The John Lennon statue in Havana

OCT 10

As today would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday, it seems appropriate to mark the occasion with some photo's of a little known about statue of him in a park in the suburbs of Havana. I visited it in a driving tour of the city when I was in Havana a few years back.

John is seen sitting on a bench on a raised marble plinth, at the foot of the bench there is an inscription reading: "Dirás que soy un soñador pero no soy el único" John Lennon, which is a Spanish translation of the English lyrics, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one," from the song "Imagine". The park is appropriately named John Lennon Park and is located in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba. The statue was unveiled on 8th December 2000, by President Fidel Castro.

The best thing about the statue apart from the bronze itself, is the old gentleman who places John's wire framed glasses on him when tourists approach. According to our guide the detachable glasses were stolen a number of times, so the government employed a security guard to take them on and off for the benefit of the tourists. What impressed me even more was the size of the cuban cigar he was smoking. I guess he needed something to keep him amused while he was waiting!