Dreaming in Cuba

Whenever Fidel and Raúl finally realize their experiment in a totalitarian state has gone horribly awry (it’s been more than five decades, boys, come on!), or after they croak, the invisible wall surrounding Cuba will crumble faster than a warm guava-and-cheese pastelito in your hands. But when that day comes, a whole lot of Miamians will be at a loss. Sure, Cuba was once their or their parents’ home, but what do they actually know about the island nation and its history? If they’re lacking in knowledge, they’d do right to head to the Fair Expo Center for Cuba Nostalgia, which opens Friday at 11 a.m. and runs through Sunday. For the past 13 years, Cuba Nostalgia has been an oasis where Cubans and non-Cubans alike can enjoy the country’s past. The expo takes revelers back to Cuba’s glamorous years via exhibits, arts, vendors, traditional Cuban food, and music. And this year, organizer Leslie Pantin Jr. decided to go even further in his exploration of his homeland with an exhibit and expo poster documenting the country’s half-millennium of history. “[The poster] has 80-plus paragraphs — from the natives greeting Columbus to the Castros — and 40-plus images of the flag, the coat of arms, national anthem, map, patriots, and even the three Cuban leaders on the cover of Time magazine,” Pantin says.
May 20-22, 11 a.m., 2011