The fourth edition of the annual Harry Potter Convention brought together children dressed in costumes this Sunday at the Mural Painting Museum in Old Havana, where entry and games were free, but the souvenirs for sale reached prices that few Cuban wallets can afford, according to a live report published by 14ymedio.
The journalist Juan Diego Rodríguez reported from the stalls of the so-called "Callejón Diagon" —the Havana version of the famous shopping street from J.K. Rowling's universe— a magic wand for 3,000 Cuban pesos (CUP), small handcrafted witches for 3,500 CUP, and books from the saga ranging from 10,000 to 12,000 CUP.
As a reference, the national minimum wage in Cuba is set at 3,210 CUP per month since last July, which places the price of a stick almost on par with a full monthly salary.
A book at the upper end of that price range costs nearly four minimum wages. The report itself notes that this amount is "difficult to justify in the budget of any family that relies solely on state income."
For just 100 CUP, attendees could wear a Ravenclaw hat or headband and take a photo—with their own phone— for a few moments. It was the most affordable option among the available items.
Participation in the event's activities was free of charge. The children, many wearing capes, ties, and uniforms inspired by the characters from the movies, competed in games to earn points for their Hogwarts houses while the soundtracks of the saga played through the speakers in the colonial space.
The atmosphere was carefully set: posters searching for Sirius Black, references to platform 9¾, and a ghostly figure suspended from the ceiling transformed the museum galleries into a sort of magic school.
The stalls were not limited to Rowling's universe. Among the available merchandise were figures from Japanese manga and anime, Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, Star Wars ships, and collectibles from other franchises. Informal copies of the Harry Potter movies and their computer games were also offered, a common practice in Cuba for decades; the reporter noted no intervention from the authorities.
The event, announced as free for everyone, was supported by the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana and was organized, as in previous editions, by Joel Arturo Salazar, known in the fan community as SteamLord.
The guiding theme of this edition aimed to bridge the world of Hogwarts with Cuban mythology and colonial heritage, taking advantage of the setting of the Museum of Mural Painting, inaugurated in 2006 in a 16th-century building.
In a city where paid recreational options for families are increasingly limited by the economic crisis, free admission events like this one represent an unusual alternative. Recent cultural fairs have received criticism for prices deemed unaffordable for the majority of Cubans, and private parks like Jalisco Park charged 1,000 CUP per person just for entry last July.
As summarized in the report from 14ymedio: "A book could cost nearly four salaries, but earning points for Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw remained free."
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