JOHN McINALLY welcomes a rigorous class analysis of the history and exploitation of sectarianism by the Scottish ruling elite
Cuba bids farewell to one of its favourite sons, Pablo Milanes
(February 24 1943 – November 22 2022)

THE recent death in Spain of the Cuban singer and songwriter Pablo Milanes at the age of 79 represents a great loss to the world of music and song. He was not only revered in Cuba but throughout Latin America and beyond.
Milanes Arias was born in the east Cuban city of Bayamo in 1943, the youngest of five siblings born to working-class parents.
His musical talents were apparent early on. Aged six, he started entering, and often winning, singing competitions on local TV and radio stations, and later studied at the Municipal Conservatoire in Havana. However, he credited the musicians of his local neighbourhood as the real inspiration for his music.
Similar stories

LEIGH CARRIAGE remembers Roberta Flack, a spellbinding virtuoso of musical interpretation

BEN LUNN highly recommends a cantata that encapsulates the Palestinian peoples' profound desire for peace

MICHAL BONCZA recommends a book that explores imaginatively the disappearance of Francisco Tenorio Cerqueira, the famed precursor of Brazil’s contemporary popular music

WILL STONE relishes the subtle demonstations of political awareness that accompany two standout performers at Brighton’s Mutations festival