Roundup: U.S., Cuba broaden social, cultural contacts

Almost a year after restoring diplomatic ties, Cuba and the United States have increased people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in such fields as culture and sports.

The two former Cold War adversaries are finding common ground in areas of mutual concern and interests after decades of scant and often hostile communications.

In April of this year, just a month after U.S. President Barack Obama visited Havana, a cultural delegation from the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, composed of 70 academics, artists and intellectuals from all over the United States, spent four days in the Cuban capital.

The visit aimed to build bridges of understanding, promote cultural ties and explore areas of cooperation.

During its stay in Havana, the delegation met with numerous Cuban artists, visited historical and cultural sites of interest and enjoyed activities featuring local traditions.

The two countries signed half a dozen cooperation agreements during the trip, and many other ones are in the works.

The latest agreement was signed on July 12 between Cuba's National Natural History Museum and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The agreement calls for boosting specific collections, holding joint exhibitions and strengthening the technical capacity of Cuban institutions through internships, courses and other forms of exchange.

In the past 12 months, Hollywood has also taken advantage of the thawing ties between the two nations, sending crews to film two major productions on the streets of Havana.

During nearly 10 days in late April and early May, parts of the Hollywood blockbuster franchise "Fast and Furious 8" were shot around the capital. Cast members Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron and Michelle Rodriguez captivated Cubans, who bustled all over town to get a glimpse of the famous actors.

Fast on the heels of "Furious," filmmakers again invaded Havana's streets to film scenes from the upcoming "Transformers: The Last Knight." The fifth installment of this series presumably features the colonial city as a backdrop. It remains to be seen how the movie's futuristic robots fare in Old Havana's narrow cobblestone streets.

Both movies are set to premiere in 2017, with a special Havana showing of "Fast and Furious" scheduled.

In sports, the two countries have inched closer to re-establishing cooperation between their leagues, while Washington has opted on basketball diplomacy to generate goodwill among Cuban youth.

At the end of June, NBA legend Shaquille O's Neal visited the island as the first ever White House sports envoy, meeting with young Cuban basketball players and sports officials, participating in training matches and touring the sites.

The U.S. and Cuba, of course, share a passion for baseball.

Unfortunately, the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba has for decades prevented Cuban players from signing on with Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs, unless they defected. But recent changes in regulation indicate the two sides will eventually reach an agreement.

During Obama's visit in March, the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays took part in an exhibition game against the Cuban squad that potentially opened the door for future binational professional baseball games in Cuba.

Such exchanges are believed to enable further development in relations and cooperation between the two countries. Endi