Events and Tributes Usher in 2025 in Havana’s Historic Center

Havana’s Historic Center begins 2025 with a rich array of activities celebrating the city’s history, culture, and artistic heritage. Highlights include the 29th International Seminar on Afro-American Social and Cultural Anthropology, commemorations of the 297th anniversary of the University of Havana, tributes to cultural heritage conservators and restorers, and a homage to Colonel Néstor Aranguren of the Liberation Army of the West.

The seminar, launching on Monday, will honor the contributions of Dr. María del Carmen Barcia and Dr. Ana Cairo. It will also mark the 50th anniversary of independence for Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the Comoros Islands.

In addition, the event celebrates 39 years of Casa de África, which will host panel discussions addressing topics such as popular religiosity and African brotherhoods, culture, identity and otherness, resistance and maroon communities, visual anthropology, the role of museums in preserving cultural heritage, and historical and contemporary migration processes.

On Sunday, the University of Havana commemorated its 297th anniversary with a ceremony held in the Aula Magna of the San Gerónimo University College.

Founded in 1728 as the Royal and Pontifical University of San Gerónimo of Havana under the Dominican Order, the university later adopted the title Royal and Literary University, which it held from 1842 to 1898.

On January 27, designated as the Day of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (Ohch) will honor the invaluable contributions of conservators and restorers through an exhibition fair.

The date, established at the 18th International Congress on Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in Granada, Spain, in 2011, will also serve to pay tribute to Dr. Eusebio Leal Spengler, a towering figure in restoration, with a floral offering in his memory.

Specialists from the Conservation and Restoration Cabinet and the Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos Workshop School will present their work at the fair, held in front of the institution. The program will also feature a discussion led by Sergio González Cías, founder of the Conservation Cabinet, reflecting on the evolution and development of the Historian’s Office’s efforts to preserve cultural heritage.

Reflecting on History and Shared Horizons 

As part of its cultural program, the Ohch will honor Néstor Aranguren at the Center for the Interpretation of Cuba-Europe Cultural Relations, located in the Palace of the Second Cape.

On January 27, 1898, the body of Colonel Néstor Aranguren Martínez, a young leader of the Liberation Army of the West, was displayed in the residence of General Segundo Cabo as a deterrent to those fighting for the nation’s independence. Despite his untimely death at the age of 24, Aranguren had already earned a reputation as one of the most daring and combative mambí leaders.

The 15th Havana Biennial continues across the city with a vibrant, participatory program emphasizing collaborative projects, critical thought, and cultural diversity.

Running through February 28, the Biennial—the premier contemporary art event of the Global South—embraces the theme Shared Horizons. It serves as a vital platform for dialogue, social transformation, and creative experimentation, uniting artists from Cuba, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean to share their works and foster cultural exchange.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez