Cuba - Events & Books
Strangely, Friends A History of
Cuban-Canadian Encounters
Event: Book launch with music
Come celebrate the launch of Strangely, Friends: A History of Cuban-Canadian Encounters - the latest book on Cuba by Dr. Karen Dubinsky.
Cover art by Harry Tanner
Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 6 - 8 p.m.
DROM Taberna
458 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ontario
Books can be purchased and the author will be available for signing. The event also features Cuban sounds by Zamira Lacosta and Friends.
Strangely, Friends: A History of Cuban-Canadian Encounters delves into the rich, often overlooked history of personal and cultural connections between Cubans and Canadians. From the early days of the Cuban Revolution to the present, this book uncovers the stories of Canadians who were drawn to Cuba—teachers, artists, development aid workers, filmmakers, and activists—who left an indelible mark on the island, and Cubans, especially the musicians, who found a home in Canada.
Queen’s University Archives
In June 2022, Queen’s University acquired the archives of Cuban-Canadian artist Harry Tanner.
In October 2022, Queen’s University Archives hosted its
40th Annual Archives Lecture on Harry Tanner.
An Artistic Chronicle of Havana in the 1960s:
Cuban-Canadian Harry Tanner
by Dr. Karen Dubinsky
Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 4 p.m.
Room 014, Joseph S. Stauffer Library
Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
Watch the video of the lecture below:
Cuba beyond the beach
Stories of Life in Havana
Havana is Cuba’s soul: a mix of Third World, First World, and Other World. After over a decade of visits as a teacher, researcher, and friend, Karen Dubinsky looks past political slogans and tourist postcards to the streets, neighbourhoods, and personalities of a complicated and contradictory city. Her affectionate, humorous vignettes illustrate how Havana’s residents—old Communist ladies, their sceptical offspring, musicians, underground vendors, entrepreneurial landlords, and poverty-stricken professors—go about their daily lives.
Learn more:
Read Harry’s handbook for artists:
Read a short book about Harry: