Take a selfie with a life-like statue of one of the Beatles at Havana’s John Lennon Park. When Beatlemania took over the world in the 1960s, Fidel Castro banned the music in his country, calling it vulgar consumerism. Forty years later and 20 years after John Lennon’s death, Castro honored the man not simply for his music, but mostly for his dreaming and ideas.
Cuban artist José Villa Soberón created the sculpture of Lennon at the end of a bench, allowing plenty of space for visitors to sit next to the great musician. At the base of the bench is a Spanish translation of lyrics from one of Lennon’s well-known songs, Imagine: “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Rest for a moment on the bench and dream where thousands of others have done the same since its installation in 2000. At that time, Fidel Castro praised Lennon’s championing of the working class and celebrated the park’s renaming with a large open-air concert of Beatles music.
Recognize Lennon’s appearance in this statue from his long-haired period of anti-war protests. After the iconic round glasses originally supplied for the statue were stolen multiple times, the elderly local retiree Juan Gonzalez stepped in for 12-hour shifts during the day to provide glasses on demand for photo-taking. Continuing today, someone stands near the bench to place glasses on the statue to give an authentic look to Lennon’s image in photos.
Look for more of Soberón’s statues around Havana. You may find Ernest Hemingway, Che Guevara and El Caballero de Paris (the Gentleman of Paris). Outside the Convento de San Francisco de Asís near Havana Port, El Caballero depicts José Maria López Lledín, a famed street person of Havana. Touch the statue for good luck.
John Lennon Park is a pleasant square west of Havana’s Old Town in the Vedado district. After visiting the park, stop nearby at the Yellow Submarine nightclub to listen to live music surrounded by Beatles memorabilia.
