New Travel Guide Re-Brands Cuba as 'Seductive,' Stirs Controversy (REPORT)

(HN, August 29, 2011) - My Seductive Cuba, published by Vancouver-based Chen Lizra, hits book stores tomorrow.

Part travel guide, part personal journey, Lizra's intense passion for the island country - and her valiant and creative attempts to resist seduction from a Cuban dance instructor - bursts forth. "I don't think that you have ever seen a travel guide like this before," says Lizra.

The author started traveling to Cuba in 2005 in order to train with the island’s best professional dancers.  On subsequent visits, she turned to discovering the culture from within, and hanging out with her close friends. 

Lizra grew up in Israel and later moved to Canada. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in marketing, which allowed her to turn her passion — Cuban dance and music — into an inspiring lifestyle for others through her company, Latidos Productions®. 

In 2009, Lizra was nominated as one of the “Women of Distinction in Vancouver,” and in 2010, she was named “Woman of the Month” by Modern Working Woman Magazine. She’s also been featured in numerous newspaper articles and TV shows. 

In this exclusive interview with Lizra, HUMNEWS discovers what sets the book apart from other travel guides, the motivation behind the project, and what type of reaction it might generate in certain circles.

What inspired you to write this book?

Traveling back and forth to Cuba and experiencing every year how much we take things for granted. Every year I'd come back and notice how material things didn't matter and how much Cubans seemed a lot happier with a lot less, because of the deep human connection they have. Something that is very typical in places where there are a lot of struggles and people have to lean on each other more. Also, seeing and hearing the experiences of tourists in Cuba. I've felt like many times things passed them by and they were not able to enter the culture and understand it, or get to what they really wanted. I just had to tell these great adventures. I have a feeling that people will be fascinated by them and drawn even more to Cuba. 

What do you think sets this travel guide apart from most other travel books, such as Lonely Planet?

My Seductive Cuba is a new way of doing travel guides. It's a hybrid book. It's not just a guide that tells you what to see and where things are, but it tells personal and engaging stories, like Eat, Pray, Love, that draw you in. On top of that the book teaches you how Cubans think, showing you their mentality so that if things change, you can figure them out on your own. It has QR codes for smartphons which enhances the whole lifestyle experience. It involves more senses directing you to sites, videos and photos. It's full colour and very high quality, and it uses different styles of fonts to separate between personal stories and travel guide parts. Bottom line, I have never sat down to read a travel guide, I'd always use it as a source of information through the index. This travel guide you'd want to read from start till end, and by the end of it you'd want to visit Cuba!

Was it difficult to self publish this book?

Extremely difficult. I had to do it all myself. Barely any publishers today touch the book of an unknown first time author, and if they do, they will release it in two years. The book will be old news by then. So I had to build the whole distribution system, plan the marketing and PR, and figure out what the top three percent of most successful authors do. Then follow their steps but do it my way. Self publishing the way I did it, doing every step by myself, is not for everyone. I am an entrepreneur and I thrive on these kind of challenges. Most people would have given up considering the amount of challenges that came up, and also from the amount of risk involved. 

Many people regard Cuban food as uninspiring, with little variety. Are they wrong?

Yes, ask anyone that had ever gone on a tour with me and see what they say. They are still licking their fingers. You have to understand why things are the way they are and then understand how to work the system. I explain many of these things in My Seductive Cuba. When I organize tours, I take people to great restaurants, to eat in houses where the grandmother cooks - best food in Cuba!, or off the beaten track. Sometimes I'll ask the driver, who knows me by now, to tell villagers to fish for us and we stop on the way back the next day. Delicious! The thing in Cuba is that things are not organized like in other cities - you can't go to online guides and find a local city paper that tells you what is hot and what is not. So it's hard for people to find what they are looking for, and there is a lot of trial and error. But in any city you won't just enter a restaurant and expect the food to be great for sure. You'd ask for recommendations from people you trust. 

Are there any similarities between Cuba and Israel?

Yes, so many. People don't know this but Israel was founded based on socialist values, you see this for example in the Kibbutzim - communal living. And as such I grew up with many socialist values, but in a democratic country. Therefore I found in Cuba a feeling that is so similar to Israel, yet different in some ways. Israel has many financial challenges and because of it people stick together as a community. Cuba has a very strong sense of solidarity as well. But the interesting thing is that Cuba reminds me more of Israel when I was a kid rather than today. It's almost like a longing for what was so special that changed in the world as we lost our simplicity. Cuba stayed behind and didn't advance with the world, and with it there is a certain magical charm of being in the moment and enjoying human connections more. There are so many similarities between the two countries, it's unreal. An iconic American car in Cuba. CREDIT: Cuban Tourism Board, Canada

Once the American tourists come flooding into Cuba might its charm be eroded?

I think that you have to separate the American tourists from the American companies. Americans will not change the culture by visiting as tourists. On the contrary. They will be exposed to a complete different system and way of being than what they know. It's an eye opener. Being in a place where there is no advertising on the streets, where you pretty much shut your phone and enjoy the moment, is very different than saying that Starbucks will be on every corner. I think that Americans coming to Cuba is a great thing for the Cuban people who need the opportunities to survive. A tour guide who will get more tips because he is doing more tours, will be able to take care of his family better. When there are no tourists, there are no opportunities. 

What do you anticipate the reaction of the Cuban Diaspora to be to your book?

I expect a mixed reaction. Cuba is controversial place and it comes down to whether people look at Cuba in a fun way or a political way. The ones who love the country and miss it, will probably get home sick reading My Seductive Cuba, because it highlights the things they love about their country. Those who see it in a political way might get upset that I am focusing on one part - which by the way for me is the half that is full.

What are some of the post-book plans? Custom tours?

I am designing new tours which will simply blow your mind away because they will immerse people inside the culture in a way that no other tour does, and looking to get approval for Americans as well. People will travel personally with the author of My Seductive Cuba for a once in a lifetime adventure. I want to run three tours a year - January, April, and July for 7-10 people, and later on design a few different types of tours. The tours will be launched around end of September together with a new site which will become a portal with so much excitement. The site will be the continuation of the book. We will have contests, videos, photos, book tour updates, calendar of international event. you name it! Then I want to spread the word about the book worldwide and form partnerships with companies that are doing business in Cuba. Then the plan is for two more books and the TV show that I have developed. It's an intriguing concept and I want to find a way to make it happen. 

Finally, in the book you speak of your valiant and creative attempts to resist seduction by your Cuban dance instructors, Giordano. Have you ever succumbed to seduction in Cuba?

Well, I guess everyone will have to wait for my next book to find out.. :-)

Click here to visit the website of My Seductive Cuba.