ZURICH, Switzerland
The past year was a momentous one for Cuba: The death of its iconic revolutionary leader Fidel Castro; the historic visit of US President Barack Obama; the Good Friday concert by The Rolling Stones… and then, in June, the Official Inauguration of the country’s capital, Havana, as one of the New7Wonders Cities.
La Habana recibe el título de Ciudad Maravilla del mundo modern (“Havana receives the title of Wonder City of the modern world”) was how Cubadebate headlined the story in its review of 2016. It celebrated the event with an extra article titled La Habana recibe formalmente el título de Ciudad Maravilla del mundo modern (“Havana officially receives the title of Wonder City of the modern world”). Excerpt:
“Havana was formally awarded the title of ‘Wonder City’ on Tuesday after being chosen by thousands of people in the third annual campaign run by the Swiss foundation New7Wonders, for its ‘mythical appeal, the warm and welcoming of its environment, and the charisma and joviality of its inhabitants.’
‘With the recognition of Havana as one of the seven wonder cities of the modern world, it has become part of global memory as one of the seven things that everyone on the planet can and will remember,” said Bernard Weber, the president of the New7Wonders Foundation.”
In the comment on the article, Arístides Lima Castillo wrote: “No puedo dejar de felicitar a La Habana y los habaneros en esta ocasión en que es declarada oficialmente como una de ‘las 7 ciudades maravillas’ del mundo. Y no puedo olvidarme de dar gracias a todos los que votaron por ella, desde tantísimos lugares del mundo, para que pudiera ser considerada como tal. Aunque no nacido esa bella ciudad cubana, si tuve la suerte, porque eso es suerte, de ser parte de ella por una tercera parte de mi vida, Y hoy, aunque lejos, cada día añoro regresar a ella para vivir los últimos años que me quedan de vida.”