Obama attends historic baseball game in Havana, Tampa Bay vs. Cuba, March 22, 2016

by Chris Murray on April 5, 2016

I was thrilled to be able to attend the Tampa Bay vs. Cuba game during the President’s historic visit to Cuba. Govinda Gallery presented the exhibition, “Classic Baseball” at Fototeca de Cuba, the national photo gallery of Cuba, in the spring of 2004. That exhibition featured the legendary American photographer Walter Iooss, Jr’s extraordinary images of baseball players, managers, umpires, and stadiums for the first time in Cuba. So it was of special interest to me to be able to be at the first game between the Cuban national team and an American Major League Baseball team since 1999.

img053The cover of the official program for the Tampa Bay vs. Cuba game in Havana.

IMG_4733Govinda Gallery artist Carlotta Hester, MLB Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre, and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. © Govinda Gallery Archive.

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi accompanied the President on the trip to Cuba and to the baseball game at the Estadio Latinamericano in Havana. Leader Pelosi led the first official House delegation to Cuba since President Barack Obama announced in December that he wanted to normalize relations with our Caribbean neighbor. Representative Pelosi has said “There is strong bipartisan support in the Congress of the United States to lift the embargo.” Viva Pelosi! Viva Obama!

IMG_4736Govinda Gallery Director Chris Murray with U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos © Carlotta Hester.

IMG_4720Secretary of State John Kerry with Chris Murray. Govinda Gallery was a longtime neighbor of Senator Kerry’s in Georgetown. © Carlotta Hester.

IMG_4636Carlotta Hester, Nancy Pelosi, and Chris Murray enjoying the game. Tampa Bay won the game 4 to 1. ©Govinda Gallery Archive.

IMG_4623-600x450Congressman Mark Sanford, sponsor of the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, Mark Hanson of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), and Congressman Tom Emmer of the Cuba Trade Act. © Carlotta Hester.

Havana, Cuba 1999 © Walter Iooss

Special thanks to Heidi Heitkamp, Tom Udall, Jim McGovern, Sheldon Whitehouse, and to Nelson Ramirez, Lourdes Socarras, and Roberto Salas from Fototeca de Cuba, and to Walter Iooss Jr.

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