Close-Up on the Background: A Conversation with Sergio Giral, The Father of Afro-Cuban Cinema

The concept of “Afro-Cuban” art has always garnered a great deal of attention from enthusiasts of the African Diaspora. Although it is ubiquitous and synonymous with most Cuban art on the island, drawing no particular distinction, this hyphenated genre among a more global audience is defined more by the subject of Black culture in Cuba… Continue reading Close-Up on the Background: A Conversation with Sergio Giral, The Father of Afro-Cuban Cinema

The Bronze Titan: Antonio Maceo, Cuba’s Greatest Warrior

Over two dozen bullet and machete wounds scarred his body. He survived three assassination attempts in three different countries. He fought in hundreds of battles over the course of his life, and Winston Churchill turned twenty-one years of age while taking heavy fire from one of his units. Antonio Maceo’s larger than life exploits are… Continue reading The Bronze Titan: Antonio Maceo, Cuba’s Greatest Warrior

¡CUBA VIVA! — Undocumented

This one goes out to all the dreamers, the idealists…the “undocumented.” Undocumented. I always felt the DJ was talking to me when he played songs he knew would “connect” with a certain type of audience. Maybe there were teenagers of my same age all over Havana who felt he was addressing them, too. We were… Continue reading ¡CUBA VIVA! — Undocumented

¡CUBA VIVA! — Retratos

My first love, the island of my childhood. In 2009, I walked over 100 miles during the course of three weeks in Havana. I walked everywhere, spoke to strangers, sat around for hours in places waiting for the sunset, adults, children, animals. These are portraits of a life that could have been. -Hemley González    … Continue reading ¡CUBA VIVA! — Retratos

¡CUBA VIVA! — Tambor

The narratives of the African Diaspora in Latin America are sadly underrepresented in both English and Spanish language media, and history curricula in schools. With projects like Negro: A Docu-Series about Latino Identity and now the documentary, Tambor, Dash Harris aims to educate us on how traditional African culture manifests in modern-day Latino society. I… Continue reading ¡CUBA VIVA! — Tambor