Miami’s Little Havana placed on ‘national treasures’ list · ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, JANUARY 29,...
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ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017 22 ‘It’s very colorful ... very warm’ Miami’s Little Havana placed on ‘national treasures’ list MIAMI, Jan 28, (AP): Historic preservation groups announced a partnership Friday with city officials to save Miami’s Little Havana, bidding to safeguard its heritage as the famed epicenter of the Cuban diaspora was placed on a list of “national treasures.” The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation said awarding its special des- ignation for the Spanish-speaking enclave is just one step of the partnership to protect Lit- tle Havana from large-scale developers who are transforming much of downtown Miami. Home to a vibrant community of Cuban heritage and many others from around Latin America, Little Havana is under multiple threats: Demolition of historic buildings, displacement of its existing residents, and decades of wear and tear. The same organi- zation placed the neighborhood in its annual list of America’s 11 most endangered historic places in 2015. “Little Havana has a really strong immigrant history,” said Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preser- vation. “It’s a very inviting place. It’s very col- orful. It’s very warm. The sense of community is very strong.” But she cautioned: “We want all that to re- main but at the same time we know that com- munities need to adapt and change overtime to meet the needs of the residents.” She said the “national treasures” designa- tion also will help allied organizations, city officials, residents and investors unite to dis- cuss ways to improve the living conditions of its working-class population, preserve historic buildings and allow moderate development of its neglected areas. In coming months, planners and develop- ers are to discuss what to do with vacant lots, abandoned buildings and consider which his- toric sites are worth protecting. And starting in March, they will hold workshops with residents and city officials to share their plans. Settled “There are many bad buildings and people with a poor quality of life here,” said Daniel Martin, a handyman who settled in Little Ha- vana after leaving Cuba 15 years ago. “Since I don’t speak English, this was the right place for me to be.” The neighborhood’s signature street, Calle Ocho, is one of the top spots most frequented by tourists after Miami Beach. It features cigar shops, art galleries and mom-and-pop stores where Cubans and their descendants reminisce about the island. Visitors sip aromatic Cuban coffee, eye daily games of dominoes by locals and take selfies at the Versailles restaurant, hub of the exile com- munity. “My hope is that tears and the dreams of hundreds of thousands of people will not be forgotten,” said Miami mayor Tomas Regala- do, speaking at Friday’s event to announce the partnership. “My hope is that history is not re- written and the anguish of the Cuban exiles, the Nicaraguans is forever erased.” Located just west of downtown Miami, Little Havana grew in the 1960s as Cubans fled Fidel Castro’s communist Cuba. The neighborhood has changed some in recent decades as new immigrants have arrived from Central America and Colombia, opening new restaurants and stores. Some developers have taken risks to refur- bish old buildings such as Hugh Ryan, who took what he calls “the worst crack house in the neighborhood” and turned it into a two-story pastel green building with a royal emblem of a salamander on its facade. “Anything can be saved. The whole neigh- borhood is trying to do that now,” said Ryan, pointing to a similar two-story apartment build- ing next door and two other buildings across the street that have been renovated in East Little Havana. Andrew Frey, who is building an 8-unit apartment building, put up a giant blue sign outside that reads “Little Havana is the Ame- nity.” “We don’t offer pools, gyms or spas here,” he said about his construction. “Little Havana has history, culture. It has real people. It has a narrative you can’t control.” Little Havana joins a list of “national trea- sures” that includes such sites as Nashville’s Music Row, the Grand Canyon and New Jer- sey’s Princeton Battlefield. By Michelle Fe Santiago Arab Times Staff T he mood was all festive. A burst of colours was truly a feast to the eyes. Everyone was dazzling and dressed for the momentous occasion. “Sinulog Siyagit ug Kusog! Pit Senyor, Pit Senyor,” the crowd chanted as Filipino Catholics trooped on Friday to the Holy Fam- ily Cathedral in Kuwait City to celebrate the annual ‘Sinulog’ Festival. The Philippines is often called the “Land of Fiestas.” Filipinos love to eat, have fun and enjoy life. There is always a fiesta going on somewhere in the Philippines throughout the year as each city, town or even barrio (community) has at least one fiesta of its own. Some fiestas are really huge and well-known nationally and internationally that attract many foreign tourists such as the Sinulog Festival. The Sinulog Festival is one of the grandest, most distinguished and most colourful festivals in the Philippines. The major festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honour the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is fundamentally a dance ritual which remem- bers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their recognition of Christianity. The festival features some the country’s most colourful displays of ceremony and pageantry. Participants clothe in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums and native gongs. The streets are generally lined with vendors and pedestrians all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held in different parts of the province, also to celebrate and honour the Santo Niño. ‘Sinulog’ comes from the Cebuano adverb sulog which is “like water current movement,” which proficiently describes the forward- backward movement of the Sinulog dance. Traditionally, the dance consists of two steps forward and one step backward, done to the sound of the drums. The dance is classified into Sinulog-base. Candle vendors at the Basilica continue to perform the traditional version of the dance when lighting a candle for the customer, usually accompanied by songs in the native language. Among this year’s Sinulog participants in Kuwait were members of various religious groups who were clad in their colourful cos- tumes namely the Ina ng Laging Saklolo, PPFI — El Shaddai, LOM Auxilliary Group — Our Lady of Lourdes, OLMM — Our Lady of Mi- raculous Medal, Light of Jesus Family Kuwait , Companions of Jesus & Mary, FCCK — Fili- pino Catholic Community in Kuwait, Couples for Christ/Singles for Christ, Service Ministry, Knights of the Altar, Youth Ministry, Eucha- ristic Minister of Holy Communion, Lectors & Commentators, Music Ministry, Tiger AGBII and Tiger AGBII Guardians together with the candidates of the OFW King & Queen 2017. The colourful procession was followed by a brief programme hosted by Kylie Amoroso and Mhon Maningas who traced the brief his- tory of the feast of the Sto Nino. The festival was capped by a Eucharistic celebration in Filipino led by Parish Priest Rev Fr Monching Atanacio, OFM Capuchin with the Saint Valentine Choir (PPFI — El Shaddai) singing during the mass. It was fol- lowed by the blessing of the Sto Nino images. Snacks were also served to the attendees after the mass. Sinulog Colourful displays of ceremony and pageantry Pinoys celebrate fifth annual ‘Sinulog’ Festival Clad in colourful costumes Some of the participants Ina ng Laging Saklolo Street dancing at its best One of the participants with painted face El Shaddai – Photos by Stanley Fortich Saludar The CFC – Singles for Christ
Transcript of Miami’s Little Havana placed on ‘national treasures’ list · ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, JANUARY 29,...
ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2017
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‘It’s very colorful ... very warm’
Miami’s Little Havana placed on ‘national treasures’ listMIAMI, Jan 28, (AP): Historic preservation groups announced a partnership Friday with city officials to save Miami’s Little Havana, bidding to safeguard its heritage as the famed epicenter of the Cuban diaspora was placed on a list of “national treasures.”
The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation said awarding its special des-ignation for the Spanish-speaking enclave is just one step of the partnership to protect Lit-tle Havana from large-scale developers who are transforming much of downtown Miami.
Home to a vibrant community of Cuban heritage and many others from around Latin America, Little Havana is under multiple threats: Demolition of historic buildings, displacement of its existing residents, and decades of wear and tear. The same organi-zation placed the neighborhood in its annual list of America’s 11 most endangered historic
places in 2015.“Little Havana has a really strong immigrant
history,” said Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preser-vation. “It’s a very inviting place. It’s very col-orful. It’s very warm. The sense of community is very strong.”
But she cautioned: “We want all that to re-main but at the same time we know that com-munities need to adapt and change overtime to meet the needs of the residents.”
She said the “national treasures” designa-tion also will help allied organizations, city officials, residents and investors unite to dis-cuss ways to improve the living conditions of its working-class population, preserve historic buildings and allow moderate development of its neglected areas.
In coming months, planners and develop-ers are to discuss what to do with vacant lots,
abandoned buildings and consider which his-toric sites are worth protecting. And starting in March, they will hold workshops with residents and city officials to share their plans.
Settled“There are many bad buildings and people
with a poor quality of life here,” said Daniel Martin, a handyman who settled in Little Ha-vana after leaving Cuba 15 years ago. “Since I don’t speak English, this was the right place for me to be.”
The neighborhood’s signature street, Calle Ocho, is one of the top spots most frequented by tourists after Miami Beach. It features cigar shops, art galleries and mom-and-pop stores where Cubans and their descendants reminisce about the island.
Visitors sip aromatic Cuban coffee, eye daily games of dominoes by locals and take selfies at
the Versailles restaurant, hub of the exile com-munity.
“My hope is that tears and the dreams of hundreds of thousands of people will not be forgotten,” said Miami mayor Tomas Regala-do, speaking at Friday’s event to announce the partnership. “My hope is that history is not re-written and the anguish of the Cuban exiles, the Nicaraguans is forever erased.”
Located just west of downtown Miami, Little Havana grew in the 1960s as Cubans fled Fidel Castro’s communist Cuba. The neighborhood has changed some in recent decades as new immigrants have arrived from Central America and Colombia, opening new restaurants and stores.
Some developers have taken risks to refur-bish old buildings such as Hugh Ryan, who took what he calls “the worst crack house in the neighborhood” and turned it into a two-story
pastel green building with a royal emblem of a salamander on its facade.
“Anything can be saved. The whole neigh-borhood is trying to do that now,” said Ryan, pointing to a similar two-story apartment build-ing next door and two other buildings across the street that have been renovated in East Little Havana.
Andrew Frey, who is building an 8-unit apartment building, put up a giant blue sign outside that reads “Little Havana is the Ame-nity.”
“We don’t offer pools, gyms or spas here,” he said about his construction. “Little Havana has history, culture. It has real people. It has a narrative you can’t control.”
Little Havana joins a list of “national trea-sures” that includes such sites as Nashville’s Music Row, the Grand Canyon and New Jer-sey’s Princeton Battlefield.
By Michelle Fe SantiagoArab Times Staff
The mood was all festive. A burst of colours was truly a feast to the eyes. Everyone
was dazzling and dressed for the momentous occasion.
“Sinulog Siyagit ug Kusog! Pit Senyor, Pit Senyor,” the crowd chanted as Filipino Catholics trooped on Friday to the Holy Fam-ily Cathedral in Kuwait City to celebrate the annual ‘Sinulog’ Festival.
The Philippines is often called the “Land of Fiestas.” Filipinos love to eat, have fun and enjoy life. There is always a fiesta going on somewhere in the Philippines throughout the year as each city, town or even barrio (community) has at least one fiesta of its own. Some fiestas are really huge and well-known nationally and internationally that attract many foreign tourists such as the Sinulog Festival.
The Sinulog Festival is one of the grandest, most distinguished and most colourful festivals in the Philippines. The major festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honour the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is fundamentally a dance ritual which remem-
bers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their recognition of Christianity.
The festival features some the country’s most colourful displays of ceremony and pageantry. Participants clothe in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums and native gongs. The streets are generally lined
with vendors and pedestrians all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held in different parts of the province, also to celebrate and honour the Santo Niño.
‘Sinulog’ comes from the Cebuano adverb sulog which is “like water current movement,”
which proficiently describes the forward-backward movement of the Sinulog dance. Traditionally, the dance consists of two steps forward and one step backward, done to the sound of the drums. The dance is classified into Sinulog-base. Candle vendors at the Basilica continue to perform the traditional
version of the dance when lighting a candle for the customer, usually accompanied by songs in the native language.
Among this year’s Sinulog participants in Kuwait were members of various religious groups who were clad in their colourful cos-tumes namely the Ina ng Laging Saklolo, PPFI — El Shaddai, LOM Auxilliary Group — Our Lady of Lourdes, OLMM — Our Lady of Mi-raculous Medal, Light of Jesus Family Kuwait , Companions of Jesus & Mary, FCCK — Fili-pino Catholic Community in Kuwait, Couples for Christ/Singles for Christ, Service Ministry, Knights of the Altar, Youth Ministry, Eucha-ristic Minister of Holy Communion, Lectors & Commentators, Music Ministry, Tiger AGBII and Tiger AGBII Guardians together with the candidates of the OFW King & Queen 2017. The colourful procession was followed by a brief programme hosted by Kylie Amoroso and Mhon Maningas who traced the brief his-tory of the feast of the Sto Nino.
The festival was capped by a Eucharistic celebration in Filipino led by Parish Priest Rev Fr Monching Atanacio, OFM Capuchin with the Saint Valentine Choir (PPFI — El Shaddai) singing during the mass. It was fol-lowed by the blessing of the Sto Nino images. Snacks were also served to the attendees after the mass.
Sinulog
Colourful displays of ceremony and pageantry
Pinoys celebrate fifth annual ‘Sinulog’ Festival
Clad in colourful costumes
Some of the participants
Ina ng Laging Saklolo
Street dancing at its best
One of the participants with painted face
El Shaddai – Photos by Stanley Fortich Saludar
The CFC – Singles for Christ
