Another project close to our hearts in Cuba bears the beautiful name “La Luna Naranja” (the orange moon): In Santa Clara, over 40 musicians came together years ago to create their own cultural center.

The idea was to combine a stage with rehearsal rooms and a recording studio. Santa Clara is the city of the modern Cuban trova, the “singer/songwriter”. The creative potential of this city seems almost inexhaustible and musical diamonds in the rough also work here as cab drivers. So it made sense to create a space where young and old could come together and create something new. Santa Clara has no shortage of cultural offerings for tourists either, but the local population’s need for expression is increasingly underserved. The “La Luna Naranja” project began with a great deal of euphoria, but was soon overtaken by reality: the driving forces behind the project, Walter and Roly, were overrun by the coronavirus and economic crisis. More than half of those involved have now left the country and the others have lost confidence. When our Karawanis Pascal and Bruno visited the project in February 2024, the premises had already been renovated and furnished. The stage is ready for the performance and the bar is ready to serve. Walter, who is responsible for the technical equipment of “La Luna Naranja” as a sound engineer, still had no prospects. He works for “Etecsa”, the Cuban telecommunications company, and doesn’t earn €20 a month! There is little hope of being able to buy microphones, loudspeakers, a mixing desk, stage lighting and other equipment in the next few years so that “La Luna Naranja” can finally open. Nevertheless, Walter does not want to emigrate. His parents once studied in the GDR (hence his German name), but he sees his place here in Santa Clara. We asked Walter to take a few days to think about what would be most urgent. While Walter was working on a list, Bruno stood behind him and noticed that Walter’s hands were starting to shake. Walter shook his head slowly and tears welled up in his eyes. Bruno asked: “Walter, what’s wrong, what happened?” Walter: “Bruno, we’ve been hoping for years that a little bit of luck would come our way and now it hits us right in the heart! Nothing like this has ever happened to me in my entire life!” Everyone else noticed Walter’s emotional outburst and the whole thing ended in a huge collective hug. Together with Walter, we were able to buy music equipment for “La Luna Naranja” for around € 8,000. This is yet another reason for this project to give Santa Clara another chance and not to leave the country. Things are moving forward again, something hopeful is happening again – a small light at the end of the tunnel!