Cuban culture has been shaped by influences from Africa, Spain, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Cuban music incorporates styles such as son, guajira, bolero, rumba, mambo, and timba. Cuban literature began in the 19th century with works focusing on abolition and independence, and it continues to be influential. Cuban film saw a golden age in the years following the 1959 revolution, producing famous movies like Las docesillas and Memorias del subdesarrollo and directors like Eduardo Manet.

1. Nation Report Part 2Cuban Culture

2. Cuban Music Cuban music is a myriad of styles and genres, with a long history. While influences from Africa and Spain were predominant, Cuban music has also been shaped by the music of Europe, Latin-America and American pop music and jazz. Son - is a style of popular dance music that originated in the Oriente province of Cuba. Guajira – is a derivation of Son, usually played a little slower, and identified by its arpeggiated guitar or piano parts. "Guantanamera" is probably the most famous guajira. Bolero - A slow, romantic ballad. Rumba - A secular folkloric form, Rumba consists of drumming, dancing and call-and-response singing both in African and Spanish languages. Mambo - representative of the dance style popularized in the 40's and 50's. Timba - The newest and most controversial music out of Cuba, Timba is like salsa on steroids. It incorporates influences from Brazilian music, R&B, hip-hop and salsa.

3. Cuban Literature Cuban literature began to find its voice in the early 19th century The major works published in Cuba during that time were of an abolitionist character Notable writers of that era: Gertrudis Gomez Avellaneda CiriloVillaverde (Picture on Right) After the abolition, in 1886 Cuba led the way in Latin American literature with themes of freedom and independence Notable writers of that era: Nicolas Guillen Dulce Maria Loynaz Jose Lezama Lima AlejoCarpentier Reinaldo Arenas Guillermo Cabrera To this day, Cuban literature is one of the most prolific, relevant, and influential literatures in Latin America and in all of the Spanish speaking world

4. Cuban Film Pre-revolutionary cinema: Before the Cuban Revolution of 1959 the total film production was around 80 full-length movies Post-revolutionary cinema: In the first days of 1959 the new government created a cinematographic department within the Dirección de Cultura del EjercitoRebelde (Culture division of the Rebel Army) The first ten years of the institution were called by the critics the Golden Age Famous Films: Las docesillas - The twelve chairs (1962) Muerte de un burocrata - Death of a bureaucrat (1966) Memorias del subdesarrollo - Memories of underdevelopment (1968) Lucia (1969) Famous Actors: Alberto Puiol, Blanca Rosa Blanco, Beatriz Valdez, Cesar Evora, Mario Cimarro, Consuelo Vidal Famous Directors: Eduardo Manet, Enrique Colina, Enrique Pineda Barnet, FaustoCanel

5. Sources https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Cuba http://www.cubatrade.org/ http://www.cubapolidata.com/gpc/gpc.html Internet Movie Database