The Ministry of Tourism deleted a publication in which it invited travelers to “discover” Havana through the novelist’s books
14ymedio, Havana, 17 December 2024 – Famous for his restraint when it comes to criticizing the Cuban regime, the novelist Leonardo Padura described as a “disrespectful act” a publication by the Ministry of Tourism that alluded to his most recent book, Ir a La Habana [Going to Havana] (published by Tusquets in Spain), as a kind of guide for foreign tourists. The post, published last week, was deleted this Monday from the Ministry’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Going to Havana, of which there is no Cuban edition – Padura has not had Cuban publishers since before the coronavirus pandemic – has become a bestseller in Spain. The publication by the Cuban Ministry of Tourism, a sector that has not raised its head for years and that by 2025 predicts the arrival of only 2.6 million visitors, has raised suspicions and criticisms.
Padura, whom the Cuban exile has criticized for not radically confronting the regime, is also not well regarded by the regime, which has systematically excluded him from the cultural sphere of the Island. Padura, interviewed by the media Café Fuerte, said that he has always been an “invisible” man in the literary panorama of his country.
“It seems to me a disrespectful act, because I do not have and have never had a relationship with that ministry”
“They never contacted me to do this advertising campaign, and it is rare that a state agency does it at a time when I am more invisible than ever inside Cuba,” he said. “It seems to me a disrespectful act, because I do not have and have never had a relationship with that ministry. Besides, I’m not and don’t pretend to be a tourism writer.” He also criticized that the text was accompanied by an image of him that did not have his permission either.
Padura described his latest book, which already has a second edition, as “a work of love and sadness for the suffering of a city that languishes before our eyes, but which, despite all the regrets, garbage and abandonment, is still a magical and endearing place, a place with soul.”
The Ministry invited people to “discover Havana through the pen of Leonardo Padura. His work immerses you in the rhythms and colors of the city, turning each neighborhood into an essential character in his stories.” To the tone, more than rare in an official publication about the author, a recommendation was added that gave a clear idea about the recipient of the post.
“Don’t miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in the literary universe of this outstanding author, recommended by the Spanish Federation of Journalists and Tourism Writers during its congress in Cuba last November,” it said.
The publication of the Ministry, in fact, seems to be extracted – textually in some paragraphs – from an October promotion of this Spanish institution, signed by the journalist Andrés Alonso. The group met in Varadero last month and developed, according to the official press, “strategies to promote Cuba as a destination.”
Reluctant to leave his hometown, Mantilla, on the outskirts of Habana, Padura spends half the year outside the country
At the market level, it has been a good year for Padura. After publishing the novel Personas decentes [Decent People] in 2022, the Havanan has reorganized some of his oldest texts into two compilations, Agua por todas [Water for All] (2019) and Ir a La Habana [Going to Havana]. In addition, Tusquets reissued El hombre que amaba a los perros [The Man Who Loved Dogs], the novel about the murder of the revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky, which gave him worldwide fame and which celebrates 15 years since its publication.
Reluctant to leave his hometown, Mantilla, on the outskirts of Havana, Padura spends half the year outside the country promoting his books. In recent months, in addition, he has slightly raised the tone of his criticisms of the state of the country, although he has never alluded in negative terms to any of the leaders or to the Government in general.
In a recent interview with the EFE agency, Padura described the situation on the Island again: “The option left for people is to leave. And it is not the person who wants to leave, but the one who can, because an exit through Nicaragua and the coyotes costs about 10,000 dollars. And more than a million people have left, so you can imagine the levels of hopelessness and despair that many people have.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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