Discover Cuba 2024 (B)

  Wifredo Lam, Cuban music vs art, the influence of Castro’s support:  Having grown up going to art museums and having a continuous love for the arts, I enjoyed the content in this module greatly. Especially with what the people of Cuba were going through, it is interesting to see how their emotions were expressed through their art and how their styles changed throughout their lifetime.  One artist that caught my attention, and who I have learned to like, is Wifredo Lam. I commend him for his art, his dedication as a father, and his desire to travel and learn different cultures and their art techniques. I found it very interesting that he met with Picasso who encouraged him to be proud of his African art because it is what his own ancestors did. Wifredo not only was friendly with Picasso, but he also learned under the same instructor as Salvador Dali. Dali was a Spanish artist known for his “droopy” effects in his paintings. I have always admired Dali’s creativity, so I w...

     Cuban history is deeply intertwined with outside influence. Colonization and foreign intervention have seemingly caused nothing but distress to the Cuban people. Of all the countries that have damaged the development of Cuba, none have been quite as devastating as the United States. This will be elucidated through the following history.       Christopher Colombus arrived in Cuba in 1492. Through a combination of willful genocide and extermination via disease, the indigenous population was wiped out. Cuba was rebuilt as a colony populated by Spaniards. Although the island was neglected for centuries, the sugar business exploded in the 19th century, leading to an influx of African slaves. The profitability of Creole and Spanish plantations made Cuba the “crown jewel” of the Spanish empire.      As time progressed, Cuban nationalism grew. It culminated in the “10 Years War,” which began in 1868. Although it was unsuccessful, the Cuban ...

    After reading and reviewing the material in Module 1, I learned many facts and stories about Cuban culture and the revolution. I read about Cuba placing an importance on symbolism and how their identity was from the multiple struggles for independence, with one being the 26 th of July Movement where the flag celebrates Castros attack on Army barracks at Moncada. This was interesting to learn because Cuba places a ton of ongoing symbolism with the flag dating back to 1800s and early 1900s.  When looking through the modules about the Cuban Revolution, I learned all about how Castro started guerrilla warfare to slow down Batista’s army, which ultimately allowed him to take power. At the time Batista was led by dictatorship with repressive political and social conditions on the island, which restricted freedom and favored the rich leaving those in poverty with a much harder life. When Fidel Castro took over, he created a communist state and wanted to improve the qualit...

The Island of Revolution The history of Cuba is a combination of a variety of factors that includes indigenous people, colonization, and revolutionary struggles. Cuba was discovered by Christopher Colombus in 1492. By 1515, the capital city of Havana was founded. The island became a stopping point for ships, trade and commerce. Due to slave labor imported from Africa and forced labor of the indigenous population, the island's sugar industry boomed and became one of the wealthiest colonies for the Spanish. It was considered a crown jewel of the empire. Unfortunately for the indigenous people, forced labor and disease all but eradicated them. During the next three centuries, the Spanish would continue to control Cuba and plunder its resources.  As we learned from the readings, “Cuba awakened dramatically in the nineteenth century”. The Ten Years War (1868-78) was fought by the Cubans against the Spanish but resulted in a loss and failed to win independence. The second war of indepe...

After 1492, Spain began to expand its empire throughout the Americas. Initially, the Spanish focused on the South America and modern-day Mexico with their native empires and vast gold reserves. Thus, for the first few centuries of colonization, Cuba was left to the wayside as an agricultural "backwater" island. This didn't last long. Eventually, with the increase of "triangular trade" Cuba became an important location both economically and strategically. Its strategic location in the Caribbean made it a crucial port for Spanish galleons traveling between the Americas and Europe. Havana, in particular, became a hub for trade, commerce, and military operations. The island became rich in resources, including sugar, tobacco, and other agricultural products, making it economically valuable for the Spanish crown. With Cuba's success as a integral part of the Spanish Empire, it's population began to explode throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. People from al...

 I've never quite realized the extent of all that Cuba has been through over the years. It really is amazing, and helps you to understand why Cuba is the way that it is today. Anyway, the discovery of Cuba by the Spanish was initially used as a stop en route to the Americas. It was used for the slave trade. However, as the Spanish realized that Cuba had potential for agriculture, mainly sugar, Spain had become more interested. Not only was this profitable for Spain, but it was also another strong hold in the Western Hemisphere for the Spanish.  The US got involved as a result of the second war for independence in Cuba, stemming mainly from the US' own economic interest in the area, namely the Panama Canal. It does make you wonder what might've happened if the US didn't get involved, as Cuba territory was essentially transferred from one superpower to another. We also see, from US support of Batista, that the US was only involved because of its own interests. It doesn...

 Cuba From Colonization, Through, & Since The Revolution When Colón first arrived in Cuba in 1492, he wrote that the island “Es la tierra más hermosa que ojos humanos vieron.”  Despite its apparent beauty to early Spanish settlers and the indigenous Arawak people, the island was relatively unimportant to the Spanish until the 19th century while Spain lost most of its empire when, in a few short years, the island was turned into a major producer of sugar with the increased abduction and smuggling of Africans to the island.  Cuba did not leave Spain due to the sudden attention, but rather became the “crown jewel” of the Spanish Empire.   Nevertheless, Cubans mounted the Ten Years’ War against Spain from 1868 to 1878 in a first attempt at independence.  This war was unsuccessful for Cubans, but another War of Independence began in 1895, with José Martí’s death shortly after its inception.  In 1898, the US Navy, led by a war-hungry Theodore Roosevelt, ...

Batista's relationship with the U.S., Fidel's lengthy speeches, Personal connections: Batista’s dictatorship was not liked by many, especially Cubans, but in an article, it said the U.S. openly supported him. In Culture of Cuba: History, People, Society, Beliefs, and more… It is stated, “The M26J flag commemorates Castro’s attack on the army barracks at Moncada and served as a symbol of resistance to the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and the imperialism of the United States, which openly supported him.” Since Batista also had relations with the Mafia, I am wondering: Why did the United States support Batista’s dictatorship?  With Fidel’s speeches that lasted 4-5 hours long, it is clear how the Cuban people have been indoctrinated by his power and love for the country. I found it interesting that a white dove was seen as he was giving a speech to the Cuban people soon after taking over Havana. After many attempts, Fidel and the other revolutionists had finally ran Batista o...