Mariela Castro to Speak at the Barbican

4 July will of course be Pride in London but for those who fancy winding the down with something a little quieter than a visit to a club, Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuban president Raùl Castro, will be at the Barbican for a special discussion on gay rights in Cuba, following the 8.45pm screening of the film Strawberry and Chocolate.

She will be joined by Alberto Roque, a leading gay rights activist in Cuba and Juan Carlos Tabío.

Mariela Castro is director of the Cuban National Centre for Sex Education in Havana and campaigns for AIDS prevention along with the recognition of the rights of homosexuals, bisexuals, transvestites and transsexuals in Cuba. She is also a widely published author.

Strawberry and Chocolate is the winner of a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and the first film with an openly gay character to come from Cuba.

This event is part of cine cuba: 50 years of revolution in film that is taking place at the Barbican between 3 and 9 July.