Visions of Cuba

Dr. Sadye L. M. Logan Joins the CSWE Re-search Delegation to Cu-ba June 2-10, 2012

In June 2012, Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) sponsored a delegation of social work faculty from several universities in the United States for an educational tour of Cuba.

CSWE is a non-profit, national organization that represents more than 2,500 indi-vidual members as well a graduate and undergraduate social work education pro-grams .

This program afforded the following opportunities:

1. A comprehensive view of the development and present state of Cuban social work education and practice.

2. Information about social work education and practice in Cuba.

3. An opportunity to establish contacts for possible future collaboration with the Cu-ban social work community

Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country in the Caribbean.

The nation of Cuba consists of the Main Is-land of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos.

CAPITOL: Havana

POPULATION: 11,253,665 (2011, World Bank) GDP: US$60.81 billion (2008, World Bank)

NATIONAL ANTHEM: La Bayamesa

GOVERNMENT: Unitary State, Socialist State

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Spanish

NATIONAL FLOWER: Marpasa

Cuba’s Transport...

Cuba and her people

The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”

– Samuel Johnson

Senior citizens comprise the largest percentage of the population (high so-cial security cost, etc.)

20 percent of Cuba’s families and children are living below the poverty level.

Afro-Cubans comprise approximately 62% of island population. … 80 percent incarcer-ated

Stagnation in population growth due to per-sistently low birth rate.

Maternal & child health: Early diagnosis, re-search, assessment, and ongoing monitoring are key elements of Cuban programs. A key player in the country’s suc-cessful approach to ma-ternal health and early childhood development is multidisciplinary Pol-yclinics.”

Cuba provides three non-compulsory pre-school education programs. Today compul-sory education through ninth grade exists. The effects of the Special Period and Tourism are having some negative effect on continu-ing education beyond the ninth grade.

Cuban social scene...

Recreation and work

Nature and the environment

Las Terraza is located 40 miles west of Havana in the Pinor del Rio in the Sier-ra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve. This is a project of sustainable rural econo-my developed for tourism based on the rational uses of natural resources. Its environmental center and botanical garden specializes in nearly extinct indigenous plants.

Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries - Jimmy Carter

If we could see the beauty of a single flow-er clearly our whole life would change.

Buddha

Old Havana

Havana was founded in 1519 by the Spanish. By the 17th century, it had become one of the Caribbean’s main centers for ship-building. Although it is today a sprawling metropolis of 2 million inhabitants, it’s old center retains an interesting mix of Baroque and neoclassical monuments, and a homogenous ensemble of private houses with arcades, balconies, wrought-iron gates and internal courtyards.

Art and culture

Cuban Culture is a colorful, interest-ing mix. Further, as reflected in these images, a strong artistic presence exist among the Cuban people.

The Jose Marti Memorial At Revolution Square in Havana, Cuba

National Museum of Beautiful Arts

This political artist subject is the politics of the environment. He is world renown and lives in sustainable rural community of Las Terrazas, The tree is cen-tral in his work as an artist.

The founder and director of La Col-menita, or “The Little Beehive,” is quick to note that the kids “don’t want to be actors. They want to play at acting.” The goal of the in-ternationally acclaimed children’s theater troupe is to use dance, mu-sic and acting as a way to develop each child’s creativity so they can achieve their greatest potential, in-dividually and as a group. Their success has inspired “beehives” all over the world.

They engaged the delegation in performance as part of their welcome.

Music and dancing

Rumba is synonymous with Cu-ba...It is described as the heartbeat of Cuban Music! It was brought to Cuba by African slaves, was usual-ly restricted and suppressed , con-sidered dangerous and lewd.

Programs and services

Socialist model in crisis…

Challenges and achievement in Cuba’s social, economic, and political spheres:

A sharp decline in the standards of living

Lower social participation, especially among young people

Trend toward social differentiation

Scarcity of food, insufficient transportation and housing

Problems in everyday life, e.g., blackouts

The Center is an interdiscipli-nary research institution at the national and international levels studies on social structures, and inequality, re-ligion, labor issues; and the and social participation.

Research Center for Psychological and So-ciological Research—Cuba (Centro de In-vestigaciones Psico-logicas Y Sociologicas)

Latin American School of Social Science (Facultad Latinoameri-cana de Ciencias So-ciales Programa cuba

The focus of FLACSO’s is on re-search that is done on contemporary issues confronting Cuba...

A middle school located in the Las Terrazas com-munity.

Universidad de La Havana The delegation met with the Sociology and Social Work alumni and faculty to discuss the history and development. of social work practice and education. Social work appears to exist and is evolving in a health based context.

Casa de la Cultural de Playa Munici-pal. This program administers a pro-gram called Senior Adult University where adults learn the various aspects of the psychosocial aspects of aging.

The participants are given a diploma at the end of the program and some of the graduates from the group start teaching other older adults.

Miscellaneous images

Hotel Nacional de Cu-ba , and Cuba after dark...

Members of the dele-gation support team

Me having fun…

Reflection and evaluation

Reflections: Social Work Research Program Delegation to Cuba

I have had an ongoing interest and curiosity about Cuba since watching via

television coverage, Fidel Castro fighting in a guerrilla war in the Sierra

Maestra Mountains in the late 1950s against the country’s dictator, Fulgen-

cio Batistia. I was totally inspired by the notion that an old capitalist, sex-

ist, racist society could be transformed into a nation of new women and

men progressing together not because of the color of their skin or pedigree,

but according to their individual need and ability. Since then the motiva-

tion and desire to visit Cuba was as intense and as intoxicating as the fra-

grance of her national flower, the mariposa. Clink here to see evaluation!