>From: "Per Rasmussen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Cuba SI" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Elimination of the exploitation of man by man! >Yours in solidarity >Per Rasmussen >Denmark > >Emne: [afrocubaweb] Race & Identity in Cuba 2000 > >AfroCubaWeb Newsletter #8, 1/15/2000 > >AfroCuban journalist, author, and broadcaster Pedro Perez Sarduy >will be touring the US, starting March 2000. He will present his >latest work, "Afro-Cuban Voices: on Race and Identity in >Contemporary Cuba," as well as his multi-media seminar, "Race & >Identity in Cuba 2000". > >"Afro-Cuban Voices" is the first treatment ever of racial issues >in today's Cuba that lets us hear from AfroCubans on the island. >As the forewords explain: > >"The authors of Afro-Cuban Voices, also key actors in the new, >unfolding dialogue about race in Cuba, make a seminal >contribution through a forthright critique of racial blind spots >in official history and present-day racial discrimination." >-- James Early, Director of Cultural Studies and Communication, > Smithsonian Institution > >"At a time when Cuba is undergoing immense economic and social >changes, race becomes a kind of cultural litmus test for the >national identity ... This anthology illustrates fully that it >is possible to be both revolutionary and black in Cuba." >-- Manning Marable, Columbia University > >Multi-media seminar, "Race & Identity in Cuba 2000" > >Pedro Perez-Sarduy sees a great ferment today in Cuba in the >areas of race, identity, and representation. The conflicting >trends he presents include: > >- The rise of AfroCuban professionals in many fields, with > notable exceptions. >- The continued proportional rise of Cubans with African > ancestors, now estimated at between 60% and 70%. >- A tremendous increase in African religions. >- A greater social divide arising from economic trends: > White Cubans remittances from abroad, mainly the US and Spain > Euro-oriented tourism industry in Cuba favoring white Cubans > Central government poverty as a result of the Soviet collapse >- A lack of AfroCubans in Cuban media. >- AfroCubans' increasing articulation of the need for a > race-specific agenda as key in countering exclusionary > definitions of nation and nationalism. >- The active promotion of AfroCubans into leadership positions > by the Cuban government. >- A taboo around the use of the word racism, both on the island > and off - "we Cubans are not racist!" - and yet whites don't > want their daughters marrying an AfroCuban and exhibit many > other signs of racism. >- A growing trend by white Cubans to "blame the victim," as > more blacks are out of work, on the streets as vendors and > prostitutes, and in jail. >- A renewed drive by Catholics to regain influence on an island > that was never really theirs even under previous governments. >- A drive by the Miami exile leadership and their dissident > allies to portray the Cuban government as all white, > exaggerating every problem and every misdeed. Meanwhile the > Miami leadership itself remains all white while the claim is > made that an increasing number of dissidents are black. >- A greater radicalisation of consciousness around the racial > question on the part of the great majority of AfroCuban > intellectuals and artists living abroad. >- More visits by African Americans. >- More litterature on racial issues in Cuba, both on the island > and off. > >What is going on here? How do Cubans themselves feel about these >trends? This calls for careful analysis and self explanation >from the parties involved, especially AfroCubans, hitherto >invisible players to most Americans. And yet AfroCubans are >estimated to compose over 60% to 70% of the population on the >island -- as both the Cuban and the American government will >readily admit. They are increasingly visible and are destined >to have a profound impact on US - Cuba relations. > >Testimonials > >"Pedro Perez Sarduy is an invaluable treasure around young >people. At every one of the International Colloquium of the >biennial National Black Theatre Festival he has been a part of >since 1993 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the way the >audience and fellow participants enthused about his >presentations has also contributed to making the Colloquium as >much as the festival an object of pilgrimage for aficionados >of the American theatre every other year." >-- Professor Sope Oyelaron, Winston-Salem State University, > Coordinator, International Colloquium, National Black > Theatre Festival > >"I first met Sarduy in Havana in 1985, and we have been >colleagues and collaborators since. Sarduy wrote a chapter >on Carnaval in Havana in my 1993 (soon to be rereleased >in paperback by Ian Randle) Cuban Festivals. We have been on >panels together at the International Carnival Conferences at >Trinity College, Hartford, and Port of Spain, Trinidad. >Sarduy is a riveting lecturer, capable of entertaining while >simultaneously teaching. He is a world traveler and brings a >global, particularly Afro, perspective to his lectures." >-- Professor Judith Bettelheim, Department of Art History, > Emory University > >Perez-Sarduy's tour starts with the Latin American Studies >Association (LASA2000) conference, March 16th-18th, in Miami. >Those interested in having him present at their institution >should contact AfroCubaWeb via http://afrocubaweb.com and >peruse our site for further information on Perez-Sarduy as >well as many other topics on the 500 pages we have up. > > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >For the fastest and easiest way to backup your files and, access them from > >anywhere. Try @backup Free for 30 days. Click here for a chance to win a > >digital camera. >http://click.egroups.com/1/337/1/_/6166/_/948046510/ > > >eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/afrocubaweb >http://www.egroups.com - Simplifying group communications > > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Cuba SI: http://www.egroups.com/group/cubasi/ >Imperialism NO! Venceramos! >Information and discussion about Cuba. >Discussion of the path of Ernesto Che Guevara. > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Get FREE Rewards When You're Online! With MyPoints, >you get valuable FREE name-brand merchandise for reading >email and surfing the web. It's that simple. Start NOW: >http://click.egroups.com/1/459/0/_/30563/_/948144512/ > >-- Create a poll/survey for your group! >-- http://www.egroups.com/vote?listname=cubasi&m=1 > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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