The word is Guantanamera. It isn't a place. It means "a woman from Guantanamo". It's a romantic chorus, built around verses expressing social idealism.

Guantanamo is a city in Oriente Province, Cuba, on the south coast rather near to the East end of the island. It's near Guantanamo Bay, one of the most strategically ideal harbour areas in the world. The USA has maintained a large naval base there from 1903 to this day.

Odd, isn't it, that the USA gets to have a base right on the territory of a country it has been embargoing for about 40 years and treating as an enemy!

Hardly seems fair. The Russians have never gotten to have a base in Israel or Taiwan or the Phillipines, after all...

Castro made noises about siezing the base now and then in the early 60's, but the risks were way too high, so he didn't attempt it. It's a good thing for Cuba that he didn't.

Who had the hit song? Can't recall. Ask Matt, he'll know for sure. Pete Seeger used to sing it a lot for the folk audiences, as did many others, but his was not the radio hit.

- LH