CUBA: With only one third of the restoration work completed, the Ernest Hemingway Museum reopens in Havana, Cuba.
- 00:00:29
- ITN Source
CUBA: With only one third of the restoration work completed, the Ernest Hemingway Museum reopens in Havana, Cuba.
The Ernest Hemingway Museum reopens in Havana, Cuba, Saturday (January 6) with only a third of the restoration work completed. Although the Cuban government blamed its U.S. counterpart for obstructing the restoration of the Hemingway Museum in Havana, the museum opened its doors to visitors on Saturday (January 6) with only one third of the restoration work finished. Elisa Serrano, the museum's curator, said the history uncovered at the museum made her feel more connected to the author. "For me it was a fascinating experience because under six coats of wall paint we discovered an invaluable list of records written by him. Each entry, each date that we discovered made me feel what he may have felt, every moment of every day," Serrano said. Museum Director Ada Alfonso blamed the tightening of the U.S. embargo for the Cuban government having to take over the entire restoration project. However, Alfonso underscored the importance of carrying through with the work. "Preserving Hemingway's legacy en Finca Vigía and in Cuba itself, is preserving it for the world, for current and future generations," she said. In 2005, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, an organisation which protects the cultural heritage of the United States declared Hemingway's home in Cuba as well as its contents as an "endangered historic place." According to an agreement with the U.S., Cuba will deposit digital copies of all documents, books and manuscripts contained in the museum, into the vaults of the John F. Kennedy Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
ITN Source | January 13, 2007
