Crossing Havana Exhibit
Crossing Havana Exhibit: a conversation with
Pamela Pennywell and Kenya Dworkin
By Bonita Lee Penn
“Crossing Havana” a photo exhibit will take place May 6-11, 2013 at the Young Men & Women’s African Heritage Association (YMWAHA) on Pittsburgh’s North Side. This unique multi-media exhibit will include photography, panel discussions, films, workshops, dance and music in celebration of the Afro-Cuban and Afro-Latino culture.
The AfricaAméricas Week will kick off with a ‘Conversation on Deliberative Democracy & Civil Rights in Cuba’ at Carnegie-Mellon University with Professor Robert Cavalier and members of the Comité Ciudadanos por la Integración Racial (Citizens’ Committee for Racial Integration). Following the conversation the Exhibit will open with a reception at YMWAHA at 7pm.
This photo exhibit is a social documentary about real and current living conditions for many Black Cubans in Havana taken by Juan Antonio Madrazo, a Black, Cuban, civil rights activist and National Coordinator of the Comité Ciudadanos por la
Integración Racial (Citizens’ Committee for Racial Integration) (CIR).
All events are free and open to the public and will take place at Carnegie-Mellon University, Frick Fine Arts Building and City of Asylum as well as YMWAHA. Make sure you go to Crossing Havana’s Facebook page to receive the most recent schedule and information on registration.
This historically significant event was planned and organized by two Pittsburgh women, Pamela Pennywell of the Young Men & Women’s African Heritage Association (YMWAHA) and Kenya C. Dworkin of Coro Latinoamericano-Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon University. I had the opportunity to sit down with both and ask them how ‘Crossing Havana” was conceived.
Pamela Pennywell shared that in 2012 she was invited by the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts to attend ‘Seizing the Moment NOW!’ The 8th National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) Conference held in Philadelphia. “It was so impactful to be involved with people from South America, Caribbean Islands, Puerto Rico, Mexico and others Latino cultures,” she said adding, “Our conversations touched so many commonalities, especially dealing with self and cultural identity.”
In the United States we are used to being labeled Black or African-American but she said when she spoke with visiting indigenous Indians from Peru and other South American counties who commented that they have never been categorized as being Latino until they came to the United States; stating that they identified themselves as being Peruvian or Brazilian.
This might have been when the seed of a culture sharing event was planted. She mentioned that her experience at the conference confirmed it was time for us to recognize commonalities between Black and Latino rather than to focus on our differences. Pittsburgh may not have a large Latin population in comparison to other locations in Pennsylvania (Allentown, Erie, Philadelphia or Harrisburg), but, Kenya added, Pittsburgh has a long-standing Black population, high compared to the national average of 27%; Pittsburgh’s Latino population is small but it is the fastest growing. It has grown by 71% in the past ten years.
Both women were in agreement that Pittsburgh has two populations that are unfamiliar and are suspicious of each, not to mention there are many Blacks in the United States as well as Latinos in South America who are unaware how the two cultures share deeply rooted history. “We as a culture need to embrace the diversity within the Black and the Latino cultures. I have always thought if I placed an artistic or cultural spin on what you want people to learn, they will be more interested to participate,” Pam said.
I came away from the NALAC Conference excited to get back to Pittsburgh to start thinking of ways to educate the Black and Latino populations and bring them together with one event. At the conference she met Germán Matos, Vice-President of Coro Latinoamericano-Pittsburgh and his wife Irene. It was through them she was able to connect with Kenya. “Yes and it’s been on ever since,” Kenya added with a smile.
Kenya is originally from Cuba, lived in NYC and has called Pittsburgh her home for the past 20 years, while teaching Latino studies at Carnegie-Mellon University. “I grew up surrounded by a blend of Afro-Cuban communities in New York City.” She added that she had also thought to put together some kind of Afro-Latino event.
In the beginning the event originated as two separate entities; an annual spring concert in May sponsored by Coro Latinoamericano-Pittsburgh and a photo exhibit in April derived from Kenya’s direct involvement with Cuban civil rights activists along with her work as editor of the bilingual journal ISLAS (a publication dedicated to the issue of racism and discrimination in Cuba and other Latin American countries). “All the sudden I had these two large events to organize,” Kenya said. While she pondered over how to efficiently and sanely plan two separate events, she concluded that perhaps one event would be a better plan.
“I was at YMWAHA discussing the concert with Pamela and I looked around admiring the space and thought this would be a great place for the photo exhibit. Our discussion of two events evolved into a jam packed six day list of activities all with a focus on Afro-Cuban and Afro-Latin culture. All free to the public.” I asked the ladies what are the goals of such an unprecedented event. “Our goal is to educate adults as well as youth on how connected we are,” Pam said. This event will explore the roots of African music and dance in the United States, the Caribbean, in Brazil, Puerto Rico, Cuba and other Latin countries. She added that children and adults need to understand all this rhythm was not created in the U.S. Those in attendance will be able to learn how each culture tweaked the music, the dance just a little to represent their own. If you are one of those people whose feet and hips want to move to all types of music, this is why, because it is all rooted in the African experience.
“The history of slavery began in the Caribbean Islands and in Latin America,” Kenya said. I added that I had always wanted to visit Bahia to explore why there is such a large population of Africans in Brasil. Through my reading I found out that an estimated 1.3 million slaves were imported to Bahia before slavery was abolished in Brasil in 1888. This was double the number of slaves imported into the entire United States of America. Before the slave trade ended the Caribbean had taken approximately 47 percent of the 10 million African slaves brought to the Americas. What better way to explore and discovery this connected history than through workshops filled with songs, dance, music and photos.
“The photo exhibit will serve as evidence. You will see Afro-Cubans are experiencing a similar, pigment problem in Cuba. All tied to the social-economic status. Kenya is Cuban because of her (lighter) skin tone and me; I would be an Afro-Cuban (darker skin) because of my skin tone. The same kind of things that happen in the United States, happens in Cuba,” said Pam.
“Race has become a hot topic in Cuba as one of its prominent Black intellectuals, Roberto Zurbano, lost his job after a critical article he wrote for and was published in the New York Times (March 23, 2013). In the article he said,
“racial exclusion continued after Cuba became independent in 1902, and a half century of revolution since 1959 has been unable to overcome it.”
The trouble for Roberto originated when the New York Time’s translator (who was not a Cuban translator) incorrectly translated the title from Spanish, “For Blacks in Cuba, the Revolution Hasn’t Begun,” but Roberto states that the correct version was “Not Yet Finished.” The change in the title shined a negative light on the article. The article speaks of race, which is a taboo subject in Cuba (only the government can talk about it). In his article, he mentions that the 2002 census reported 65 percent white, 25 percent mixed race and 10 percent Black. He argues that census undercounted the Black population. This is a familiar experience that has happened across the United States when it comes to counting the Black population. Everyone who attends the May 8th ISLAS journal presentation and reception at the City of Asylum will receive a copy of his New York Times article.
“People in the U.S. don’t understand what the word ‘revolution’ means. It’s an internal process, something that is in constant change,” said Kenya, adding that it was a blessing in disguise if not for Roberto, but it has taken the lid off the can of worms and now everyone is talking about race in Cuba and in the blogosphere. She said it is a healthy affect, as there has been no discussion of race in Cuba for decades.
She does mention that there has been some progress made, but there is a difference between racism (which is an attitude) and discrimination (which is the affect it has on people). For example, after the collapse of the Soviet Union the Cuban economy died and the old discrimination came back when western countries like Spain and Italy started investing in hotels and tourism. They (westerners) would use their criteria to hire people. If they wanted someone for the front desk, they would hire a lighter Cuban; if they wanted a sexy cocktail waitress they would hire the Afro-Cuban female. Sounds familiar? The more we learn about each other’s culture the more we find we have in common. We are really not that different.
Pamela reminded us that if you look back 200 years to the last great census when the Indigenous Indians in United States had the choice of either White or Black as race. The final choice was the registrar, who used his own discretion to decide who was white and who was black based on their pigmentation. I am sure many of us remember hearing stories of our grandparents about the ‘brown paper bag test,’ or as Kenya remembers in Cuba it was the ‘coffee with milk test.’ All these negative stereotypes used to compare skin pigmentation. AfricAméricas goal is to wipe out some of those stereotypes and how it affects how we feel about each other.
“It is important for YWMAHA to be part of this cutting edge event. Our center promotes culture, art and education,” said Pamela. She commented that our young people should not be so influenced by negative stereotypes that hold them back. When they attend Crossing Havana events, they will discover people who look like them but speak a different language. These people are truly suffering from real racism and discrimination. One Pittsburgh Pubic Schools YWMAHA is working with is Perry High School. She said she wants to expose not only students but their families by giving them the opportunity to mingle, meet and connect with others who share the same history of oppression.
During our dinner I was amazed to learn the connection of Blacks and Latinos right here in the Pittsburgh area. I found out that Martin Magdaleno Dihigo, born in Matanzas, Cuba, played with the Homestead Grays. Just think of what else you will discover by attending the workshops, spoken word and panel discussions scheduled during the week of May 6th.
There will also be several films shown, one by Gloria Rolando; Roots of My Heart, telling the story of a Mercedes, a Cuban woman uncovering family secrets, especially her great-grandfather’s involvement with the Independent Party of Color in Cuba (PIC), the first Black political part in this hemisphere (1908) and its violent repression in 1912 by the Cuban government/army. Another interesting film by Fernando Perez, Suite Habana, follows 13 residents of Havana, Cuba, and the challenges they face in their daily survival. Listed below you find a full schedule of events including more films.
I asked Pam and Kenya what was the ultimate goal of the event other than to educate? “Our goal is to develop this program and sell it to other cities. Our communities and schools are in desperate need to embrace the commonalities of our diverse cultures.”
The ladies wanted to thank their many sponsors, as it all came together with the help of many: Carnegie-Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Washington & Jefferson College, YMWAHA, Slippery Rock University, Sprout Foundation, Pittsburgh Foundation, Pittsburgh Humanities Council, Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, and Coro Latinoamericano.
Crossing Havana Exhibit Schedule:
AFRICAMÉRICAS WEEK (with Crossing Havana exhibit)
MONDAY, MAY 6, 2013
4:30-6:00 pm
Carnegie-Mellon University-UC-Dowd Room, Oakland
Conversation on Deliberative Democracy & Civil Rights in Cuba
With Dr. Robert Cavalier (Carnegie Mellon University Department of Philosophy) and Cuban scholar-activists Juan Antonio Madrazo, Leonardo Calvo Cárdenas, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, Rafel Campoamor and Dr. Juan Antonio Alvarado, all members of the Comité Ciudadanos por la Integración Racial [Citizens’ Committee for Racial Integration] (Cuba) and regular contributors to the journal ISLAS.
4:00-9:00 pm
Young Men and Women’s African Heritage Association, YMWAHA, North Side
Exhibit opening “Crossing Havana” Reception 7-9PM
A social documentary photo exhibit about real, current living conditions for many black Cubans in Havana. The photographs were taken by Juan Antonio Madrazo, a black, Cuban, civil rights activist who is also the National Coordinator of the Comité Ciudadanos por la Integración Racial [Citizens’ Committee for Racial Integration] (CIR), the island’s premier, independent, civic organization devoted to fighting racism, discrimination and civic disengagement. Pre-opening: 4:00-7:00PM; Opening reception: 7:00-9:00PM. Hosts: Dr. Kenya Dworkin, Dr. Juan Alvarado, Dr. Eric Asongwed, Pamela Pennywell.
TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2013
12:00-8:00 pm
YMWAHA (North Side)
Exhibit open
5:00-6:30 pm
YMWAHA – North Side
Film afternoon I-Roots of My Heart (2001) by Gloria Rolando
Discussant: Dr. Kenya C. Dworkin (Carnegie Mellon University)
Mercedes, a Cuban woman from Havana, begins to decipher her family secrets through the photo of her great-grandparents, María Victoria y José Julián. Between reality and the world of her dreams, she will learn about the ties this couple— especially her great-grandfather—had with the Independents of Color, a political party formed in 1908 and the massacre of 1912. 51 minutes.
7:30-9:30 pm
Carnegie-Mellon University-UC Connan Room, Oakland
Film night I-Raíces (2001) by Banco Popular
Discussant: Jesabel Rivera (President, Latin American Cultural Union)
A television special funded by Puerto Rico’s Banco Popular about the influence of Africa on two of the island’s musical genres, particularly the bomba and plena. It features numerous prominent Puerto Rican musicians and performers, among them La familia Cepeda, Marc Anthony, La India, José Feliciano, Danny Rivera, Lucecita Benítez and Angel “Cuco”Peña. 90 minutes.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2013
12:00-8:00 pm
YMWAHA, North Side
Exhibit Open
5:00-6:30 pm
YMWAHA, North Side
Film afternoon II-My Footsteps in Baragua (1996) by Gloria Rolando
Discussant: Dr. Kenya C. Dworkin (Carnegie Mellon University)
In Baragua, in the present province of Ciego de Avila, Cuba, the stories and customs of the English-speaking West Indian immigrants who worked on the Panama Canal, and their descendants, are still alive. Today, they are a part of Cuba, but their traditions live on. This film is dedicated to three important Caribbean intellectuals—Nicolas Guillén (Cuba), George Lamming (Barbados) and Rex Nettleford (Jamaica). 52 minutes.
7:00-9:00 pm
City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, North Side (RSVP to COA is required)
ISLAS journal presentation, with panel & reception
Four Cuban scholars and civil rights activists—Juan Antonio Madrazo Luna, Leonardo Calvo Cárdenas, Manuel Cuesta Morúa and Rafel Campoamor, will be joined by Juan Antonio Alvarado, Editor-in-Chief of the bilingual journal ISLAS, a publication dedicated to the issue of racism and discrimination in Cuba and elsewhere, to discuss the grassroots work their organization and others are doing in Cuba. They will also be discussing the role of ISLAS as a space in which by publishing articles they can educate people about racism and discrimination in Cuba and dialogue with other civil rights activists around the world about shared problems and strategies for resolving them.
FREE – but space is limited. To reserve a seat, email ehutton@cityofasylumpittsburgh.org
THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013
12:00-8:00 pm
YMWAHA, North Side
Exhibit open
7:30-9:30 pm
Carnegie-Mellon University-UC Peter McKenna Room, Oakland
Film night II-Breaking the Silence: 1912 (2010) by Gloria Rolando
Discussant: TBD
Chapter One of this documentary series explores the history of the Independent Party of Color in Cuba (PIC), the first black political party in this hemisphere (1908) and its violent repression, in 1912, by the Cuban government and army—an episode that left more than 3000 people dead. Relying heavily on archival material and personal interviews, the filmmaker reveals a history that has been relatively ignored for over 110 years in Cuba. Of additional importance for us now is that the PIC’s list of demands regarding most of this population’s hopes and desires, back between 1908-1912, is as cogent today as it was over a hundred years ago. With a Q&A and discussion period afterwards. 60 minutes.
FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2013
12:00-8:00 pm
YMWAHA, North Side
Exhibit Open
5:00-6:30 pm
YMWAHA, North Side
Film afternoon III-Suite Habana (2003) by Fernando Pérez
Discussant: Felipe Prunedas Sentíes, ABD (University of Pittsburgh)
A semi-documentary film that employs fictional cinema techniques and no dialogue to follow the lives of 13 residents of Havana, Cuba, as they face the challenges—personal and professional—of one given day. A graceful testimony to the resilience of the Cuban people. 80 minutes.
7:30-9:30 pm
Carnegie-Mellon University, Rangos III, Oakland
Performance-Poetry in Motion
Discussant: Dr. Candice Amich (Carnegie Mellon University A.W. Mellon Postdoctoral Humanities Fellow)
A presentation of Hispanic style ‘spoken word’ (declamación) and rhythmic accompaniment by local Pittsburgher’s María Eugenia “Geña” Nieves, from Puerto Rico, with poems by Puerto Rican poet Luis Palés Matos, and Eloy Nepo Leguia, from Peru, with décimas (ten-line, octosyllabic poetry) by Afro-Peruvian Nicomedes Santa Cruz. English-language translations will be available.
SATIRDAY, MAY 11, 2013
12:00-3:00 pm
YMWAHA, North Side
Exhibit open
4:00-5:30 pm
Frick Fine Arts Building, Oakland
Five Afro-Latin Workshops
1. Afro-Cuban arts, crafts, music, dance and Spanish-language workshop (for children). Dr. Shawn Alfonso Wells
2. Afro-Latin percussion workshop (for adolescents, teens, adults). Geña Nieves and Preach Freedom
3. Afro-Latin dance workshop (for children, adolescents, teens, adults). Gloria Ransom-Rodríguez, Teanna Medina and Miguel Sagué III
4. Steel Pan workshop (for children, adolescents, adults). Phil Solomon
5. Session on Cuban civil rights (for teens and adults). Dr. Juan Antonio Alvarado and Cuban civil rights activists Juan Antonio Madrazo, Leonardo Calvo Cárdenas, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, Rafel Campoamor
All workshops require prior registration. To register, please call YMWAHA at 412-322-4008, Monday-Friday, May 6-10, from 9AM-3PM.
5:30-7:00 pm Intermission
Frick Fine Arts Building, Oakland
7:00-9:30 pm
Frick Fine Arts Building, Oakland
AFRICAMÉRICAS concert
MC: Jesabel Rivera (President, Latin American Cultural Union)
A performance of Afro-Latin American choral music by Pittsburgh’s Coro Latinoamericano, and dance performances by the Balafon West African Dance Ensemble, a coalition of Latin American Cultural Union, Salsa Ritmo and Latina Productions dancers (Gloria Ransom-Rodríguez,Teanna Medina, Mayela Taylor, Linda Atkins, Miguel Sagué III, and Geña Nieves), and the Slippery Rock University Afro-Colombian Dance Ensemble.
For more information on any of these activities contact 412-345-1047 or coroladirectpgh@gmail.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/CrossingHavana/
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