Dates: July 19-27, 2012
A one week trip to eastern Cuba to meet with archeologists, artists and environmentalists to learn about how Cuba has intertwined these three important areas of study to the benefit of all. The focus of the trip will be Baracoa, but we will also visit Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo.
The group will visit important Taíno sites, study the artifacts that were discovered and preserved in a unique cave museum, learn from Roberto Ordúñez, curator of the museum and Archeologist of the City of Baracoa, about his discoveries from years of combing the hills and caves in the area.
We will meet with well-known Cuban artists, their students, emerging artists, and art teachers. They will share their practice and style and especially the major influence s in their work: Yoruba, Taíno, and Santeria, as well as trends in modern art - installations, and an exciting new project called "Sábanas Blancas, proyecto de arte itinerante comunitario" (White Sheets - an itinerant community art project). We will learn how the local artists are supporting the movement to preserve the environment through their art and their lives.
We will meet with biologists and environmentalists, visit national parks, protected areas and community gardens with them and learn about their teaching methods with the young children who are the future conservationists of the country.
There will be ample interaction with Cuban individuals and groups as well as planned and spontaneous cultural activities with groups such as the Visually Impaired, People with Special Needs and local music and dance groups. We will meet with authors and poets and speak with authorities on Santeria and Curanderismo (Healing) and the use and practice of natural remedies.
Finally, you will have the opportunity to sample the unique cuisine for which Baracoa is famous. You will find dishes prepared in a way that are found in no other place in Cuba, that relate more to the Caribbean taste than to the Spanish influence which is prevalent in the rest of Cuba.
This is an intense, full immersion cultural exchange with real people of the province of Guantanamo and in particular, the people of Baracoa, one of the most isolated areas of Cuba.
Cost: $2,750. (add $200 for single occupancy) Includes :
- Round trip air fare Miami/Santiago de Cuba/Miami.
- All ground transportation in Cuba with air-conditioned buses.
- Full breakfast and one other meal with a beverage daily.
- Lodging in three or four star hotels.
- Entry to all museums, parks and cultural events on the itinerary.
- Full health insurance from the Cuban government while in Cuba.
- Spanish/English speaking guide. Air-conditioned tour bus.
- Cuban visa.
Does not include:
- Membership fees.
- Lodging in Miami.
- Tips, overweight luggage or extra baggage charges, extra drinks, special excursions.
To access the application form click on the following: http://goo.gl/z9Hdy