A City that Breathes Poetry
Each May, Havana becomes a meeting ground for the written and spoken word as it hosts the Festival Internacional de Poesía, a gathering of poets, readers, and dreamers from across the world. Streets, plazas, and cultural centers transform into spaces of reflection and rhythm, where voices rise not in song but in verse.
The festival is more than a literary event—it is a bridge across continents. Since its beginnings, it has drawn poets from Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, offering Havana as a stage for shared voices and common humanity.
The 2025 Edition – Honoring Martí
The 31st edition of the Festival Internacional de Poesía de La Habana takes place from May 26 to 31, 2025, organized by the Centro Cultural CubaPoesía with support from the Ministry of Culture. This year carries a special weight: it commemorates the 130th anniversary of the death in combat of José Martí, Cuba’s National Hero and poet.
With Nancy Morejón, Cuba’s National Literature Prize laureate, as Honorary President, and coordination by poet Karel Leyva Ferrer, the festival embraces Martí’s legacy by reaffirming poetry as both art and defense of humanity. The program includes:
- Seminars, readings, and exhibitions across Havana’s cultural venues.
- The World Meeting of Poets in Defense of Humanity, a forum of reflection in times of global crisis.
- A Mitin Poético Virtual, where poets send recordings from around the globe, ensuring their voices reach Havana even if they cannot.
The Atmosphere of the Festival
To attend the festival is to experience Havana in a new register. One moment, you are in a quiet hall, listening to a poet from Africa read verses on memory and exile. The next, you are in a bustling plaza where Cuban children recite Martí’s words. The city itself becomes part of the performance—the sea breeze carrying fragments of lines, the sound of old cars blending with metaphors, the rhythm of Spanish joined by English, French, and Arabic.
Poetry exhibitions fill galleries, while book launches and panel discussions create intimate spaces for dialogue. The festival is not only about listening, but about sharing: words exchanged like gifts, ideas carried across borders.
My Ritual Among Poets
After a day of readings and forums, I often retreat to the Malecón or a quiet patio in Old Havana with a cigar. For this festival, I favor something balanced yet profound, like a Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill. Its smooth complexity mirrors the cadence of verse—slow to unfold, layered with meaning.
On another evening, after a tribute to Martí, I lit a Partagás Serie P No. 2. Bold, with a steady draw, it reminded me of poetry’s power to confront and to inspire. The smoke rose like a stanza in the night, lingering long after the words were spoken.
If you come, I suggest stopping by our cigar shop before attending the festival. Selecting the right cigar for a day of poetry is part of the ritual—it deepens reflection, turning words into memories that last.
A Global Stage in Havana
What makes the festival unique is its scope. The Virtual Poetry Meeting allows voices from around the world to join, their recordings streamed on Facebook, YouTube, and Cuba’s Streaming platform. A poet in Havana listens to a voice from Africa; a student in Spain follows a Cuban reading in real time.
This digital bridge ensures that poetry continues to unite, regardless of distance, borders, or circumstance.
An Invitation to Experience Havana in Verse
The Festival Internacional de Poesía is not just about literature—it is about humanity. It is about defending beauty, memory, and hope in a world often overwhelmed by noise.
So whether you walk Havana’s streets in person or follow the voices online, I invite you to join. Listen to Martí’s legacy echo in the plazas, hear the rhythms of Cuban Spanish merge with other tongues, and let yourself be moved by the music of words.
And when the day closes, find a quiet corner, light your cigar, and let the smoke carry your thoughts skyward—like a poem written in the night air of Havana.
