Words by Eddie STATS Houghton

Ever since this Obama character took office, we’ve been hearing about a warming in relations between the largest island in the Caribbean and its northern neighbor. But so far not much has changed between the US and Cuba–unless you happen to have family there, in which case travel has eased a bit. The tropical thaw, however, starts now. Last week marked the opening of the Si Cuba festival–which continues through June–here in New York. Si Cuba represents the biggest influx of Cuban artists, filmmakers, dancers, poets and writers ever to descend on (ascend to?) the big apple. Some highlights include the Living in Havana exhibit at the Marlborough gallery and the Havana Film Festival New York but all told $2 million-odd dollars worth of cultural programming orchestrated by some 14 arts organizations (under the aegis of the Brooklyn Academy of Music), an unprecedented effort that is already inspiring quite a buzzin New York–and quite a backlash in Miami. (More images from the Marlborough gallery after the jump.)