Last week I had an incredible opportunity to visit Cuba during reading break. It was my first time in Cuba (and won’t be the last) and it is beautiful there. A place so pure and untouched by Americanization it was quite the breath of fresh air to not see a McDonalds or Starbucks at every second street corner. We stayed in Varadero but as they say “in order to see the real Cuba you have to go to Havana”. So while we were in Cuba we went for a full day excursion to explore the “Real Cuba”. We got to see all the different buildings, artworks, and museums and roamed the streets the sites seen along with the architecture bears close resemblance to a cross between Venice and New Orleans. While there, I was able to learn more about the local lifestyle in Havana along with hearing the intimate life stories of the locals.

Since coming back, I decided to pay a visit to the Belkin Art Gallery who is currently hosting an exhibition “The Spaces Between” of Contemporary Art from Havana (A massive thank you to Rachel for sharing this exhibition to our ASTU class!). This exhibit “explores contemporary Havana from artistic, cultural, sociological, and anthropological perspectives within a new social and economic reality that has made itself evident in Cuba in recent years”. I thought that having recently seen Havana that it would be interesting to see these artists see the “real” Havana in comparison to my recent experience there. Moreover, with the work our ASTU class has been doing in the archives and with the TRC, for myself I feel as though having the opportunity to both see Havana first hand and visiting the exhibition here at UBC to see the contrasts in how Havana’s collective identity is both conveyed and received.

I first want to point out the similar representation of Havana from both “The Spaces Between” and my tour of Havana:

When you visit Cuba (Havana especially) it feels like a time warp back into the late 1880’s to 1950’s. Everywhere you look there is a beautifully restored 1957 Chevy, and architecture dating back from the 1800’s or 1920’s depending whether you are in “Old Havana” or “New Havana”. The buildings are mostly kept in good shape, however only certain parts are restored with a nice colourful paint job. Grethell Rasua’s Cubiertas de deseos 2008-13 in “The Spaces Between” exhibition showcases this iconic style of Havana of having all similar 1920’s architecture but only a portion of the buildings are painted.

 Given the history of Cuba and the limited trading due to the US embargo, Cuba is seemingly stuck in a retro-period of time. Therefore, it is only fitting that the short films displayed at “The Spaces Between” exhibition are played through very old TVs. The intent of using older technology is fitting for the iconic culture that is Cuba in which they are limited to a certain period of technology.

“The Spaces Between” really hones the iconic culture of Havana with the architecture, colours, and use of old TV’s to show their short films. When you first walk into the Belkin Gallery you hear the sounds of bongo drums beating (Habana Solo: Video), if you close your eyes those are the same sounds you hear in the streets of Havana. The difference is when you open your eyes, that gallery shows a whole different Cuba than what I saw. As I mentioned earlier there are resemblances to how Havana is being represented both during my time there and in the gallery, however most of the artworks I witnessed made me feel as though I was not in Havana at all.

There was a great contrast in artistic style to the Cuban culture in which many of the paintings created were very modern and abstract, featuring simplistic shapes, bold colours and one word text. Luis Gomez Amenteros created a piece with a large incision into the wall which reads “Would you like to buy my misery?” (Un sufi suena 2011). Moreover, in the exhibition there was a prevailing focus on the controversial agricultural aspect of Cuban society. This was something that I had no idea about, even while visiting a state farm in the state of Mantanzas.

Although there are many more differences in how the “Real Cuba” is represented between the two experiences, I am more interested in the significance of how they are being portrayed. Throughout our ASTU course we have developed key skills in trying to understand the knowledge making process. Our close study in the archives as an institution of creating and preserving societal memory while allowing for certain identities to emerge in history. Moreover, applying those skills to our most recent visit to the Museum of Anthropology and seeing how that exhibition represented the events of the Canadian Residential Schools. So I then look to the Belkin Art Gallery’s latest exhibition and “The Spaces Between” as showing what the “Real Cuba” is, the truth that lies within the city of Havana. Whereas, I physically had the opportunity to go and see the “Real Havana”. So what I bring into discussion is… which one is real? Which representation is ‘authentic’? Experiencing the city first hand or seeing the city through art which is exhibited in a gallery, at a Canadian university in Canada. Readers… what are your thoughts?

Ever heard of the saying “If a tree fell in a forest did it make a sound?” I have always been curious as to what that phrase meant and what it was intended for. There are so many trees in a forest how can we be sure that we heard one, or multiple trees falling. As I continued to analyze this phrase (which my dad says to me ALL the time) I started to think about our studies of autobiography, and more importantly the biographies of marginalized people.

I recently watched the movie 12 Years as a Slave, such an incredible story. If you haven’t already watched it, I highly recommend it.

This movie in brief, is about Solomon Northup and his story as a free black man who was kidnapped back into slavery in pre-civil war America. This autobiographical film is based on both secret letters he wrote during time as a slave and also his own personal memoir. His writings became an important piece of public history for both the USA and for the identities of the black community and their history. This film reaffirmed my understanding of the significance and implications archival material have on collective and societal memory. We have to then wonder… if Solomon’s writings were never discovered, persevered and shared for the public to hear, how would that affect the social memory? If his story is the tree that fell in the forest, did it make a sound? If so, how did we come to hear it? This is where I look to media and in particular the film industry as exposing the sound of the fallen tree.

Watching 12 Years as a Slave has sparked my interest to further delve into the film world of autobiography. I first look to movies as a main source of media and with reading week coming up this seems like the perfect time to binge. One movie in particular I am looking forward to watch is “Once Were Warriors” which exhibits the struggles of the aboriginal people of New Zealand (Maori) which perhaps may relate to issues closer to home such as our First Nations community. The film makers and script writers who are a part of the process of creating such films also play a careful role in making these stories heard. Although, we must recognize that most things in the Hollywood industry may not always be true, we can still appreciate the exposure gained for stories like Soloman’s.

Relating all this back to my “tree” saying, there are so many trees in forests, and when a tree does fall… of course it makes a sound! It will always make a sound. It all depends who heard it. The media industry not only gives sound to these stories but also amplifies the sound for a global audience to hear. However, this notion is not limited to films. I look at what we are currently studying in ASTU by revisiting our studies in the Truth and Reconciliation of the First Nations people in Canada. The ways in which the TRC is the media that is exposing the “fallen trees” or testimonies of the marginalized, making sure these sounds are heard.

On an end note, with February being Black History Month, this is a time to recognize not only the black community but to also reflect and educate ourselves of other marginalized communities such as First Nations, Asian, Latin etc. within our own home, Canada.