Leaders representing the Cuban Ministry of Culture, Museo Hemingway, and the Finca Vigía Foundation gathered in the Museo de Artes Decorativas prior to the opening of the Restoration Center.
The Finca Vigía Foundation is dedicated to our work in Cuba to preserve Ernest Hemingway’s legacy. Our commitment to our colleagues remains steadfast. Our experts will resume their technical visits when US and Cuba guidelines on the coronavirus permit.
Dear Friends of the Finca Vigía Foundation,
We hope this newsletter finds you and your families safe and healthy.
It has been very difficult to watch the devastation that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused throughout the world—including within the United States and Cuba. The loss of life and suffering is heartbreaking. Still, the many acts of kindness and examples of people and communities coming together are uplifting.
The health situation in Cuba is very serious as it is in so many places.
The government has taken measures to ensure personal distancing, testing, tracing, and treatment to try and contain the disease. The Ministry of Health has deployed hundreds of public health workers, including medical students, door-to-door to check each home to make certain that no one is ill. Special attention is paid to increased monitoring in geriatric facilities.
The Cuban government has closed the border, shut down public transportation from buses to public taxis, closed schools and universities, canceled all sporting and cultural events, and closed all museums, including Museo Hemingway.
The massive effort that the country is making will hopefully save lives.
In addition to the health crisis, Cuba also faces a serious economic crisis. The island is dependent upon tourism and visitors. As one may imagine, the coming months will change a challenging economic situation into a dire one for many Cubans already struggling to procure food and basic essentials.
The Finca Vigía Foundation is dedicated to our work in Cuba to preserve Ernest Hemingway’s legacy. Our commitment to our colleagues remains steadfast. Our experts will resume their technical visits when US and Cuba guidelines on the coronavirus permit.
In fact, we have an exciting new project at Finca Vigía requested by the Cuban Ministry of Culture, which we hope to launch once the time is appropriate—the architectural preservation of the author’s home.
The board of directors and staff of the Finca Vigía Foundation send our heartfelt wishes to the people of Cuba that the pandemic will soon pass and that lives lost will be minimal.
We know from almost two decades of experience that our colleagues in Cuba are strong and resilient. We are confident that they will come through this with the same spirit and determination that they have always exhibited.
Abrazos a todos,
Bob Vila
Co-Chair, Board of Directors
Frank Phillips
Co-Chair, Board of Directors
Mary-Jo Adams
Executive Director