I must fast foward to the present because this blog has gotten a little dusty….
I am back home with a completed documentary titled Expressions of Blackness. I am now on my summer grind but my love has left to visit home. So now I am screaming like a lil white boy lost in NY.
Well….. actually I would like to scream at lil white boy’s who seem lost in NY. Which transitions me to the future. DIV III
My readership must be horrible but I want this to be a fun and creative collective way I share and produce my research. It should also be fun and sound less jargony on here.
2 weeks ago
Things are moving forward. I am calm and collective for the moment but soon I will need to get crackin’ on all of my projects. I spend most of my time in my room reading, writing and tanning, always around 3, the sunsets are beautiful. I’m always watching a lot of Cuban Films. My tutor has given me most of his work or at least the ones with subtitles. My favorites are “Lucia” and “Memories of Underdevelopment”. I am so lucky to be tutored by this dude. He gave me a break the other day and leant me two other movies staring Viggo Mortensen: “A History of Violence” and “Eastern Promises”. I think it’s funny that he likes these kind of movies because so do I. He is also a fan of Viggo. I think it’s cause he’s reppin’ Latin America since he’s from Argentina or he has a crush on him. Meeting new people has been hard since my Spanish isn’t that good. I’ve been practicing though. Talking to my family is great. I really connected with the girlfriend of my cuban mother’s son. We were talking about cooking sweets. I was telling her about all the things I know how to make. Were gonna cook together soon. I had my first interview with this guy named Roberto Zurbano. He is the editor of this Hip Hop Magazine and a scholar on Afro-Cuban Race, Culture and Identity. He really provided a critical perspective to the formation of Afro-Cuban Identity. He also comparatively talked about the differences between Afro Cubans and African Americans. It was a great interview but my batteries ran out in the middle. It was crazy because he was only answering 1 question and I went through about a half an hour and footage and 1 battery. We scheduled for another date. I’m thankful for all the love and energy that I have been receiving, it’s really helping me believe that I will do a good job. It’s so much harder than I thought it would be being here but you best believe that I am enjoying my time away for Hampshire “the institution.” I’m always missing friends and family.
4 months ago
It’s really hard to start off on where I’m at. I imagine that Hampshire is still the same so I’ll start with something familiar, Race.
Cuba is very interesting when it comes to Race and certainly affected my experience so far. Unique and I were mistaken for Cuban students. I could easily fit in but as soon as I start talking people ask “what country are you from?” It’s funny because I catch myself trying to fit in. It’s not like I’m trying to be Cuban instead I’m trying to avoid being American. I do this for many reasons; 1. Americans suck 2. I pay less for things since Cuba has two economies and 3. I avoid being hassled by jineteros/hustlers. Don’t get it twisted, this is not some sort of Black privilege I’m exploiting because along with seemingly “fitting in” I’ve had similar experiences of being Black in the U.S. Like when I come into the hotel to use the Internet. The guards sometimes stop me and ask me what am I doing here and I say in English “I want to use my computer.” Cuba’s history of race is different from the U.S. When I talk to people about race they remind me of U.S. racism and about how Cubans are more culturally mixed. I constantly remind people about how most white Cubans from the U.S. received better treatment and were able to send there families remittances giving them access to more dollars. Whenever I meet people we almost always talk about this because this because of my project. Race has not received the discource it’s deserved in Cuba because it is feared that it will divide the people. Afro-Cuban is a fairly new concept that has been used in the academy. Hip Hop has also helped create a stage for Afro-Cuban youth to make their voices heard. Art is one of the few mediums were people could express their critiques. That’s why I’m really excited to start interviewing Afro-Cuban artist. At the same time I’m always afraid that I won’t do a good job with this project.
Even though I feel that I am still doing a lot of work Cuba’s has definitely been a great change. I always reflect about where I’m at in life. Everyday I go through the shock of realizing that I am actually spending a semester here. Sometimes I feel great but sometimes I get really freaked out because this is also my last semester div II (don’t worry I am with yall). In general I am as chill as I can be trying to enjoy being here.
This past weekend we went spelunking. We had to wear one of those mining helmets with the lights. It was kind of touristy but it was still interesting. The cave that we went too was used as a Palanque which is equivilent to Maroon (communities that run away slaves created). That was our first group trip outside of Havana. If I’m not doing my work or with the group I’m chilling it’s hard to know what’s going on in Havana without being in some social network. It is hard not having to the internet.
You all should holla back at ya boy because he misses you so much!
Btw, It has been hard me to be here during these hard times. I wish I could be struggling and mourning with you all instead of being so far away. I love you all so much and I hope you all know it.
4 months ago
Sorry I am a fool who forgets, not his friends but his passwords.
Here is some stuff that I have written so far expect more…
I apologize for the delay. After days of processing I think I’m finally ready to write my first update. Cuba is amazing. I have been here for well over a week and a lot has happened. When I first arrived we were met by some of the administrators of the program at UNIAC (Union of Artist and Writers). After a long drive from Jose Marti airport we were dropped of at our home stay. The first night was hard I kept thinking and rethinking about what I was doing here feeling unsure about myself. My host family woke me up to boiled eggs with coffee with mad milk. Breakfast is small and I don’t mind because I usually don’t eat breakfast at all. My host family is cool. I live with a small family mother and son. The mothers name is Maria. She is short, thick with red hair and always wants to feed me. The sons name is Maurisio, he his as tall as me but bigger. Every time he sees me he always smiles with a thumbs up and a wink. They live in a small apartment on the top floor, which is the fourth. My room is small, compared to everyone elses, but comfortable. It ‘s equipped with a shower, kitchen, closet, desk, bathroom and showerhead. I have gotten use taking cold showers.
Orientation was so slow. It was an organized mess of knowing the streets, dinners and mojitos. The craziest part of orientation was going to club Havana. It was a social club for the elite that had been shut down during the revolution but now it has reopened for rich tourist and diplomats. We mostly spent time on one part of the beach that was designated for the club. Me and Unique celebrated getting blacker. After Orientation I finally had free time. I met up with a friend of Thanu’s, Javier. He is so dope. We have been chilling and talking for the most part. He has been showing me Havana little by little. He tells me since I’m Thanu’s boyfriend that he is responsible for making sure I have a good time here.
Besides chilling out, drinking rum and going to different party’s I have started do work as well. I have a Spanish class, which I need because my Spanish is still horrible. I also have a film class were we look at the history of Cuba through film and aesthetic, my favorite. I’m also in an ethnography practicum taught by Margaret. These classes have been dope so far. My project hasn’t started yet. I have been researching with though and I have met with my tutor who is also really amazing. He is a really old school editor who has worked on so many Cuban and Latin American films. He is really excited about my project since his great grandmother was a slave.
Even though all this stuff has happened in the first week I think I’m I feel a lil homesick. Cuba is amazing but I miss my peoples and I miss home. I also miss Thanu too. It’s also been hard since my Spanish is not great. Cubans speak mad fast and swallow there words. I know it will take time to learn but at this point I feel fustrated. But all is good. The weather is amazing. I managed to catch a cold though by leaving the ac on. The group has been all right. I almost kicked dan berg though but I walked away. We were all out for the first night in one big group at café G and 23, it’s like the union square of cuba. So were chilling and I’m off to the side just scoping the place out, dude comes up to me and says “Whats wrong this isn’t Brooklyn” what a fool, he apologized after. I’ve haven’t really chilled with the group yet, its not intentional though. It’s just hard for people to get in contact with me because I’m never home. It’s so weird not having a cell phone or easy internet access. I feel like I lost an arm. It’s also been refreshing to. I have had to become more organized and conscious of time because of it. I hope that I keep this habit. I wonder what campus has been like. Is there any drama or is all good? It’s crazy being away from Hampshire and so necessary. I think that I feel good overall about my decision to be here I just hope that I do good work. I love you all. Yall should holler back.
4 months ago
After leaving Hampshire, I am finally home. Chilling on the cozy warm couch, watching tv, using my computer, I hear shots fired. “Oh, its been a while” I think, as I grow flatter on my couch. I decide that the sounds were imaginations or not significant but then I hear a crowd. Some yells, screams, and sirens later I finally convince myself that it wouldn’t be cold outside if I put on my coat. A castle of paramedics and cop cars control the corner. It was a mix of excitement and anger, the angriest were the youth. Unable to get a full story, I am convinced that something was wrong and the police were to blame. The collective tension was broken by night sticks and random stop and frisk in the front of the church. My father waits by the door and tells me to stay on the porch but he doesn’t dare ask me to stay inside. As soon as the cops leave he is able to start his night hawk shift at the bus depot. I finally step inside, it was mad cold. I thought about how should document this moment and how this experience should be carried with me to Cuba. So thats why I decided to write it in this blog.
6 months ago
Hello family, friends and strangers. This page will be my Travel Blog. I will update this page with stories, events, and what ever is on my mind while I am abroad in Cuba. As you may know, I will be going to Cuba in the hopes of making a film about the connections between Afro Cuban Art and African American Art. I will be talking to different artist about their work while working with a tutor who is a world renown editor (Nelson Rodriguez). So far I have been taking Spanish Immersion at Hampshire during January, chilling with friends, and getting my affairs in order. After all the research that I have done for this trip I still don’t know what to expect. It’s a given that my experience will be different due to my ethnicity, complexity, and origin (the Bronx). I’ve heard some horror stories from other students of color who have participated in this program but all of them have also enjoyed their time spent there. “Racism doesn’t exist in Cuba” the Cuban government states, but there are still visual disparities between the have’s and the have nots even in the communist state. While I meditate on this particular issue everyone else reminds me of the malleability of the Cuban State. Castro is sick and his brother is in power. This is an interesting time to be in Cuba. When I first told my father I was going to Cuba he gave me a double take and asked me if it was safe. As I said before I’m not sure what to expect and no one can predict the future, but I will make sure to document almost every detail of my experience and I hope to hear from others about what is happening in the states.
6 months ago
