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Today we speak with Mario Lopez Goicoechea and read his story the Flautist.
Mario was born in Cuba, lived and studied in Havana through the University then emigrated to London, where he has lived for twenty seven years.
Mario is a writer, teacher, a linguist and a cycling instructor. His book “Cuban, Immigrant, and Londoner” was published in 2021 and you can find it where books are sold.
From the show:
“…I'm Cuban by birth and upbringing as well. I was born in Havana and met my now my ex-wife many, many years ago. And she went to Havana and stayed there for six months and we hit it off almost straight away. And then I relocated to London…”
“…So I'd certainly say that my childhood was a happy one. My adolescence, though, was a little bit more troubled because that's when I started seeing things and seeing the regime, like you said, for what it was, curtailing on people's freedom of speech, basic rights, human rights, and not being able to speak my mind…”
“…This is where I was converted to jazz by a friend of mine. A night when I went from hating the genre to falling in love with it. Lost to the sound of Arturo Sandoval's trumpet. This is where I have increasingly become less self-conscious of being part of this jazz tribe. This place is a sanctuary for a teenager who is beginning to doubt the political system in which he is growing up…”