Exploring Cuba
This is part of Pioneer’s ongoing series of blogs on curricular resources for parents, teachers, and students during COVID-19.
Over the last 500 years, Cuba has submitted to several hard external masters – the Spanish Empire, the United States, the Soviet Union, and, since the end of the Cold War, perhaps the cruelest master of all – the self-imposed communist slavery of Fidel Castro’s dictatorship. In the Amerindian days before the Europeans arrived, Cuba was an island paradise of breathtaking, exotic beauty. Columbus said as much in 1492 when he reported back to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain:
“The multitude of palm trees of various forms, the highest and beautiful I have ever met with, and an infinity of other great and green trees; the birds in rich plumage and the verdure of the fields; render this country, most serene of princes, of such marvelous beauty that it surpasses all others in charms and graces…”
Across the 18th and 19th centuries, Cuba was a rich sugar plantation island – driven by the labor of African slaves. We should never underestimate the gut-wrenching reality that cultivating, cutting, and manufacturing sugar in 90 degree heat with 66 percent humidity is inhumanly back-breaking work. We should also remember that sugar isn’t even a necessity, but a mere luxury – a sweetener. There’s no small irony in the fact that Fidel Castro himself was born in 1926 on his wealthy father’s successful sugarcane plantation in the Oriente province of eastern Cuba.
After the Spanish-American War and into the early 20th century, Cuba evolved into a resort center renowned for generating the insuppressibly danceable cha-cha-cha! rhythms of mambo and rumba music, the unrivaled excellence of Pindar del Rio’s tobacco and cigar production in the western part of the island, the delicious Bacardi rum founded in Santiago de Cuba in 1862, the elegant Spanish colonial-style architecture in Havana, as well as was the extravagant American Mob-owned hotels and casinos, with their festive, frivolous, and frolicking nightlife.
Anyone trying to understand why Cubans were susceptible to the utopian vison of El Comandante Fidel Castro’s revolutionary charms, which obscured his dystopian viciousness, need look no further than Cuba’s bitter-sweet history in sugar production. For centuries, being first a Spanish and then American sugar colony, as well as an entertainment playground for North American elites, all came due with Castro’s 1959 revolution, which quickly turned this Caribbean paradise into a repressive communist prison island.
Underneath it all, Castro’s despotism, the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Embargo, remains the Cuban people – vibrant, creative, pious, and poor, who have continued to inspire and awe with their smiles, culture, music, dance, food, tobacco, resilience, and hopes. With the desire of passing along some of this magic to American families, students, teachers, and schools, we’re providing a variety of resources to educate our people about their neighbors, who live a mere 100 miles from our shores, in Cuba.
Cuba: The Pursuit of Freedom, by Hugh Thomas
“First published in 1971, Cuba: The Pursuit of Freedom is still one of the most important and authoritative books on this country. Now reissued with stunning new jacket and edited contents. At the climax of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, the population of the Northern Hemisphere risked extinction. Two hundred years earlier, Cuba - whose position in the Caribbean was the military key to the New World - was similarly the storm centre of the Seven Years War between England, France and Spain. Hugh Thomas's book explores the whole sweep of Cuban history from the English capture of Havana in 1762 through the years of Spanish and United States domination down to the twentieth century and the extraordinary revolution of Fidel Castro. 'So much that seems obscure in the present Cuban scene', Hugh Thomas writes, 'becomes more comprehensible if set against the experiences of the previous four or five generations.' Accordingly, throughout this two hundred year period the author relates the political, economic and social events of Cuba; in particular he sets Cuba's greatest crop, sugar in the context of slavery and the Atlantic slave trade and the development of Cuba's relations with the United States and the other states of Latin America. Cuba marries Hugh Thomas's unique skills as an historian with an intricate and absorbing subject.”
Cuba: DK Eyewitness Travel Guide
“DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Cuba is your in-depth guide to the very best of this island nation. With its unique history, pristine beaches, vintage cars, and strong cultural traditions of music and salsa, Cuba is an endlessly fascinating place. Delve beneath its dazzling surface to experience Cuba's extensive arts scene and bold architecture, escape to the beautiful mountain ranges of the countryside, or enjoy an exceptional meal in its backstreets.”
The Slave Trade, by Hugh Thomas
“After many years of research, award-winning historian Hugh Thomas portrays, in a balanced account, the complete history of the slave trade. Beginning with the first Portuguese slaving expeditions, Hugh Thomas describes and analyzes the rise of one of the largest and most elaborate maritime and commercial ventures in all of history. Between 1492 and 1870, approximately eleven million black slaves were carried from Africa to the Americas to work on plantations, in mines, or as servants in houses. The Slave Trade is alive with villains and heroes and illuminated by eyewitness accounts. Hugh Thomas's achievement is not only to present a compelling history of the time, but to answer controversial questions as who the traders were, the extent of the profits, and why so many African rulers and peoples willingly collaborated.”
The Gulf: The Making of An American Sea, by Jack E. Davis
“Winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for History. When painter Winslow Homer first sailed into the Gulf of Mexico, he was struck by its "special kind of providence." Indeed, the Gulf presented itself as America’s sea?bound by geography, culture, and tradition to the national experience?and yet, there has never been a comprehensive history of the Gulf until now. And so, in this rich and original work that explores the Gulf through our human connection with the sea, environmental historian Jack E. Davis finally places this exceptional region into the American mythos in a sweeping history that extends from the Pleistocene age to the twenty-first century.”
Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History, by Sidney W. Mintz
“A fascinating persuasive history of how sugar has shaped the world, from European colonies to our modern diets. In this eye-opening study, Sidney Mintz shows how Europeans and Americans transformed sugar from a rare foreign luxury to a commonplace necessity of modern life, and how it changed the history of capitalism and industry. He discusses the production and consumption of sugar, and reveals how closely interwoven are sugar's origins as a "slave" crop grown in Europe's tropical colonies with is use first as an extravagant luxury for the aristocracy, then as a staple of the diet of the new industrial proletariat. Finally, he considers how sugar has altered work patterns, eating habits, and our diet in modern times.”
José Martí, Cuban poet, philosopher, essayist
“José Martí (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) was a Cuban poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in the liberation of his country. He was also an important figure in Latin American literature. He was very politically active and is considered an important revolutionary philosopher and political theorist. Through his writings and political activity, he became a symbol of Cuba's bid for independence from the Spanish Empire in the 19th century, and is referred to as the "Apostle of Cuban Independence". From adolescence, he dedicated his life to the promotion of liberty, political independence for Cuba, and intellectual independence for all Spanish Americans; his death was used as a cry for Cuban independence from Spain by both the Cuban revolutionaries and those Cubans previously reluctant to start a revolt.”
Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (The Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History), by David Eltis (Author), David Richardson (Author), David W. Blight (Afterword), David Brion Davis (Foreword)
“An extraordinary work, decades in the making: the first atlas to illustrate the entire scope of the transatlantic slave trade." A monumental chronicle of this historical tragedy."—Dwight Garner, New York Times. Between 1501 and 1867, the transatlantic slave trade claimed an estimated 12.5 million Africans and involved almost every country with an Atlantic coastline. In this extraordinary book, two leading historians have created the first comprehensive, up-to-date atlas on this 350-year history of kidnapping and coercion. It features nearly 200 maps, especially created for the volume, that explore every detail of the African slave traffic to the New World. The atlas is based on an online database (www.slavevoyages.org) with records on nearly 35,000 slaving voyages—roughly 80 percent of all such voyages ever made. Using maps, David Eltis and David Richardson show which nations participated in the slave trade, where the ships involved were outfitted, where the captives boarded ship, and where they were landed in the Americas, as well as the experience of the transatlantic voyage and the geographic dimensions of the eventual abolition of the traffic. Accompanying the maps are illustrations and contemporary literary selections, including poems, letters, and diary entries, intended to enhance readers’ understanding of the human story underlying the trade from its inception to its end. This groundbreaking work provides the fullest possible picture of the extent and inhumanity of one of the largest forced migrations in history.”
Havana Then and Now®, by Llilian Llanes
“Havana Then and Now explores the history of Cuba’s fascinating capital city through vintage photographs, comparing each one with a contemporary image of the same vista. All the major buildings of Havana’s rich architectural and cultural heritage are represented, including Old Havana and its fortifications, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Author Llilian Llanes has witnessed much political change in her lifetime. Previously married to Fidel Castro’s first finance minister, she has been one of the principal artistic influences on the nation, maintaining contacts with other countries through cultural exchanges. Havana Then and Now is a revision of the book she first wrote in 2003. It includes the buildings of state, the Spanish influences of the nineteenth century, the ancient churches, old public squares and shopping streets shaded by giant awnings. Sites include: Castillo del Morro, Fortaleza de San Carlos, Wreck of the Maine, the Malecon, Paseo del Prado, Plaza de San Francisco, Muelle de Luz, Avenida del Puerto, Plaza de Armas, Calle Obispo, Calle O’Reilly, Barrio Chino, Tacon Market, Parque Central, Hotel Inglaterra, Hotel Plaza, Teatro Tacon, Teatro Payret, Campo de Marte, Capitolo Nacional, Presidential Palace, Columbus Cemtery, Monument of the Medical Students, University of Havana and Ernest Hemingway’s house.”
Wreck of the USS Maine (1898)
“USS Maine was a United States Navy ship that sank in Havana Harbor in February 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April. American newspapers, engaging in yellow journalism to boost circulation, claimed that the Spanish were responsible for the ship's destruction. The phrase, "Remember the Maine! To hell with Spain!" became a rallying cry for action. Although the Maine explosion was not a direct cause, it served as a catalyst that accelerated the events leading up to the war.”
The Cuban Cigar Handbook, by Matteo Speranza
“The most definitive guide to Cuban cigars: The Cuban Cigar Handbook profiles the history of cigars in Cuba and features an extensive guide to over 200 varieties. For more than two centuries, Cuban cigars have been heralded as the best cigars in the world. More than just a cigar, they're an art form, with tobacco growers and hand-rollers considered artists. Today, there are more than 200 varieties to discover, and this essential guide highlights each one. Featuring insights from industry experts like Gary Korb and Denis K. Toulouse, The Cuban Cigar Handbook presents an in-depth look at a wide range of fascinating topics.”
First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, “Rough Riders”
“The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and disorganized in comparison to its status during the American Civil War roughly thirty years prior. Following the sinking of USS Maine, President William McKinley needed to muster a strong ground force swiftly, which he did by calling for 125,000 volunteers to assist in the war. The U.S. had gone to war in opposition to Spanish colonial policies in Cuba, which was then torn by a rebellion. The regiment was also nicknamed "Wood's Weary Walkers" for its first commander, Colonel Leonard Wood. This reflected their dissatisfaction that despite being cavalry, they ended up fighting in Cuba as infantry, since their horses were not sent there with them. Wood's second in command was former Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, a strong advocate for the Cuban War of Independence. When Wood was promoted to become commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, the regiment became known as "Roosevelt's Rough Riders." That term was borrowed from Buffalo Bill, who called his traveling Western show "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World."
The Rise of Bacardi: From Cuban Rum to a Global Empire, an insider’s story, by Jorge Del Rosal
“In 1862, in the city of Santiago di Cuba, a family-owned business purchased a distillery, producing the first bottle of what would become known as Barcadi rum. In the years that followed, Barcadi expanded to become a globally recognized household name, renowned for its premium quality white rum. The Bat tells the story of the Bacardi company, from its origins in the mid-19th century to its expansion in the early 20th to its international acclaim as the world’s leading manufacturer of spirits today. This is the story of a company but it is also the story of a family who has faced political and societal upheaval, from the Spanish American War to American Prohibition and the Cuban Revolution, and has continued to go from strength to strength throughout over the last 150 years. As a member of the Bacardi family and former employee of the company, Jorge del Rosal provides a unique insider’s point of view in parallel to his own story as the company expanded in the latter half of the 20th century to today.”
Cuban Elegance, by Michael Connors (Author) and Bruce Buck (Author)
“A beautifully illustrated look inside the opulent world of the Spanish Creole aristocracy of the colonial period explores a wide variety of palatial homes, rich interiors, and elegant furnishings from Cuba's wealthy sugar, cotton, and tobacco barons, accompanied by a social, cultural, architectural, and interior design history of the island.”
The Original Mambo Kings: An Afro-Cubop Anthology, by Machito & Dizzy Gillespie (CD)
“Before Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley songwriters picked up on Cuban and Puerto Rican styles in the pursuit of disposable novelty hits, these styles were being honestly fused with the emerging modern jazz of bebop and cool. Of course, this took place in New York City, as Machito and other emigres were welcomed by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, and by dancers who no doubt wanted something hotter than intellectual bebop. The result is in these raw recordings, which are compositionally astute, blending Ellingtonian orchestrations with bop heads and the clave, while retaining and even magnifying the rhythmic intensity. Such a virile fusion of Latin and New York styles would not be heard again until the Nu Yorican movement of the 1970s.”
Great Houses of Havana, by Hermes Mallea
“Great Houses of Havana celebrates one hundred years of creativity, design, and style that made the city "the Paris of the Caribbean." For four hundred years, Havana was the center of Spanish trade in the western hemisphere. With the expansion of the sugar industry, independence from Spain, and North American investment, Havana became a city of great wealth, great style, and great houses in a vocabulary that was a unique amalgam of European, American, and Caribbean elements. Great Houses of Havana traces the evolution of the Cuban home from the classic, Spanish colonial courtyard house to the “Tropical Modernist” villas of the 1950s—houses reflecting international architecture trends while remaining true to the Cuban tradition. Cuba’s social history is woven throughout the book. Vintage photographs illustrate Havana’s sophisticated lifestyle—the masked balls, yacht club picnics, and dynastic weddings of fashionable Cubans and their international guests. Popular cafes, hotels, theaters, and weekend resorts are also featured, creating a view of the privileged life inside the gated mansions of the city’s grandest neighborhoods.”
King of Kings: The Very Best of Tito Puente, by Tito Puente (CD)
“Get a great introduction to the early work of Tito Puente, El Rey, the King. Tito Puente, salsa extraordinaire and father of afro-jazz, was an incredible talent who will be long remembered. This CD is the perfect collection to get started with Puente's vast library. Smooth Latin grooves are guaranteed on every track. Scary tribal rhythms shine through on Dance of the Headhunters. As one of my friends said, if you don't bob your head to Ti Mon Bo, you probably don't have a pulse. Night Ritual, Hong Kong Mambo, and El Cayuco would rank as some of my favorites if I had to choose, but thankfully I don't. Informative liner notes give a good history lesson about Tito's roots, how he begun, and how he lasted and played amazing music even into his older years. Puente will certainly be remembered for one of the longest lasting, highest quality musicians the world has ever seen. A great stepping stone for other Puente albums, this will give a brief introduction to many of the styles Puente cultivated over the years. I suggest Mambo Birdland: Dancemania, a live album from the late 1990s, as a wonderful chance to hear Puente and his full orchestra in rare form, playing a live show in the Palladium, decades after his playing originally sparkled there. A high quality album all around, a great beginning to more Puente albums. Highly recommended to any newcomers to salsa who have interest. As the liner notes proclaim, El Rey esta meurte: long live the King!”
The Pride of Havana: A History of Cuban Baseball, by Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria
“From the first amateur leagues of the 1860s to the exploits of Livan and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, here is the definitive history of baseball in Cuba. Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria expertly traces the arc of the game, intertwining its heroes and their stories with the politics, music, dance, and literature of the Cuban people. What emerges is more than a story of balls and strikes, but a richly detailed history of Cuba told from the unique cultural perch of the baseball diamond. Filling a void created by Cuba's rejection of bullfighting and Spanish hegemony, baseball quickly became a crucial stitch in the complex social fabric of the island. By the early 1940s Cuba had become major conduit in spreading the game throughout Latin America, and a proving ground for some of the greatest talent in all of baseball, where white major leaguers and Negro League players from the U.S. all competed on the same fields with the cream of Latin talent. Indeed, readers will be introduced to several black ballplayers of Afro-Cuban descent who played in the Major Leagues before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier once and for all. Often dramatic, and always culturally resonant, Gonzalez Echevarria's narrative expertly lays open the paradox of fierce Cuban independence from the U.S. with Cuba's love for our national pastime. It shows how Fidel Castro cannily associated himself with the sport for patriotic p.r.--and reveals that his supposed baseball talent is purely mythical. Based on extensive primary research and a wealth of interviews, the colorful, often dramatic anecdotes and stories in this distinguished book comprise the most comprehensive history of Cuban baseball yet published and ultimately adds a vital lost chapter to the history of baseball in the U.S.”
Undisputed Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz (CD)
“Celia Cruz was the undisputed Queen of Salsa. 23 gold albums and seven Grammy Awards attest to her longevity and popularity, and she was active right up until the year before her death in 2003. Find out why she is considered so important to Latin music and music at large with this 50 track set.”
Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba…and Then Lost It to the Revolution, by T. J. English
“In modern-day Havana, the remnants of the glamorous past are everywhere—old hotel-casinos, vintage American cars & flickering neon signs speak of a bygone era that is widely familiar & often romanticized, but little understood. In Havana Nocturne, T.J. English offers a multifaceted true tale of organized crime, political corruption, roaring nightlife, revolution & international conflict that interweaves the dual stories of the Mob in Havana & the event that would overshadow it, the Cuban Revolution. As the Cuban people labored under a violently repressive regime throughout the 50s, Mob leaders Meyer Lansky & Charles "Lucky" Luciano turned their eye to Havana. To them, Cuba was the ultimate dream, the greatest hope for the future of the US Mob in the post-Prohibition years of intensified government crackdowns. But when it came time to make their move, it was Lansky, the brilliant Jewish mobster, who reigned supreme. Having cultivated strong ties with the Cuban government & in particular the brutal dictator Fulgencio Batista, Lansky brought key mobsters to Havana to put his ambitious business plans in motion. Before long, the Mob, with Batista's corrupt government in its pocket, owned the biggest luxury hotels & casinos in Havana, launching an unprecedented tourism boom complete with the most lavish entertainment, the world's biggest celebrities, the most beautiful women & gambling galore. But their dreams collided with those of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara & others who would lead the country's disenfranchised to overthrow their corrupt government & its foreign partners—an epic cultural battle that English captures in all its sexy, decadent, ugly glory. Bringing together long-buried historical information with English's own research in Havana—including interviews with the era's key survivors—Havana Nocturne takes readers back to Cuba in the years when it was a veritable devil's playground for mob leaders. English deftly weaves together the parallel stories of the Havana Mob—featuring notorious criminals such as Santo Trafficante Jr & Albert Anastasia—& Castro's 26th of July Movement in a riveting, up-close look at how the Mob nearly attained its biggest dream in Havana—& how Fidel Castro trumped it all with the revolution.”
Fulgencio Batista
“Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar born Rubén Zaldívar. January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and as its U.S.-backed military dictator from 1952 to 1959 before being overthrown during the Cuban Revolution.”
Havana: Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground, by Peter Moruzzi
“Take a trip to the golden age of Havana in this gorgeously illustrated volume of vintage photographs, postcards, brochures, and other ephemera. Featuring hundreds of historic images and cultural artifacts, Havana Before Castro documents how the Cuban capital evolved from a Prohibition Era getaway destination to a heady blend of glittering nightclubs, outrageous cabarets, all-night bars, and backstreet brothels. Here, captured in one amazing book, is the drama, passion, intrigue, and opulence of a legendary city during its heyday—before the Castro regime took over and Americans were banned from travel to this tropical paradise. In chapters covering such topics as Cuban rum and cigars, the world-famous Tropicana Club, and Havana’s association with the mob, author Peter Moruzzi provides essential historical context for the many fascinating and evocative images.”
Fidel Castro: A Biography, by Volker Skierka (Author), Patrick Camiller (Translator)
“Fidel Castro is one of the most interesting and controversial personalities of our time – he has become a myth and an icon. He was the first Cuban Caudillo – the man who freed his country from dependence on the USA and who lead his people to rediscover their national identity and pride. Castro has outlived generations of American presidents and Soviet leaders. He has survived countless assassination attempts by the CIA, the Mafia, and Cubans living in exile. He has become one of the greatest politicians of the 20th Century. His biography, and the history of his country exemplify the tensions between East and West, North and South, rich and poor. As Castro's life draws to a close, the question as to what will become of Cuba is more important that ever. Will Castro open Cuba to economic reform and democratization, or stick to his old slogan socialism or death? In this remarkable, up-to-date reconstruction of Castro's life, Volker Skierka addresses these questions and provides an account of the economic, social, and political history of Cuba since Castro's childhood. He draws on a number of little-known sources, including material from the East German communist archives on Cuba, which were until recently inaccessible. This is an exciting, painstakingly researched, and authoritative account of the life of one of the most extraordinary political figures of our time.”
Che Guevara, by Jon Lee Anderson
“Acclaimed around the world and a national best-seller, this is the definitive work on Che Guevara, the dashing rebel whose epic dream was to end poverty and injustice in Latin America and the developing world through armed revolution. Jon Lee Anderson’s biography traces Che’s extraordinary life, from his comfortable Argentine upbringing to the battlefields of the Cuban revolution, from the halls of power in Castro’s government to his failed campaign in the Congo and assassination in the Bolivian jungle. Anderson has had unprecedented access to the personal archives maintained by Guevara’s widow and carefully guarded Cuban government documents. He has conducted extensive interviews with Che’s comrades—some of whom speak here for the first time—and with the CIA men and Bolivian officers who hunted him down. Anderson broke the story of where Guevara’s body was buried, which led to the exhumation and state burial of the bones. Many of the details of Che’s life have long been cloaked in secrecy and intrigue. Meticulously researched and full of exclusive information, Che Guevara illuminates as never before this mythic figure who embodied the high-water mark of revolutionary communism as a force in history.”
Against All Hope: A Memoir of Life in Castro’s Gulag, by Armando Valladares (Author) and Andrew Hurley (Translator)
“Against All Hope is Armando Valladares' account of over twenty years in Fidel Castro's tropical gulag. Arrested in 1960 for being philosophically and religiously opposed to communism, Valladares was not released until 1982, by which time he had become one of the world's most celebrated "prisoners of conscience." Interned all those years at the infamous Isla de Pinos prison (from whose windows he watched the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion), Valladares suffered endless days of violence, putrid food and squalid living conditions, while listening to Castro's firing squads eliminating "counter revolutionaries" in the courtyard below his cell. Valladares survived by prayer and by writing poetry whose publication in Europe brought his case to the attention of international figures such as French President Francois Mitterand and to human rights organizations whose constant pressure on the Castro regime finally led to his release.”
One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War, by Michael Dobbs
“In October 1962, at the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union came to the brink of nuclear conflict over the placement of Soviet missiles in Cuba. In this hour-by-hour chronicle of those tense days, veteran Washington Post reporter Michael Dobbs reveals just how close we came to Armageddon. Here, for the first time, are gripping accounts of Khrushchev's plan to destroy the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo; the handling of Soviet nuclear warheads on Cuba; and the extraordinary story of a U-2 spy plane that got lost over Russia at the peak of the crisis. Written like a thriller, One Minute to Midnight is an exhaustively researched account of what Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. called “the most dangerous moment in human history,” and the definitive book on the Cuban missile crisis.”
Fidel Castro, PBS American Experience. By Rocky Collins (Director)
“Fidel Castro has survived U.S. hostility, an invasion, several CIA assassination attempts and an economic embargo. His face has become an iconic image worldwide, yet the man himself remains an enigma to all but a few. Through interviews with relatives, childhood friends, fellow rebel leaders, Bay of Pigs veterans, human rights activists and journalists, this program constructs an intimate portrait of the most resilient of leaders.”
Pinar del Río
“Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province. With a city population of 139,336 (2004), in a municipality of 190,332, it is the 10th largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called Pinareños. Pinar del Río was one of the last major cities in Cuba founded by the Spanish, on September 10, 1867. The city and province was founded as Nueva Filipinas (New Philippines) in regard to influx of Asian laborers coming from the Philippine Islands to work on tobacco plantations. Pinar del Rio's history begins with the Guanahatabeys, a group of nomadic Indians who lived in caves and procured most of their livelihood from the sea. Less advanced than the other indigenous natives who lived on the island, the Guanahatabey were a peaceful and passive race whose culture happened more or less independently of the Taino and Siboney cultures further east. Extinct by the time of the Spanish arrived in 1492, little firsthand documentation remains on how the archaic Guanahatabey society was structured and organized although some archeological sites have been found on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula. Post-Columbus, the conquistadors left rugged Pinar del Rio largely to its own devices, and the area developed lackadaisically only after Canary Islanders started arriving in late the 1500s. These Canarians became the tobacco farmers of the region. It was originally called Nueva Filipina (New Philippines), but the region was renamed Pinar del Rio in 1778, supposedly for the pine forests crowded along the Rio Guama. Tobacco plantations and cattle ranches quickly sprang up in the rich soil and open grazing land that typifies Pinar. Farmers who made a living from the delicate and well-tended crops were colloquially christened Guajiros, a native word that means - literally - 'one of us '. By the mid-1800s, Europeans were hooked on the fragrant weed and the region flourished. Sea routes opened up and the railways was extended to facilitate the shipping of the perishable product. Pinar del Rio is known as the Mecca of Tobacco.”
Cuban Originals, by Beny More (CD)
“Aside from being Buena Vista Social Club alumni, what else do Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa have in common? They've both issued releases that include songs originally made famous by the great Beny Moré. After a successful Mexican tour with Conjunto Matamoros, the Cuban vocalist made his first big splash at the microphone of Pérez Prado's supercharged mambo machine (check out the overheated "Pachito E' Che 1950") before taking the reins of an orchestra of his own in 1954. Most Cuban singers are known for their deftness with the romantic bolero or the more aggressive mambo styles, but Moré excelled in both areas. On "Y Hot Como Ayer," recorded in 1955, he glides from a midregister croon to effortless trumpetlike glissandos, his big band pulsating behind him, while he plays a sonero to a T on 1957's "Que Bueno Baila Usted," one of many memorable songs he penned himself. This excellent introduction to Moré's career includes newly remastered songs originally released from 1949 to 1958.”
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
“Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (Spanish: Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as an acronym, by the U.S. military) is a United States military base located on 45 square miles (117 km2) of land and water on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It was first leased by the United States for use as a coaling station and naval base in 1903 and is the oldest overseas U.S. naval base. The lease was $2,000 in gold per year until 1934, when the payment was set to match the value in gold in dollars; in 1974, the yearly lease was set to $4,085. Since the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the Cuban government has consistently protested against the U.S. presence on Cuban soil, arguing that the base "was imposed on Cuba by force" and is "illegal" under international law. Since 2002, the naval base has contained a military prison, for alleged unlawful combatants captured in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places during the War on terror. Cases of torture of prisoners by the U.S. military, and their denial of protection under the Geneva Conventions, have been criticized.”
Buena Vista Social Club Criterion Collection, by Ry Cooder (Actor), Ibrahim Ferrer (Actor), Wim Wenders (Director)
“Traveling from the streets of Havana to the stage of Carnegie Hall, this revelatory documentary captures a forgotten generation of Cuba’s brightest musical talents as they enjoy an unexpected brush with world fame. The veteran vocalists and instrumentalists collaborated with American guitarist and roots-music champion Ry Cooder to form the Buena Vista Social Club, playing a jazz-inflected mix of cha-cha, mambo, bolero, and other traditional Latin American styles, and recording an album that won a Grammy and made them an international phenomenon. In the wake of this success, director Wim Wenders filmed the ensemble’s members—including golden-voiced Ibrahim Ferrer and piano virtuoso Rubén González—in a series of illuminating interviews and live performances. The result is one of the most beloved music documentaries of the 1990s, and an infectious ode to a neglected corner of Cuba’s prerevolutionary heritage.”
Cuba’s Car Culture: Celebrating the Island’s Automotive Love Affair, by Tom Cotter (Author), Bill Warner (Photographer)
“Cuba's Car Culture drives through Cuba's love of American cars of the '40s and '50s, and the ingenuity that keeps them running despite the U.S. embargo. 2017 Silver Medal Winner of the International Automotive Media Competition! The story of how Cuba came to be trapped in automotive time is a fascinating one. For decades, the island country had enjoyed healthy tourism trade and American outpost status, and by the 1950s it had the highest per capita automotive purchasing of any Latin American country. But when Cuba fell to communist rebels in 1959, so ended the inflow of new cars. Since then, trade embargo forced Cuba's car enthusiasts to develop a unique and insular culture, one marked by great creativity, such as: -Keeping a car alive with no opportunity to acquire replacement parts -Customizing a car with no access to aftermarket parts -Drag racing with no drag strip In many ways, Cuba is an automotive time warp, where the newest car is a 1959 Chevy or perhaps one of the Soviet Ladas. Cuba's Car Culture offers an inside look at a unique car culture, populated with cars that have been cut off from the world so long that they've morphed into something else in the spirit of automotive survival. Authors Tom Cotter and Bill Warner (founder of the Amelia Island Concours) take readers on a whirlwind tour of all things automotive, beginning with Cuba's pre-Castro car and racing history, up to today's lost collector cars, street racing, and the challenges of keeping decades-old cars on the road. Cuba's Car Culture is illustrated throughout with rare historical photos as well as contemporary photos of Cuba's current car scene. For anyone who enjoys classic cars, whether they're old Chevy Bel-Airs, Studebakers, or Ford Fairlanes, a cruise around Cuba will make you feel like a kid in a candy store.”
Los Heroes, by Estrellas De Areito (CD)
“World Circuit continues its acclaimed series of Cuban recordings with this lavishly packaged double-CD, including several of the musicians featured on a trio of releases from 1997 that have together sold over 500,000 units. The Estrellas (stars of Cuba's state-owned Areito label) is an unequalled collection of thirty of Cuba's finest musicians, spanning four generations. The band was brought together in Havana's Egrem Studios in 1979 for a special five-day session that produced these extraordinary recordings. These historic recordings have long been difficult to find. They are now available in digitally-remastered sound, with full lyrics, liner notes, and rare photos from the label now acknowledged as the definitive source for the best in Cuban music.”
Finca Vigía, Ernest Hemingway’s house, Havana, Cuba
“Finca Vigía, “Lookout Farm” is a house in San Francisco de Paula Ward in Havana, Cuba which was once the residence of Ernest Hemingway. Like Hemingway's Key West home, it is now a museum. The building was constructed in 1886. The house was built in 1886 by Catalan architect Miguel Pascual y Baguer on a hill about 15 miles (24 km) east of Havana. From the back veranda and the adjacent tower one has an excellent view of downtown Havana. Hemingway with his two younger sons (Patrick, left, and Gregory) and three of the Hemingways' first Cuban cats (Will, Princessa, and Boise), at Finca Vigía, in late 1942 or early 1943. Hemingway lived in the house from mid-1939 to 1960, first renting it, and then buying it in December 1940 after he married Martha Gellhorn, his third wife. Gellhorn, who had come to Cuba to be with Hemingway, decided that she did not want to live in the small room he rented at the Hotel Ambos Mundos. She found the property for which Hemingway paid $12,500. The finca at the time consisted of 15 acres (61,000 m2) with a farmhouse. While at Finca Vigía, Hemingway wrote much of For Whom the Bell Tolls, a novel of the Spanish Civil War which he had covered as a journalist with Gellhorn in the late 1930s. (He had started the novel while living at the Hotel Ambos Mundos, and some of it was written in Idaho.) Hemingway bought the property with some of the first royalties from the book, which was published in 1940. After Hemingway and Gellhorn divorced in 1945, Hemingway kept Finca Vigia and lived there during the winters with Mary Welsh Hemingway, his last wife. At the finca, Hemingway also wrote The Old Man and the Sea (1951) about a fisherman who lived in the nearby town of Cojimar and worked the waters off Havana.”
Cuba Classics 2: Dancing With the Enemy, by various artists and compiled by David Byrne
“Cuban music was shaped by the fusion of African and Spanish cultural elements. Other influences appeared–the Afro-French migration to eastern Cuba from Haiti in the late 18th century; Italian song; instruments brought by Chinese immigrants; jazz traveling by sea route back and forth between New Orleans and Havana; and rock & roll, disco and reggae on the radio. But the Afro-Cuban musical identity remained recognizable, and that identity is now almost 500 years old… One of the first of Luaka Bop's many fine South American and Caribbean collections, Dancing with the Enemy features a fertile mix of modern, son-derived cuts made in Cuba during the '60s and '70s. The collection ranges from the classic acoustic folk sound of Maria Teresa Vera's "Es No Es Na" and the vintage rhumba stylings of Chapottin y Sus Estrellas' "La Guarapachanga," to the rock-inspired boogaloo and pop of Orquesta Revés' "Fifí, Teté y Popó." Also featuring choice mambo, descarga, and tipica sides, this 16-track disc will no doubt please students of modern Cuban music with credits that include Latin music innovators like Los Van Van, Celeste Mendoza, and Orquesta Riverside. Along with other important Luaka Bop compilations in the Brazil Classics series, Cuba Classics 2: Dancing with the Enemy is an essential record for fans of international music.”
A Taste of Cuba: A Journey Through Cuba and Its Savory Cuisine, Includes 75 Authentic Recipes from the Country’s Top Chefs, by Cynthia Carris Alonso (Author)
“From the leading photographer of Cuba, A Taste of Cuba is a stunning culinary and visual journey through Cuba that presents 75 authentic, never-before-shared recipes from the world’s most inventive chefs. “In a country shrouded in secrecy, a mouthwatering, but little-known food scene thrives. A Taste of Cuba offers unprecedented access into the kitchens of Cuba’s top chefs, where the country’s most delectable dishes are created and where the chefs share for the very first time, their brilliant techniques, inspiration, and best recipes. Renowned Cuba photographer Cynthia Carris Alonso and her Cuban husband, José Luis Alonso, take you with them on their ride through Havana and around the country, as they stop in Cuba’s twenty top paladares—private, family owned establishments. Inside you’ll see how Cuban chefs are world-class, resourceful, and inventive, adapting their dishes based on the changing ingredients available on the market. Between visits with the chefs, you’ll walk the streets of Cuba, experiencing its vibrant, colorful culture and seeing its lush landscapes up close. A Taste of Cuba offers seventy-five original recipes supplied by Cuba’s top chefs, tested and translated for an American kitchen by chef Valerie Feigen, allowing you to make staples such as ropa vieja, frijoles negros, and maduros—stewed beef, black beans, and sweet plantains—as well as for more elaborate dishes, such as eggplant caviar, fish tacos, and ham croquettes. It shares the recipe for La Cocina de Lilliam’s life-changing bread, sweets such as dreamy alfajores con dulce de leche, Cuba’s famous coffees, mojitos, and juices, and Ernest Hemingway’s papa doble daiquiri of legend.”
