Time to Restore the Rich Cultural Ties Between the U.S. and Cuba

Time to Restore the Rich Cultural Ties Between the U.S. and Cuba

Catherine Murphy is an adjunct professor at New York University's Center
for Global Affairs. Her documentary, "Maestra," is about the Cuban
literacy campaign.

OCTOBER 12, 2014

After 20 years working to promote academic and cultural exchanges with
Cuba, I would not have imagined that in 2014 the U.S. embargo would
still be so solidly in place.

Eliminating the embargo and expanding educational and cultural exchanges
would benefit both nations.
The granddaughter of an American raised on the island, I first traveled
to Cuba to conduct research in 1992. I was investigating my family's
history and soon discovered the long, shared connection between Cuba and
the United States. Our countries and people have influenced each other
since before we each became nations. By the 1920s, U.S. citizens and
companies owned the majority of land and property on the island. There
was extensive trade and travel, and mutual influence in many spheres,
including music, film, boxing, literature, architecture, theater and, of
course, baseball.

You could trace the beginnings of Latin Jazz to the moment Chano Pozo
began to play with Dizzy Gillespie in the 1940s. Josephine Baker danced
in Cuba. Nat King Cole recorded "Cole Español" in Cuba in 1958 with the
great pianist Bebo Valdés. Cuban film has also caught the eye of great
American directors and actors. Stephen Spielberg, Spike Lee and Benicio
del Toro have been to the Havana Film Festival.

Expanding educational and cultural exchanges would benefit both nations.
We have much to learn from Cuba – after a massive literacy campaign in
1961, they retain one of the best literacy levels in the hemisphere.
They have also developed a highly successful hurricane response system
and boast one of the most well-preserved submarine coral reefs on the
planet, Jardines de la Reina, off the southern coast.

I've had the opportunity to take many American students to Cuba, and
it's always fascinating to see them rethink their initial notions. Cuba
defies their stereotypes. Cuban people speak to them everywhere, in the
classroom, the streets and on Havana's Malecón. They are often openly
critical of the government, to my students' surprise. My students come
from diverse backgrounds and political orientations, and they offer
their own criticisms of the system there, but they also see Cuba
opening. And they inevitably question our policy of punishment. Recently
one of them, a public policy major, said to me: "My generation wants to
move forward. Our current policy is an outdated, inhumane relic of the
cold war."

It's high time for President Obama to exercise his executive authority
to make changes toward normalization of relations with Cuba. Removing
all travel restrictions would be a good place to start. Our cultures
will be richer for it.

Source: Time to Restore the Rich Cultural Ties Between the U.S. and Cuba
- NYTimes.com -
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/12/should-the-us-normalize-relations-with-cuba/time-to-restore-the-rich-cultural-ties-between-the-us-and-cuba