African Heritage in Cuban Art and Culture
May 2-8, 2018
Limited to 12 participants
Registration Deadline - January 1, 2017


This travel educational program provides a unique opportunity for learning how the African heritage is integrated with the Cuban cultural identity. The program includes conferences with experts in Cuban religion, music and dance, guided visits to museums, dance and artists studios and cultural centers. The African religious, musical, and dance expressions in Cuban culture and history are at the center of the program.


Program Costs









What is included?


  • Round trip airfare to Havana
  • Six nights at a B&B in Havana
  • All breakfasts, lunches and dinners
  • Three conferences by Cuban experts: African heritage in Cuban religion, music and arts
  • Guided visits to Old Havana and Las Terrazas
  • Admission to all sites in the itinerary
  • Private visit to a dance company for a demonstration and conversation
  • Ground transportation in AC microbuses
  • Panoramic tour of Havana
  • Orientation before departure
  • Travel Guide with tips for a safe and fun trip
  • Emailed information about sites to be visited
  • Bilingual Program Leader traveling with the group
  • Educational / people-to people license to travel
  • Tips for museum docents, drivers and B&B staff (not including breakfast servers)


What is not included?

  • $50 Cuban tourist visa                                                                                             Travelers will be able to buy the Cuban visa online before departure or at the check-in counter at the airport on the day of departure.
  • Trip interruption and cancellation insurance


For Payment and a Registration Packet

Please visit our   Contact Us   page and provide all required Information. As soon as we hear from you, we will email a registration packet with required forms and instructions. You can also call us at 978-998-0039.


Itinerary


DAY 1

Our flight from Tampa to Havana will take one hour. Once in Havana we will be on our way to a panoramic tour of Havana and lunch in Old Havana. After lunch we will have some time to explore Old Havana before we do check-in at our hotel and enjoy a welcome dinner in the evening.

DAY 2

We will start Day 2 with a conference by a Cuban expert to learn about the African heritage in Cuban art and culture. After the conference, we will visit the colorful Callejon de Hamel, one of the shortest but most interesting streets in Havana. Discover how the African Cuban religion of Santeria, a fusion of African belief systems like spirit worship and Christianity, is portrayed in the street art and music. Meet with artists, including Salvador Gonzalez Escalona (when in residence), whose prolific murals that adorn the neighborhood reflect the culture and religious beliefs of this area. After lunch we will visit the Yoruba Association for an encounter with Afro Cuban experts in the African religions that migrated to Cuba with slaves during the Spanish colonial period.


DAY 3


After breakfast we will meet for a conference by a Cuban expert to learn about the African heritage in Cuban music and dance. Cuba has a unique music history with styles-from the traditional folklore born of both Spanish and African roots, to the distinctive dance music of Rumba and Salsa, and Cuba’s own unique expressions of jazz.  After the conference we will visit the Music Museum  and after lunch we will participate in a demonstration and conversation with dancers of the Cuban National Folkloric Dance Company.

DAY 4


After breakfast, a Cuban architect will facilitate the seminar about architectural restoration projects in Old Havana and the Cuban experience using the arts in these efforts. A group of architecture students will be invited to attend the seminar and participate in field trip during the day. Founded in 1519, UNESCO declared Old Havana Universal Patrimony of Humanity. After the seminar, we will visit Old Havana for a guided walking field trip. We will visit two of the five plazas in Old Havana with stops to the Experimental Graphic Design Workshop, Colonial Arts Museum, Palace of Captain Generals, and the Museum of the City of Havana. Delegates and Cuban architecture students will be able to understand the technical challenges faced by restoration artists during the Old Havana restoration project.

DAY 5

During Day 5 we will continue with our exploration of Old Havana visiting two additional plazas, San Francisco and Old Plazas and after lunch in the old city we will meet with experts in the Cuban-African connection at the House of Africa.


DAY 6

Our trip will continue outside of Havana visiting Las Terrazas, a rural community managing a sustainable development project in the heart of Sierra del Rosario, declared a Reserve of the Biosphere by UNESCO. At the Buenavista Coffee Plantation in Las Terrazas we’ll learn about slave coffee production established by the French two centuries ago. Buenavista is the only plantation built on the crest of a mountain.

DAY 7

Departure from José Martí International Airport