Letters from Cuba, June 2009 (11) Casa Esther, Havana

Letter 11. Casa Esther in Havana. June 2009.

The accommodation for our second stay in Havana is Casa Esther in Habana Centro, and it is beautiful. The house was half in ruins when Esther bought it 15 years ago – in stages – from the old lady who lived there alone. The old lady lived out her final years with Esther in the house, and she died with a smile on her face watching a theatrical performance. Esther still feels her presence there, and the old lady's portrait as a young woman, hangs on the wall:

Portrait at Casa Esther, Havana, 2009. Photo: Ann Barrie

Esther, 58, has created a beautiful environment inside the house to counteract the greyness of Havana. Our room has a stud more than twice that of New Zealand houses – for coolness – and the room is filled with artworks, as is the whole house.

Bedroom curtain at Casa Esther, Havana, June 2009.  Photo: Ann Barrie

We admired an art deco lamp, and Esther said she bought it from a family who wished to raise money to go to America to live.

Art deco lamp at Casa Esther, Havana, June 2009. Photo: Ann Barrie

Esther maintains a large household. Her mother and stepfather live with her: he is a small, courtly man, and each morning he offers us his Spanish-language newspaper and recommends interesting articles for us to read.

Esther has four domestics, and two guards ('guard' is not quite the right word). The night time guard is pleasant and sits in a rocking chair all night. We have become very fond of Alex who is there during the day. He is Esther’s right hand man and runs the business side of the casa for her. (Esther rents out five rooms, although officially it is only two). Alex works long hours, six days a week. He told us that he learned a little English at school, and beyond that is self-taught; he adores English language musicals from the 60s and 70s.  Alex watches the Discovery Channel and knows that New Zealand is a beautiful country. He used to work at charting of ships for coastal navigation, and he loves anything maritime.

Esther, a former actress, directs her own theatre company: Gaia theatre de Habana. She pours the profits from her casa particulara into the building she bought to house her theatre. This morning, she took us there – it is in Old Havana, not far away. Esther puts on free weekly performances for children —it is difficult to have money-earning enterprises in Cuba. She would love to have more freedom, but she realises she is more fortunate than most. She is able to travel freely to Toronto, where her son lives, and she freights back items to make life easier at home (for instance, an espresso coffee machine) and for her beloved theatre. 

Esther, proprietor of Casa Esther, Havana, June 2009. Photo: Ann Barrie

*

Gaia theatre de Habana, June 2009. Photo: Ann Barrie

Yesterday we bought a book from one of the second hand sellers who set up each day around the beautiful Plaza des Armes. The book contains poems, written in Spanish and translated into English by one of the five Cubans who were imprisoned without due process in Miami. The book seller used to be a Russian-Cuban translator, and he travelled all round Cuba. Now he pays a licence fee to the Government and is able to run his own little private enterprise selling books.

Blog by Ann Barrie