Rebel Celebration of Irish – Mexican music

MichaelKerin and Tinker Duffy, are both masters of traditional Irish music. They will help celebrate the role of the San Patricios, a battalion of Irish Immigrants who, in 1847, fought for Mexico against a ruthless invasion from the United States.

The duo, just back from a string of music festivals will happily play with harper, Andy Rigby, as well as Mexican and Cuban dancers, in Brian Hungerford’s production of “The War of Shame”. It has a selection of some of the most poignant Irish and Mexican music ever to come out of any conflict.

Michael has played with all forms of music making. He has played lead violin with orchestras, folk groups and spent three happy years touring the world with Slim Dusty. The pair make a powerful combination. Tinker will have you wanting to dance and cry at the same time.

The War of Shame will be presented in the St James Uniting Church Hall, Curtin.

Saturday 29 March at 6.30 for 7.00 pm. 

Mexican, Spanish and Irish supper will be available.

For further information contact: Brian on 6282 4747 (Mobile 0418 48 18 67)

Top Harper in “The War of Shame”

Andy Rigby is recognised as Australia’s most admired harper. He is a player with an international reputation covering music from Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Spain and the music-loving republics of LatinAmerica.

In Typical Australian fashion, Andy started his adult life as an engineer working on projects through much of the Third World. But music was Andy’s obsessive hobby which gradually took him over.

For all that, his engineering training has not been wasted. He is now a much –in-demand builder of harps - of many sizes.

Andy will be performing in Curtin on Saturday 29 March with a theatrical production of the San Patricios, - a battalion of Irish “Boat People” who fought for Mexico against a ruthless invading army from the United States. The war was to annex half of Mexico and extend slavery. Despite such a black history, the events of 1847 produced some of the finest Irish and Mexican harp music. It is also a story that rings all the way to modern Australia.

Venue: St James Uniting Church Hall, Curtin. 6.30 for 7.00 pm.

For further information phone, Brian on 6282 4747 (Mobile: 0418 48 18 67)

THE WAR OF SHAME - USA - Ireland - Mexico

1846-47 was the epoch that changed half the world. It all started in Mexico.  In 1847, the brash-young United States of America invaded Mexico.

The invasion was to annex most of Mexico and enforce slavery from north California, Texas, Arizona, throughout the United States and as far a field as Cuba.

 

The area around New York was corrupt and disease ridden. The invasion had a flow-on to Australia. We had no “Border Protection”. A million starving Irish immigrants flooded into evil-smelling, rat-infested rental accommodation in New York.  The houses were owned by a small handful of US millionaires. So, the US war machine rounded up hoards of Irish immigrants and sent them to invade Mexico. But things went wrong. The Irish joined forces with Mexico.

Out of their fighting, many of the most famous Irish songs of rebellion were born.  Be prepared to laugh and cry throughout the evening. In a full program  of word and song, dedicated to the St Patrick’s Brigade (“San Patricios”); to the glory of Mexico and to Truth and Justice throughout the world.

Brian Hungerford and Marcos Cruz introduce Australia’s leading Irish and Latin American singers, musicians and dancers. Poetry and narration will be in English and Spanish.

Venue:  St James Uniting Church Hall, Curtin

When:  Saturday 29 March 2014.

Time:  6.30 for 7.00 pm

Entry:  $20

Plenty of authentic Irish, Curtinish, Mexican and Cuban, food and drinks available during the interval, as well as before and after the event – At gentle prices.

This is a one-off fundraising, organised by the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society, Canberra.

Information: phone Brian: 6282 4747 (brilu@grapevine.com. au)

CUBA AT THE CANBERRA MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL

Cuba’s participation in Canberra’s Multicultural Festival 2014 was a roaring success.  As in the past few years the Cuban stall was a popular spot for visitors to the festival.  Young and old, entire families stopped to check the material on offer in the stall and to ask questions, many questions!

 

I would like to visit Cuba, how can I travel to Cuba? What kind of visa do I need? What is the best route/airline to take? What’s life like in Cuba? Somebody told me that you have lots of doctors in Cuba, is that true?  Would I be looked after if I became sick whilst visiting your country?

Those are the type of questions curious people kept asking time and time again.  And which the Embassy personnel on duty and a group of volunteers from the Australian Cuba Friendship Society of Canberra were very pleased to answer.

But, without a doubt, the highlight, the big event, was the great RAFFLE. A couple of years ago Don Pedro, the current Cuban Ambassador, had the great idea of starting a “free raffle”.  All the people had to do to be in it was to write their name, a contact phone number and an email address on a piece of paper, put it in the draw box and be there when the raffle was held (this year it was at 2.30pm sharp).  The excitement and enthusiasm when the time came was palpable in the atmosphere.  Faces lit up with expectation at the prospect of a superb bottle of Cuban rum or a couple of equally fine bottles of Cuban beer or, for the quietly converted aficionado and connoisseur, a Cuban cigar.  A Montecristo perhaps!!!

Our hats go to the Cuban Embassy staff and, indeed one of them went to Celia, Don Pedro’s wife and a key staff member of the embassy, who did such a tremendous job calling the prizes and the winners names under near 40 degrees temperature, most of the time without a hat!  Sweat, not tears, run down her face but she stood there until the last price and lucky winners' names were called. 

Well done Cuba, well done the Cuban Embassy staff.

HLVS from your Australian friends

CUBA FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH…AND DESERVEDLY SO!

Cuba will preside over the 67th World Health Assembly, Dr. Antonio González, head of international agencies of the Cuban Ministry of Public Health announced recently in Geneva

This appointment is recognition of the achievements of the Revolution in this sphere and its role in the international arena, González said

Cuba's participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) is widely recognized, as well as collaborating with the rest of the world in this field, the official said in statements published today by Prensa Latina news agency.

This Assembly, to be held on May 19-24 May, is the supreme instance decision of the organization, founded in 1948, the specialist added.

Right now thousands of doctors and other health workers in the Caribbean nation maintain their cooperation in some 60 countries from different continents.

González participated in the Swiss city in the 134 WHO Executive Board session, that gathered 34 countries from all regions of the world, including six from America.

On this occasion they addressed various topics, such as a plan for the elimination of tuberculosis from now to 2025 and another to finish polio eradication, as well as health goals after 2015, he said.

Other issues discussed were the nutrition of infants and young children, hepatitis and the decade of vaccines.

The Executive Council also discussed the reform of WHO, especially in management, planning and governance structures.

Gonzalez recalled the role of WHO, the highest health body belonging to the United Nations that brings together 197 countries, and is responsible for managing policies to prevent and combat major health problems globally.

Cuba’s health system is also the subject of a lengthy article in that most august of science journal, The Lancet, the world oldest peer review medical journal founded by Thomas Wakley and which has being published continuously since 1823.  For the article, click on this link: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2814%2960090-8/fulltext

AN AUSTRALIAN IN HAVANA (continued)

2. Death & Destruction

One other fact which is important, especially if you want to go and visit Cuba one day, is that there is a fault - or a bloody great crack in the Earth’s crust, along the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands to the south of Cuba. This crack or fault is the deepest point in the Caribbean Sea and forms part of the boundary between the so called North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate.

Cuba Libre Beach

This all results in some frightenly deep and dark undersea trenches - some of which are almost four kilometres deep (and one of these spooky trenches is a little over seven kilometres deep). Volcanoes exist in the Caribbean, too - like Mount Pelee, which, over one hundred years ago in 1902, killed about 29,000 people in Martinique (this was the greatest loss of human life by a wicked volcano last century - any previous loss of life was not recorded). Martinique, in case I have you worried, is fairly close to Venezuela.

There are also the occasional serious earthquakes In the Caribbean. One of them in 1692 destroyed Port Royal on the coast in Jamaica. One year later in 1693, Havana got hit by one; and, as you will no doubt recall, Haiti was badly shaken by an earthquake in early 2010 which killed around 300,000 people.  For the record, there are 12 active faults under Cuba and about 2,000 tremors each year (or ‘temblores’ in Spanish). Talk about the luck of the devil, or of a just God, most of them do little damage to life or property, and they are not usually felt by normal people.(to be continued)