Related videos:
The Cuban historian Fabio Fernández captures images that document the complete state of decay of the XI Festival cinema, located in the Alamar neighborhood of East Havana, describing what he sees as the moment of "total collapse" of that facility.
The photographs shared on his/her Facebook profile show rusted and overturned seats, collapsed stairs in layers, walls with peeling paint in shades of white, aqua green, and reddish, debris scattered on the ground, and vegetation growing among the remnants of the structure, which evidences the effects of civic vandalism and institutional neglect over the years.
"Although I was already aware of the disaster, seeing the photos that certify the state of the cinema at the XI Festival de Alamar is still painful," Fernández wrote. "After years of closure and thus decay, it seems that the moment of total collapse has finally arrived," he added.
The cinema took its name from the 11th World Festival of Youth and Students, held in Havana from July 28 to August 5, 1978, with 18,500 delegates from 145 countries.
"The now-ruined cinema was part of the capital's premiere circuit, a sub-venue for the Festival of New Latin American Cinema, and it guaranteed an appealing children's program on weekends," Fernández recalled.
He described the situation as part of the "Alamareña curse," which, according to the historian, affects the consumption, transportation, and cultural options available to the residents of the neighborhood.
"He has been dead for years, in the eternal wait to be saved, and now he faces not only institutional neglect but also vandalism," he pointed out.
The deterioration of the cinema at the XI Festival is indicative of a documented pattern of neglect of cultural and housing infrastructures in Cuba, particularly in East Havana.
In February, the calamitous state of the Liceo de Guanabo has been abandoned for over 20 years, as well as Boca Ciega, a nearby beach area, with vacation homes destroyed and structures collapsed.
Tarará, located 27 kilometers from Havana, has the majority of its 520 Art Deco houses abandoned, with schools, a theater, and a polyclinic closed for years, according to documents from last March.
The Musical Theatre of Havana, located in Centro Habana, is completely abandoned and has turned into a dumpster, while the Riomar building in Miramar, built in 1957 with 201 apartments, is occupied by homeless individuals living without water or electricity.
Fernández closed his publication with a skeptical call. "If anyone has information that the XI Festival will be the subject of any investment process that will revive it, I would appreciate it if you could share the good news here."
Filed under: