four I’m very scared of losing. That’s it, I’m not scared of anything else.

How do you want to be remembered?

I’ll put it like Cubans would say it. "Valentin: tremendous character. Sick for music. A heart attack in rumba. Not eccentric, but yes, a major character. "That’s how I want to be remembered. I think the most important thing about being a human is to be remembered just as you were. Nothing more, nothing less. Jose Marti said, every man who comes to this Earth needs three things. To be well read, to have loved a woman - both of which I have done - and to have planted a tree. Here, the last one, I failed. I have no children. And the thing is, if I completed the first two, I’m okay.

If you could say something to people outside Cuba, what would it be?

Come and get to know Cuba. See what we Cubans are like. See how we can help you. How we think, how we yell, how we dance, how we feel the problems of others. How we work and study. We have engineers, doctors, artists, dancers. Get to know us. Be informed. See the reality of how we are. There are problems, yes, we’re not questioning that. What I want is for them see what we Cubans are like. I have a heart the size of the Cuban capitol, of the Washington Capitol, of the Great Wall of China. It’s huge. That’s how we Cubans are. Look, if there are delinquents in Cuba, well, there are delinquents in the rest of the world, you can’t remedy that. Just like there’s doctors, there’s delinquents. That’s normal. Walk down the streets and see. What would I ask of people? Come and get to know Cuba, that’s what I ask. Nothing more.

Are you happy?

No, because I’m missing one of the three things I was talking about. I have no children. And I would like some. Let me clarify that there is no physical impediment. Maybe I messed around so much that I never stopped to think about it. Now I envy, in a good way, some of my brothers. The oldest has eight children. The next one has four. A sister has three, another has two – everyone has children! I have none. I messed around and never had a child. But I guess, despite that, yes, I’m happy. Happy because my family loves me, people love me the way I am – my studies, my work, my religion. And every day I have more friends.

jose fuster:

Who are you?

I am a Cuban artist with a very long name. My artistic name is Jose Fuster, but my whole name is Jose Antonio Rodriquez Fuster. That’s who I am.

What is your favorite sound?

I think is the sound that birds make at dawn. They wake me up with their music.

What is your favorite book or poem?

There are many, but there’s one from Pablo Neruda that I love. It’s a love poem. It’s in Neruda’s book “The Captain’s Verses”.

Do you remember any of it?

I have named you queen.
There are taller ones than you.
There are purer ones than you.
There are lovelier ones than you.

But you are the queen.

When you go through the streets
no one recognizes you.
No one sees your crystal crown, no one looks
at the carpet of red gold
that you tread as you pass,
the nonexistent carpet.

And when you appear
all the rivers sound
in my body, bells
shake the sky,
and a hymn fills the world.

Only you and I,
only you and I, my love,
listen to it.

What is the most important thing in life to you?

The most important thing to me is living and trying to help others.

How would you like to be remembered?

As someone who worked a lot and gave lots of love.

What is your happiest childhood memory?

When I used to go fishing with my uncles in a small boat.

When you were a child, what was one of your dreams?

I had many dreams, but I dreamt of being able to fly. Over time I realized I could not fly, but I was able to travel to many countries. That’s flying.

If you could say something to people outside of Cuba, what would you say?

I would tell them to come to Cuba, to learn about Cuba, so that they could see what Cuba is. And that they shouldn't believe things that are said about Cuba that are not the truth. The only truth about Cuba is here, but it must be discovered, it must be found and it must be tasted.

Cubans are people that, regardless of problems or political situation, have something important inside. That is the joy of living. One day, God saw us Cubans from up there. He opened up the clouds, he looked down. He saw us working, trying to make a different world. He saw that we were different, that inside we had our own internal battles, our suffering, our joy. He gave us the chance to live. Because he saw that we Cubans have joy of life. That’s why I’m like this. That’s why I paint what I paint. That’s why I will always be like that. My great message to everyone, to God, to everyone is that this is the only life there is. That we should offer our great lives to God and that we should spend them working and offering the best of ourselves.

Are you happy?

My happiness is infinite. It’s a fact that I wake up every morning, hear the cock’s crow, know that I am alive and to know that every day I have a clear conscience. I have no regrets. I am following a path that allows me to share with others what I have. That I try to help my fellow men, and I think that is the most important thing.


carlos varela:

Who are you?

My name is Carlos Varela. I’m a Cuban musician of the 80’s generation. I’m not married and have no children yet. I am known in my country because I’m a musician of the style called Nueva Trova Cubana.

What’s your favorite musical group?

My favorite band? I like many, but my favorite is U2.
Musically, I have always liked them. I think it is a band that really crafts songs. If something is lost in the world, in the music market, it’s that many bands, even artists who sell millions of records, have lost the essence of writing songs. U2 continues to write songs. Songs that I think have a connection with things I have done through the years, or that I have dreamed about doing. One of my dreams is that this band comes to Cuba one time or I go to Ireland to meet them. It’s my favorite band. Of course, I like the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles and a lot of other groups, but U2 touches me, touches my heart.

If you could meet a person, alive or dead, whom would you like to meet?

I could tell you that there are many people, but if I was able to choose, I would like to meet John Lennon. Why? Because I know his work, I know a good part of his history and I would like to drink some beers with him and ask him questions. Questions about songs that he made, songs that I envy, in a healthy way you know, I’m saying it as a compliment. Things that one colleague says to another in the world of music, why didn’t that occur to me? Imagine [Lennon’s famous song]. Why didn’t that occur to me? Yes, I would like to have the opportunity to sit with him over a few beers and ask him those questions.

What do you like to do and why?

Well, I like to do many things, but what I like the most is writing songs. It started as a game, first imitating songs, imitating the phonetics of songs in English…of the Beatles, of Paul Simon. Until that game became more serious and I started to discover that your songs have to resemble yourself, your world, your neighborhood, your city, your friends, your history and with the years I began to make these songs, and I began to discover that the songs are not just for yourself, but for the people. They take them to theirs homes, sleep with them, cover with them, make love with them and with that…I don’t like the word, responsibility, but yes, you feel some pressure, people start looking at you like a guy who makes songs, a guy that tells their own histories, their lives, in his own way. That is what I know and like to do. If I had to be born again I would like to write songs again. And, I love to play pool as well (laughs)…

How would you like to be remembered?

..let them remember me as a guy who did his thing in his own way, without any compromise. Like a guy who did his thing honestly and in a special way.

What is you happiest childhood memory?

Ah! I will tell you, a nice memory is the time my parents gave me a drum set. When I was a kid, in Cuba, for children to be given such a toy or a gift was very lucky. Songs have been written about that. Now I am a guitarist/songwriter. However, originally I was a percussionist, I was born a percussionist, and well, in Cuba it’s normal, you lift a rock, people come out playing drums. The first time I was given an instrument, which was the drum set, it was very beautiful.

What is your saddest childhood memory?

The saddest memory was, of course, when my mother died. I always have her in my mind and I write songs for her every year.

What is a dream you have for yourself?

Ummm well, one of my dreams, among many, is to see my mother again. I didn’t have the time to show her all the love she gave me that stayed in my songs – that I would have liked to share with her.

What’s a dream you have for Cuba?

For Cuba? That it might be a country that grows, that its people might feel freer and that it might never loose the humility and kindness of its people, which is the most beautiful thing this country has. The most beautiful scenery of this country is its human panorama .
Cubans have impressive values, regardless of what the newspapers say. All newspapers lie. I don’t believe anything of what they say.
I think the most beautiful thing this country has is that when you visit a home, they really open their doors for you. That is what really counts.
I believe that this country really shines in the way families love each other. They don’t divide for reasons of borders, flags or politics. This will allow us be a better community, a better nation, a better country.

What would you say to people outside Cuba?

To the people that live outside Cuba? Don’t talk about this little island if you haven’t visited it. That you have to come and live, breathe, touch the people. Then you can leave with your own opinion, you have the right to do so. Don’t believe what the newspapers say because they lie. These newspapers from here, those from there, all the newspapers lie.
There is nothing like coming, touching the people, breathing, and feeling and listening to exactly what happens here because we are living in a world that is pretty messed up and I can tell you from experience that, brother, if I have to choose, even knowing the problems, this little island still has things that attract me and make me feel like staying here.