Can we really talk about the “typical Cuban”? Considering the globalized world we live in today, everyone is in touch with a host of different cultures and differences between these different cultures begin to blur a little. In most countries today, barriers between different cultures and countries begin to fade as immigration and the mass media continue to grow. In Cuba however, things are a little different.

• Nowadays, cultural diversity is a prevalent factor, just as it is anywhere else in the world. You will still find plenty typical Cuban dishes, traditions and customs, however some foreign ideas and products are creeping in gradually, especially due to the growing tourist industry.
• Although the island hosts a range of different cultures and things do continue evolving, there is nevertheless a slight feeling that certain things don’t change here. Things do in actual fact change, but at a much slower and controlled rate. The mass media is fairly restricted here, as is access to the Internet and this causes the effect of globalization to slow down considerably.

If we use the typical cliché to describe a Cuban, we might, for example, immediately think of a person, sitting in the colorful doorway of a colonial-style building, enjoying a good cigar or savoring some aromatic coffee. As always however, it is best to sidestep such clichés. Cuba is much more than cigars and great coffee and opening one’s mind to whatever the island may have to offer will give us a much broader, varied and accurate outlook.

• It can definitely be said of Cubans that they are a very extraordinary people, who make the most of the unique situation they find themselves in. Cubans are not only warm, generous, resourceful and cheerful people, they are also highly intelligent.

Cuba’s “isolation” from the fast changing world has made this land filled with traditions from its interesting past and rich cultural background, preserve a unique quality that will always set Cuba aside and make it a place to be remembered.