The Arts in Cuba: An Eye Behind the Curtain

Presented by Yael Prizant
March 14, 2011

To view Yael Prizant’s PowerPoint, click here.

General Information about Cuba

http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/cuba.html
Infoplease provides basic information and statistics about Cuba’s government and geography.

http://www.factmonster.com/atlas/country/cuba.html
Fact Monster is a kid-friendly site that has many of the basics about Cuba.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html
The CIA provides basic facts about every country.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2886.htm
The US State Department maintains sites on every country that include country profiles and information about the people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and other background notes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1203299.stm
The BBC offers country profiles with links to historical timelines as well as to recent news stories.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/cuba/index.shtml
The BBC provides an excellent archive of news reports on “Cuba and the Cold War,” covering events from Castro’s rise to power to the missile crisis.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12700491
Raul Castro is featured in this BBC report.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cuba
This is a travel guide with a wonderful image gallery and information about tourist destinations in Cuba.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/cuba/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=cuba&st=cse
The New York Times has many articles and links to articles about Cuba.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/cuba-guide/?source=A-to-Z
In addition to National Geographic’s stunning photographs of Cuba, this site offers links to other articles on Cuba and Caribbean.

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/cuba/
National Geographic Kids has a very good video showing every day life in Cuba on a level appropriate for younger students.

http://www.who.int/countries/cub/en/
The World Health Organization has compiled many health-related statistics on Cuba.

http://docsteach.org/documents/search?menu=open&mode=search&sortBy=relevance&q=cuba&commit=Go
The National Archives provides primary resources for historical documents.  There are 36 photographs and scanned documents related to Cuba at this site.

http://www.cnn.com/search/?query=cuba&primaryType=mixed&sortBy=date&intl=false
CNN has links to all of their past news stories related to Cuba.

http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/cubatimeline.html
This extensive timeline from PBS lists the history of U.S.-Cuba relations from 1868-1998 and includes many useful links to historical sites.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/
George Washington University held a 40th anniversary conference on the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Resources from the conference are offered at this site, including declassified materials.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/bayofpigs/
The National Security Archive at George Washington University has memoranda, audio recordings, and other documents from the Bay of Pigs fiasco.

http://www.pbs.org/crucible/
PBS offers resources about the Spanish-American War, including a timeline, sheet music, and political cartoons from the day.

http://www.americanheritage.com/
The American Heritage Magazine’s website links to all of its past articles about the history of Cuba by typing “Cuba” into the search box at the top of the page.

Lesson Plans on Cuba

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/us-cuba-relations.cfm
Geared toward high school students, this lesson centers on creating a timeline of U.S.-Cuba relations.  Students are asked to speculate on what lies ahead between the two countries.

http://www.pbs.org/now/classroom/cuba.html
PBS offers an examination of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba.  Students develop a position on the embargo and articulate their viewpoints.  The resources and topic are appropriate for high school students.

http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/videos/?p=515
The lesson begins with the author relating his coming of age as a Cuban-Irish American.  After rejecting Spanish and his Cuban name to avoid ridicule at school, he rediscovers his Cuban heritage after a summer with the Cuban side of the family.  This is a wonderful 8-minute video (also available in written format) for students of mixed heritage and those who don’t understand the meaning of “American.”  Follow-up discussion questions are provided.

http://historyexplorer.americanhistory.si.edu/search/resource.asp?id=225
Students can use this interactive site from the Smithsonian Institute to explore the life of Celia Cruz, a legendary musical figure in both Cuba and the U.S.  Sections on her life, her music, and her dressing room are available in English and Spanish.  A lesson plan to accompany this site can be found at: http://americanhistory.si.edu/celiacruz/printable/downloads/pdf/exile.cuba%20and%20the%20united%20states.9to12.pdf

http://library.thinkquest.org/18355/for_students.html
ThinkQuest from the Oracle Education Foundation provides over 7,000 websites created by students from around the world.  “The Cuban Experience” won a first place award in 1998.  It contains many links to Cuban culture, history, politics, people, and places. Some of the links are no longer active, but there are still many good photos, resources, and classroom ideas.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson023.shtml
Cuba is included in this broader lesson, “Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.” Lesson ideas include a graphing activity, researching famous Hispanic Americans, an art activity, Hispanic trivia, and more.

http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/missiles-october-cuban-missile-crisis-1962#sect-activities
Designed for high school students, links to many primary resources help guide students through the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Students imagine that they are CIA agents, President Kennedy, and others involved in the decisions made at the time.

http://balseros.miami.edu/Mainnavigation.htm
The University of Miami Digital Library Program has organized a presentation on “The Cuban Rafter Phenomenon: A Unique Sea Exodus.”  This site tracks the history of the tens of thousands of Cubans who left their home country in everything from small boats to homemade rafts.

http://www.teachablemoment.org/high/cuba.html
Two student readings with follow-up questions are provided on this website.  The first is historical; the second has a political slant.  Links to Human Rights First and Amnesty International are included.

The Arts in Cuba

http://www.teachers.tv/videos/cuba-performing-arts
This is an excellent 30-minute video about how the arts are taught in Cuba.  It offers great insight into education in Cuba and how it has developed a tradition for great arts education. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/castros-art-scene-a-model-for-modern-cuba-2234257.html
Life for artists in Cuba is different from that of the general population.  This article from The Independent was written on March 7, 2011.

http://www.repertorio.org/education/pdfs/cubateatro2.pdf
Written in Spanish, this site has extensive photos of theatre in Havana from 1997-2010.
“A Century of Theatre in Cuba: An Introduction to Cuban Theatre” by Carlos Espinosa Dominguez is a 12-page summary of Cuban theatre in the 20th century.  It includes an extensive bibliography.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/world/americas/25cuba.html
An article about increased U.S.-Cuba cultural exchanges from the New York Times, this article from July 2010 examines the increasing interaction between the two countries.

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cuba703/video/video_index.html
Frontline from PBS has an 8-minute video on the art “revolution” in Cuba, produced in 2008.  There are links to the art of the featured artists, a reporter interview, and other related links.

http://marvejohn.tripod.com/cubaart/
Follow links to photos of paintings and sculptures of 14 Cuban artists.  There is some nudity.

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/places/culture-places/arts-and-entertainment/cuba_hiphop.html
National Geographic has a great 3-minute video on Cuban hip-hop and the next generation of Cuban musicians.

http://www.cubamusic.com/
CubaMusic sorts by top 25, genre, artist, and album.  In addition to downloads, it has links to news articles and reviews.

http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/soc/ccameron/soc215/cuba/cuba.htm
Students at Cedar Crest College have written an extensive report on Cuba and its music that includes geographical, political, economic, and cultural background.

http://www.mamborama.com/cuba_music.html
This website begins with  “Cuban Music 101,” which defines types of music, and then links to music reviews, groups, news, and downloads.

http://www.zzounds.com/edu--aboutbongos
Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the bongo at this excellent site. (Thanks to Mary Jenkins at Monument Charter School for this link.)

Kellogg Resources

See the resources provided from past Teacher Discussion Groups about Cuba:

To borrow the Cuba and the Caribbean Traveling Trunk, click here.

For a list of Kellogg’s Faculty Fellows, click here.