Danny Glover: On the Right Side of the History

Renowned American actor Danny Glover recently visited the House of the Guayabera in Sancti Spiritus, the only institution in Cuba that treasures a collection of our national garment

“Welcome, Danny Glover!” I said, as if wanting to break the ice. He simulates to go back on his steps, apparently surprised, and once headed again towards the inside of the Casa de la Guayabera (House of the Guayabera), where a crowd awaits him, he smiles at me and says: “It was you!”.

He kisses everyone present on both cheeks, despite his greeting implies disregarding the explanations being given on the foundation of the village and on the process of making guayaberas —Cuba’s national garment— in this institution.

After hearing that he was expected to arrive dressed in one of such shirts which he could later on give away as a donation, Danny Glover said, laughing, that he could buy one and then make the contribution. He mentions the yellow guayabera he was wearing the day he was decorated in Havana, but he wants to keep that one to wear it when he goes back to San Francisco. So, he will buy one and, before handing it in, he will put it on for a while, as Carlo Figueroa, the director of the facility, has suggested.

After satisfying his interest on the architecture of the local Iglesia Mayor (Major Church) and its Moorish-style attributes, Mr. Glover goes over each of the garments treasured in the center. He is informed about the shirts’ former owners, especially the white pleated guayabera that Fidel Castro wore in Cartagena de Indias the first time he ever appeared without his olive-green uniform.

This great actor is known in Cuba for both his histrionic skills and his social activism. He says he admires Cuba. He has observed the extraordinary level of imagination of its citizens and he emphasizes their high sense of commitment and their connection with the system.

His interest in the cause of the Cuban Five is worth noting. He claims that the extraordinary mission of these men directly contributed to saving the lives of Cubans here inside the island. He considers that they should always be remembered not only by the Cuban people, but also by the rest of the world. I listen to him while his eyes shine and his gesture emphasizes the words. I realize, then, that his feeling is immense. “We were on the right side of the history”, he concludes.

(Taken from cubaicani.wordpress.com, and translated by Escambray)