Program in African American and African Studies

Dr. Bettina Ng'weno sends this message from the Quarter Abroad Program in Cuba:

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. This year Casa de las Americas celebrates 50 years of cultural production and criticism.  Although not as monumental, this year African American and African studies went to Cuba.  I, Bettina Ng’weno from African American and African Studies (AAS) and Professor Beatriz Pesquera from Chicano Studies (CHI) accompanied 16 students on the Cuba Quarter Abroad program. While in Cuba students took two African American and African Studies courses (AAS 180 “Race and Ethnicity in Latin America” and AAS 198 “Afro Cuba”) and two Chicano Studies courses ( CHI 112 “Globalization, Transnationalism and Chicano Latino Communities” and CHI 198 “Women and Cuban Revolution”) that prepared them to engage, discover, investigate and understand their new and exciting surroundings. As it was also my first time in Cuba this was a learning experience for everyone. 

We were particularly lucky to be in Cuba during the celebration of 50 years of the Casa de las America who housed us both as a home and a learning institution.  As a result we actually ended up on Cuban national TV.  Students have benefited from the many excellent and challenging talks and excursions arranged by the Casa de las Americas.  Most of these talks and excursions had been arranged in previous years by Prof Marc Blanchard from Comparative Literature whose experience and organization we benefited from immensely and to whom we are much indebted. We have experienced culture shock as well as excitement – sometime just understanding how to buy bread can be complicated.  It has been a steep learning curve but one where even the process of learning have been a reward. 

The 16 students are amazing people who have from the first day engaged their environment, have reached out and participated to the fullest in all that was possible. I have learnt a lot from them.  All of us got to march with the Casa de las Americas in the Labor Day parade (May 1st) which was an experience not to miss.  We have also managed to hear and see as much music, dance and art performances as possible as there is a wealth of cultural production available for mass / popular consumption here in Havana.  With our classes on focusing on Afro Cubans and women the students are able to engage Cuban society structuring from two important perspectives enabling them to go further than surface level and to formulate interesting questions.

One of the students would like to share his photo blog with you.