About the trip

Havana Group photoFollowing a successful bid to the Faculty of Humanities Internationalisation Fund and to the School of European Culture and Languages (SECL), Dr Montserrat Roser i Puig and Dr William Rowlandson were able to take a group of 18 students from Hispanic Studies on a subsidised study trip to Havana, Cuba.

The trip allowed the students to explore first-hand the rich and lively culture of Havana, to immerse themselves in its language, history, architecture, music, cars, noise, food, and rum. In this way it satisfied the aims, learning outcomes and transferable skills indicated in the Hispanic Studies Programme Specification, and provided direct practical experience of material studied in a number of Hispanic Studies modules (LS312, LS555, LS554 and LS580).

The schedule was full, whilst allowing plenty of time for individual activities such as wandering through the streets of Old Havana, strolling along El Malecón (the sea wall), attending musical functions, or sampling local food and drink. Highlights of the group activities included an evening’s dinner and salsa dancing at the old colonial mansion Palacio de la Artesanía, a live rumba performance at Callejón Hamel, a tour of the Habana Club rum factory, a day’s outing with poet Ernesto Canteli, a contemporary art exhibition in the Pabellón de Cuba, an evening discussion with journalist and activist Jorge Enrique Rodríguez, and a noisy bus ride to the beach at Guanabo. We also visited both the Museo de la Revolución and the Museo de los Orishas, where Afro-Catholic religious syncretism became an enriching and mind-broadening experience for us all. Of particular interest was the group visit to Casa de las Américas to meet celebrated poet Nancy Morejón, who spoke to the group with great passion, discussing, amongst other issues, the importance of their visit to Havana, and read a number of her poems.

The trip was a great success, and has indisputably been of great benefit to all those who went. Many contacts in Havana have been established or consolidated, and those whom we met in Cuba – from hotel staff to cultural figures like Nancy Morejón or Ernesto Canteli – commented on the good nature, kindliness and manners of the group. All who participated in the trip would like to thank the Faculty and SECL for the generous financial assistance and the Kent branch of the NUS for the loan of their minibus. We hope to be able to organise another similar trip at some stage in the next few years.

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