Overview of Legal Travel

PLEASE REFER TO UPDATED CONTENT AT  http://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2011/05/updated-flyer-on-legal-travel-options.html

Who can go to Cuba now?

Americans still don’t have freedom to vacation in Cuba, but travel for a purpose has been restored by President Obama.  Anyone with a serious interest in learning and engaging can find a legal way.

General Licenses

A general license does not have to be applied for.  There is no paper work with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in Washington before or after the trip.  The only action necessary is internal to the institution, based on its own good faith judgment and practices.

Students   http://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2011/03/ofac-regulations-for-educational-and.html

A college can create a one or two week intercession, spring break or summer program that provides  credit toward graduation for its own students and those from other schools.  The only requirement is to obtain the normal standing for any academic course.  Also covered is Spanish language and other “study at a Cuban academic institution, provided the formal course of study in Cuba will be accepted for credit toward the student’s graduate or undergraduate degree.”  Schools that offer independent study may see that also as, “a structured educational program in Cuba as part of a course offered for credit.” 

Each student, teacher, adjunct or full or part-time staff simply has to “carry a letter on official letterhead, signed by a designated representative of the sponsoring U.S. academic institution.”

Graduate students can travel with a letter from the responsible university official stating that the trip is for research in Cuba that will be accepted for credit toward a degree. 

A travel agent or tour operator can assist a school in developing a course, but only licensed Travel Service Providers at present can book flights and accommodations.

Religious Groups    http://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2011/03/httpwww.html

Any “religious organization” at a local, regional or national level can easily authorize a trip.  Participants “must carry with them a letter on official letterhead, signed by a designated representative of the U.S. religious organization, confirming that they are members or staff and are traveling to Cuba to engage in religious activities under the auspices of the organization.”

Under the US Constitution, the definition of “religious organization” or “religious activities” by a government agency is problematic.  The faith and practice of established groups and communities should enable substantive trips with a broader focus than traditional worship with coreligionists.

A travel agent or tour operator can assist members of a local religious organization, or of a recognized body within it, to organize a trip to Cuba and participate if personally affiliated. 

Specific Licenses

A specific license requires a written application to OFAC by mail or fax.  Depending on guidance from the White House and State Department, this can be a routine process for purposes of registration and general oversight, as during the Clinton Administration, or a time consuming obstacle course designed to politically shape or limit authorized travel, as under President Bush.  We will only know which it is to be when OFAC publishes guidelines and new licenses are issued.

People to People Travel 

http://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2011/03/ofac-regulations-for-people-to-people.html

The category of “educational exchanges not involving academic study” is potentially the same umbrella that enabled a wide range of professional and shared interest groups to travel to Cuba before 2004.  Organizations are seeking new licenses that under Clinton were able to program trips ranging from high schools to elderhostel, world affairs councils to bird watchers, alumni to dance students.  In effect they will serve as intermediaries with both OFAC and Cuba for groups like museums, lawyers, doctors, and business people that don’t want to obtain their own licenses and don’t have experience in-country.  Awaiting clarification is whether groups must have a history of organizing exchange programs or qualify on the basis of the trip for which they are seeking the license. 

Specific licenses can also be obtained for workshops, clinics, performances and sports program.

Logistics

Persons wishing to visit Cuba can either organize their own qualified trip or join one with open enrollment that fits their interest, schedule and budget.  Groups with general or specific licenses at present must either use one of 250 licensed US Travel Service Providers to book flights and programs or a company located in a third country.  In either case only three ground operators can provide programs for Americans within Cuba:  Havanatur, San Cristobal and Amistur.

For latest information on regulations and their implementation, contact director@ffrd.org or go to

Cuba/US People to People Partnership        cubapeople2people.org  

OFAC Regulations for People to People Travel

(b) Specific licenses. Specific licenses

may be issued on a case-by-case basis

authorizing the travel-related

transactions set forth in § 515.560(c) and

other transactions directly incident to:

(1) An individual’s educational

activities of the types described in

paragraphs (a)(2) through (a)(4) of this

section but not authorized by the

general license contained in paragraph

(a) of this section;

(2) Educational exchanges not 

involving academic study pursuant to a

degree program when those exchanges

take place under the auspices of an

organization that sponsors and

organizes such programs to promote

people-to-people contact; 

§ 515.570 Remittances

[General license]

(b) Periodic $500 remittances 

authorized. Persons subject to the

jurisdiction of the United States are

authorized to make remittances to

Cuban nationals, including, but not

limited to, remittances to support the

development of private businesses,

provided that:

(1) The remitter’s total remittances

pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section

to any one Cuban national do not

exceed $500 in any consecutive three-

month period;

[The above provision will allow  indirect follow-up support to institutions visited via publicly reported donations to responsible staff. Direct institutional support requires a  specific license, see below, and is limited to non-governmental entities.]

(g) Specific licenses. Specific licenses

may be issued on a case-by-case basis

authorizing the following:

(1) Remittances by persons subject to

U.S. jurisdiction to independent non-

governmental entities in Cuba,

including but not limited to pro-

democracy groups and civil society

groups, and to members of such groups

or organizations, or to individuals or

independent non-governmental entities

to support the development of private

businesses, including small farms

OFAC Regulations for Performances, Clinics, Workshops, Athletic and Other Competitions and Exhibitions

http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/fr76_5072.pdf

§ 515.567 Public performances, clinics,
workshops, athletic and other competitions,
and exhibitions.

 * * * * *

(b) Public performances, clinics, 
workshops, other athletic or non-athletic 
competitions, and exhibitions. Specific
licenses, including for multiple trips to
Cuba over an extended period of time,
may be issued on a case-by-case basis
authorizing the travel-related
transactions set forth in § 515.560(c) and
other transactions that are directly
incident to participation in a public
performance, clinic, workshop, athletic
competition not covered by paragraph
(a) of this section, non-athletic
competition, or exhibition in Cuba by
participants in such activities, provided
that:
(1) The event is open for attendance,
and in relevant situations participation,
by the Cuban public;
(2) All U.S. profits from the event
after costs are donated to an
independent nongovernmental
organization in Cuba or a U.S.-based
charity, with the objective, to the extent
possible, of promoting people-to-people
contacts or otherwise benefiting the
Cuban people; and
(3) Any clinics or workshops in Cuba 
must be organized and run, at least in 
part, by the licensee.

Appalachian State University May Be First to Use General License

Study abroad opportunity in Cuba

Posted March 3, 2011 at 10:41 am · By ASU News

BOONE—Appalachian State University students interested in exploring photography and printmaking in Cuba have an opportunity to travel to the Caribbean country in June.

Assistant Professor Scott Ludwig from the Department of Art and Dr. Garner Dewey from the Department of Technology will lead the trip June 13-27. The cost is $2,600 plus tuition. For more information, contact Dewey at 262-7337 or deweygg@appstate.edu.

Enrollment is limited. The deadline to apply is March 14.

Designed as a studio-based, travel experience, enrolled students will participate in selected, hands-on workshops in photography and printmaking/mixed-media at renowned studios such as the Taller Experimental de Grafica and Fototeca de Cuba located in Old Town, Havana.

Working with the program directors in collaboration with Cuban artists and master printers, students will develop a thematic body of work based on their personal observations and experiences culled from field work and photo-excursions of the city and surrounding area, such as Pinar del Rio and other communities to experience Cuba’s social diversity.

Students also will visit culturally significant monuments, museums and historical sites such as the Plaza de Revolucion, Habana Vieja, Colon Cemetary, el Capitolio and the Museum of Colonial Arts.

As a capstone experience, selections of the students’ creative work will be featured in thematic art exhibitions in Cuba, at Appalachian and in the local community.

Students will stay in a local “casa particular,” a well-appointed, spacious home owned by private citizens who provide inexpensive accommodations to travelers. Students and trip leaders will socialize and dine as a group with the host families.

http://www.news.appstate.edu/2011/03/03/study-abroad-opportunity/

OFAC Regulations for Religious Licenses

http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/fr76_5072.pdf

§ 515.566 Religious activities in Cuba.

[General license, no application or report]


(a) General license. Religious 
organizations located in the United
States, including members and staff of
such organizations, are authorized to
engage in the travel-related transactions
set forth in § 515.560(c) and such
additional transactions as are directly
incident to religious activities in Cuba
under the auspices of the organization.
Travel-related transactions pursuant to
this authorization must be for the 
purpose of engaging, while in Cuba, in 
a full-time program of religious 
activities. Financial and material
donations to Cuba or Cuban nationals
are not authorized by this paragraph (a).
All individuals who engage in
transactions in which Cuba or Cuban
nationals have an interest (including
travel-related transactions) pursuant to
this paragraph (a) must carry with them
a letter on official letterhead, signed by 
a designated representative of the U.S. 
religious organization, confirming that
they are members or staff of the
organization and are traveling to Cuba to
engage in religious activities under the
auspices of the organization.

Note to paragraph (a): U.S. religious
organizations and individual travelers must
retain records related to the travel
transactions authorized pursuant to this
paragraph. See §§ 501.601 and 501.602 of this
chapter for applicable recordkeeping and
reporting requirements. Financial donations
require separate authorization under
§ 515.570. See § 515.533 for an authorization
of the exportation of items from the United
States to Cuba. Exportation of items to be
used in Cuba may require separate licensing
by the Department of Commerce.


[Specific licenses, applied for]


(b) Specific licenses. Specific licenses
may be issued on a case-by-case basis
authorizing the travel-related
transactions set forth in § 515.560(c) and
other transactions that are directly
incident to religious activities not
authorized by the general license
contained in paragraph (a) of this
section. The application for the specific
license must set forth examples of
religious activities to be undertaken in
Cuba. Specific licenses may be issued
pursuant to this section authorizing
transactions for multiple trips over an
extended period of time to engage in a
full-time program of religious activities
in Cuba.

(c) For the purposes of this section,
the term designated representative of 
the U.S. religious organization means a 
person designated as the official 
responsible for overseeing the 
organization’s Cuba travel program. 


Note to § 515.566: Religious organizations
engaging in activities authorized pursuant to
this section are permitted to open and 
maintain accounts at Cuban financial 
institutions for the purpose of accessing 
funds in Cuba for transactions authorized
pursuant to this section.


[It is questionable under Constitutional provisions of separation of church and state that OFAC can define "religious organization" or "religious activities" in any but the most extreme of cases, e.g. an advertized beach holiday by self-professed sun-worshipers.  In the case of a general license, it has to initiate a challenge after the fact and dispute the religious character of a US organization and of its activities in Cuba.]







§ 515.570 Remittances

(c) Remittances to religious 

organizations in Cuba authorized.
Persons subject to the jurisdiction of the
United States are authorized to make
remittances to religious organizations in
Cuba in support of religious activities,
provided that the remittances are not
made from a blocked source and that the
remitter, if an individual, is 18 years of
age or older.

[OFAC will find it difficult to argue that religious activities do not include humanitarian, service, educational and development work of Cuban religious organizations.]

OFAC Regulations for Higher Education Licenses

http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/fr76_5072.pdf

§ 515.565 Educational activities.

[General Licenses, No Application or Report]


(a) General license. Accredited U.S. 
graduate and undergraduate degree- 
granting academic institutions, 
including faculty, staff, and students of 
such institutions, are authorized to
engage in the travel-related transactions
set forth in § 515.560(c) and such
additional transactions that are directly
incident to:

(1) Participation in a structured 
educational program in Cuba as part of 
a course offered for credit by the 
sponsoring U.S. academic institution.
An individual traveling to engage in
such transactions must carry a letter on
official letterhead, signed by a
designated representative of the
sponsoring U.S. academic institution,
stating that the Cuba-related travel is
part of a structured educational program
of the sponsoring U.S. academic
institution, and stating that the
individual is a member of the faculty or
staff of that institution or is a student
currently enrolled in a graduate or
undergraduate degree program at an
accredited U.S. academic institution
and that the study in Cuba will be
accepted for credit toward that degree;

(2) Noncommercial academic research 
in Cuba specifically related to Cuba and 
for the purpose of obtaining a graduate 
degree. A student traveling to engage in
such transactions must carry a letter on
official letterhead, signed by a
designated representative of the
sponsoring U.S. academic institution,
stating that the individual is a student
currently enrolled in a graduate degree
program at an accredited U.S. academic
institution, and stating that the research
in Cuba will be accepted for credit
toward that degree;

[Authorization of language study, etc.]


(3) Participation in a formal course of 
study at a Cuban academic institution, 
provided the formal course of study in 
Cuba will be accepted for credit toward 
the student’s graduate or undergraduate 
degree. An individual traveling to
engage in such transactions must carry
a letter on official letterhead, signed by
a designated representative of the
sponsoring U.S. academic institution,
stating that the individual is a student
currently enrolled in a graduate or
undergraduate degree program at an
accredited U.S. academic institution
and that the study in Cuba will be
accepted for credit toward that degree;

(4) Teaching at a Cuban academic 
institution by an individual regularly 
employed in a teaching capacity at the 
sponsoring U.S. academic institution,
provided the teaching activities are
related to an academic program at the
Cuban institution and provided that the
duration of the teaching will be no
shorter than 10 weeks. An individual
traveling to engage in such transactions
must carry a letter on official letterhead,
signed by a designated representative of
the sponsoring U.S. academic
institution, stating that the individual is
regularly employed in a teaching
capacity at that institution;

(5) Sponsorship, including the 
payment of a stipend or salary, of a 
Cuban scholar to teach or engage in 
other scholarly activity at the 
sponsoring U.S. academic institution (in
addition to those transactions
authorized by the general license
contained in § 515.571). Such earnings
may be remitted to Cuba as provided in
§ 515.570 or carried on the person of the
Cuban scholar returning to Cuba as
provided in § 515.560(d)(3); or

(6) The organization of, and 
preparation for, activities described in
paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(5) of this
section by members of the faculty and
staff of the sponsoring U.S. academic
institution. An individual engaging in
such transactions must carry a letter on
official letterhead, signed by a
designated representative of the
sponsoring U.S. academic institution,
stating that the individual is a member
of the faculty or staff of that institution,
and is traveling to engage in the
transactions authorized by this
paragraph on behalf of that institution.

Note 1 to paragraph (a): U.S. academic
institutions and individual travelers must
retain records related to the travel
transactions authorized pursuant to this
paragraph. See §§ 501.601 and 501.602 of this
chapter for applicable recordkeeping and
reporting requirements. Exportation of
equipment and other items, including the
transfer of technology or software to foreign
persons (‘‘deemed exportation’’), may require
separate authorization from the Department
of Commerce.

Note 2 to paragraph (a): This paragraph
authorizes all members of the faculty and 
staff (including but not limited to adjunct 
faculty and part-time staff) of the sponsoring 
U.S. academic institution to participate in the
activities described in this paragraph. A
student currently enrolled in a graduate or
undergraduate degree program at any
accredited U.S. academic institution is
authorized pursuant to this paragraph to
participate in the academic activities in Cuba
described above through any sponsoring U.S. 
academic institution, not only through the 
institution at which the student is pursuing 
a degree.


[Specific licenses, must be applied for]


(b) Specific licenses. Specific licenses
may be issued on a case-by-case basis
authorizing the travel-related
transactions set forth in § 515.560(c) and
other transactions directly incident to:

(1) An individual’s educational
activities of the types described in
paragraphs (a)(2) through (a)(4) of this
section but not authorized by the
general license contained in paragraph
(a) of this section;

[Seminars, conferences, workshops]


(3) Sponsorship or co-sponsorship by 
an accredited U.S. graduate or 
undergraduate degree-granting academic 
institution of academic seminars, 
conferences, and workshops related to
Cuba or global issues involving Cuba
and attendance at such events by
faculty, staff, and students of the
licensed institution.

(c) Transactions related to activities
that are primarily tourist-oriented,
including self-directed educational
activities that are intended only for
personal enrichment, will not be
authorized pursuant to this section.

(d) For the purposes of this section,
the term designated representative of 
the sponsoring U.S. academic 
institution means a person designated 
by the relevant dean or the academic 
vice-president, provost, or president of 
the institution as the official responsible 
for overseeing the institution’s Cuba 
travel program. 


Note to § 515.565: Accredited U.S.
academic institutions engaging in activities
authorized pursuant to this section are
permitted to open and maintain accounts at 
Cuban financial institutions for the purpose
of accessing funds in Cuba for transactions
authorized pursuant to this section.


§ 515.570 Remittances

[General license]


(b) Periodic $500 remittances 
authorized. Persons subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States are
authorized to make remittances to
Cuban nationals, including, but not
limited to, remittances to support the
development of private businesses,
provided that:
(1) The remitter’s total remittances
pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section
to any one Cuban national do not
exceed $500 in any consecutive three-
month period;

[The above provision will allow follow-up indirect support to institutions visited via publicly reported donations to responsible staff. Direct institutional support requires a  specific license, see below, and is limited to non-governmental entities.]

(g) Specific licenses. Specific licenses
may be issued on a case-by-case basis
authorizing the following:
(1) Remittances by persons subject to
U.S. jurisdiction to independent non-
governmental entities in Cuba,
including but not limited to pro-
democracy groups and civil society
groups, and to members of such groups
or organizations, or to individuals or
independent non-governmental entities
to support the development of private
businesses, including small farms

Holbrook Travel Renews Educational and Natural History Trips

Gainesville, FL (PRWEB) February 21, 2011

The Obama administration announced revisions of travel regulations to Cuba on January 14, after more than a decade of stringent restrictions. The new regulations allow for “purposeful travel” to the country and also included revisions to the policies governing family remittances and regulations on charter flights to Cuba from US airports.

These policy revisions have profound implications for educational travel. New guidelines allow colleges, universities and any higher education institution to organize study programs that are shorter than a semester, as long as the students are degree-seeking and enrolled in a for-credit course. Previously, these study programs were only permitted if their duration was 10 weeks or longer. This type of travel also no longer requires an application to the Department of Treasury or a post-trip report, but only requires a letter from the academic institution supporting the course carried by participants.

The new regulations also allow for “people to people” travel, in which an organization or group travels to the country for the purpose of connecting with Cuban citizens. This type of travel was introduced during the Clinton administration, during which time many nonprofits, civic organizations and cultural institutions traveled to Cuba.

These modifications to the guidelines are big news to companies like Holbrook Travel, a provider that has specialized in this type of educational travel since it was founded in 1974. Planning for programming in late 2011 and 2012 has already begun and the company is developing several additional Cuba expeditions that will highlight sustainable agriculture, natural history, service learning, educational exchange and cultural immersion. The company also offers customized programming for any group or organization that would like to tailor their trip to meet specific educational needs.

“We are particularly pleased to see that university programs will no longer need to apply for a specific license to travel. University programs can now travel with a simple letter from their institution. That is huge. We’re anticipating a substantial surge of programs to Cuba because of the new regulations, so the earlier a group or organization can start planning, the better,” said Andrea Holbrook, president and CEO of Holbrook Travel.

The current regulations still require that travel be arranged through a licensed travel service provider (TSP), a special legal status Holbrook Travel has held since 2001. The company has arranged numerous educational and ecotourism programs in the last decade, and is well versed in organizing travel programs to Cuba.

“People are eager to begin exploring a country that has been off-limits for so long. Many want to see Cuba now – anticipating great changes in the country. Having had the privilege of visiting Cuba many times, I know that these feelings are justified. Things are changing very rapidly there, but it is still one of the most provocative and interesting destinations I have visited. While we hope Cuba will soon be open to any traveler, the upside to the new policies not having gone further is that it will increase the flow of people without totally overwhelming the tourism infrastructure,” Holbrook said. “We really applaud this move to further open travel to Cuba. An open dialogue and exchange of ideas is vital to increasing understanding between Cubans and Americans.”

Holbrook — who has been president and CEO of Holbrook Travel since her mother, founder Giovanna Holbrook, retired — is actively involved in and supportive of travel regulations and programming to Cuba. Holbrook Travel has joined the Cuba/US People to People Partnership, which will offer a website with resources regarding travel guidelines, resources and information for anyone interested in traveling to Cuba 

www.holbrooktravel.com

Common Ground Programs for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Dear Colleagues,

We are very pleased to be able to again offer short term study programs and
field programs to Cuba as we did for many U.S. universities and schools
prior to 2004.

 

Under the new  regulations issued Jan. 24, we can again offer short term
programs for both undergraduate and graduate students, traveling with full
time, assistant, and adjunct professors.  The conditions are that the
programs must be for credit and that students must receive written
authorization from their university for their travel.  Applying for a
specific license from the U.S. Treasury Department is no longer required.
Consortium programs are  again available and possible.  Programs can be any
length of time.  

 

As previously, we can organize study programs in:  History, Literature,
Politics, Afro-Cuban Studies, Sociology, the Arts, Women's Studies,
Architecture, Community Planning & Development, Social Sciences, Political
Sciences, Philosophy, Public Health, Libraries, Social Work, Environmental
Studies, Education & Pedgagogy, Legal Studies, Cuban Studies, Religious
Studies & Theology, Business & Public Administration.  The programs can be
both general (Cuban Studies; Afro-Cuban Studies) or specific (History of the
Cuban Revolution; Afro-Cuban Women Writers of the 20th Century).  They can
be free standing programs or we can organize the program with a counterpart
organization or university in Cuba.  

 

Common Ground has relations with a wide range of Cuban counterpart
organizations:  The University of Havana, Casa de las Americas, Center for
Marti Studies, Center for Che Guevara, Cuban Union of Writers and Artists,
Office of the Historian, National Association of Cuban Teachers, National
Association of Cuban Nurses, National Association of Cuban Jurists,
Institute of Philosophy, Cuban Business Consulting Services, Cuban Institute
for Education Exchange, Center for women's Studies, and Ministries of Public
Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of
International Investment, and many others.  Programs can include lectures as
well as site visits and tours in all areas and regions of Cuba.  While some
programs can be university or institution based, others can be free
standing, as the U.S. universities and professors need.  

 

As many of you know who have worked with us, we are extremely experienced
and very well respected in Cuba as well as with study abroad colleagues with
whom we have worked in the U.S. and the professors who have led programs to
Cuba.  We can work with you to design programs, to set up the appropriate
contacts and relations with counterpart organizations in Cuba, to make all
of the logistical arrangements, and to ensure that the students are well
received and well protected throughout their stay in Cuba.  

 

Currently we are able to offer home stays as well as hotel accommodations in
Havana.  In the provinces we have a choice of hotels in city and suburban
settings.  The transportation we use is airconditioned and comfortable.  All
of our programs include medical/evacuation insurance to cover all
participants while in Cuba.  All of our programs include an English speaking
guide.  There are daily direct flights from Miami and weekly from New York.
We expect there to be flights again from Los Angeles and possibly other U.S.
cities in the near future.  

 

We have a representative in Cuba who directly and solely represents us and
can help in any way needed when the group is in Cuba.  

 

All of which is to say, we hope that you will count on us as you think once
again about short term study programs in Cuba and as your professors and
other faculty again come to you for field programs to Cuba.  

 

 

Merri Ansara

Director, Common Ground

359 Main Street, #2A

Easthampton, MA  01027

Tel 413-203-1125 Fax 413-529-1119

m.ansara@commongroundtravel.com

www.commongroundtravel.com

Unitarian Religious Visits a Good Model

Oregon UU church builds Cuban alliances

Portland-based Cuba AyUUda fosters Cuban-U.S. relations.

By Donald E. Skinner

2.28.11

There was no way to know 11 years ago that a chance conversation between Mark Slegers, minister of music at the First Unitarian Church in Portland, Ore., and a Cuban music director, Digna Guerra, at the Oregon Bach Festival, would lead to something so enduring.

Because of that conversation, 50 singers from the First Unitarian choir program toured Havana in March of 2003. That trip, in which connections were made and friendships forged, has led to more than 25 trips to Cuba by Cuba AyUUda, a social justice action group from First Unitarian. A group of 10 people returned December 21.

What is remarkable is that all of these trips have been to a country that U.S. residents only have limited access to. The U.S. government imposed a partial embargo on Cuba in 1960 during the Cold War. The embargo was expanded in the 1990s, effectively limiting most contact by U.S. residents with Cuba.

There is, however, a religious exemption to the embargo. It is possible to obtain a “religious activities” license from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to make trips that have a religious purpose. Thus Cuba AyUUda was born.

Carol Slegers, who is married to Mark, is the co-founder of the group and has led five of its trips. She noted that the purpose of that first trip was to use music to build bridges, but that the group quickly became involved with much more than music.

Cuba AyUUda groups—the name implies “mutual service to one another,” in Spanish—have helped with AIDS clinics, painted nursing homes, shared the work of construction and gardening, and made art and music with Cubans. They have also taken tons of medical and other supplies to Cuba over the years. A key project is one that the group took over from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee—providing cloth and other materials to a Cuban women’s group that makes baby clothes in an effort to encourage young mothers to seek prenatal care.

But those activities are secondary to the real purpose of the trips—to create friendships. “What Cuba AyUUda has that is most valuable is its network of friends in Cuba,” said Carol Slegers, now the group’s historian. “On these trips people make friends and introduce friends to others. I have become intimately involved with people’s lives there. I know when there are deaths in their families. And I’m a godmother to children there.”

There have been 25 Cuba AyUUda trips. Fourteen have involved groups of people. The rest have been by one or two people using the group’s license.

Woesha Hampson and her husband Tom traveled to Cuba in 2009 as part of Cuba AyUUda. They took with them dental, medical, and sewing supplies, including toothbrushes, dental tools, ibuprofen, and needles and thread. On one day they spent about five hours at the home of a doctor and his wife, a nurse, who were running an HIV/AIDS clinic as well as seeing other patients. “They served us Cuban coffee, and we talked about our families and our work,” she said. “They shared the difficulties of doing all that they were expected to do professionally and still survive on their small salaries. We did a lot of listening. That seemed to be the best way we could be of service.”

She said that she and Tom met with members of six different families on their trip, including locating Cuban family members of the Hampsons’ dental hygienist back in Portland. They also visited the Muraleando artists’ community in the suburbs of Havana, where they observed an art class for children, attended a salsa dance class, and met with some of the artists. Cuba AyUUda frequently carries art supplies to this group.

Slegers estimates that there are several hundred Cubans who have made meaningful connections with Cuba AyUUda travelers. The government does not allow gatherings of more than 10 to 12 people, so Cuba AyUUda meets with them a few at a time.

The requirement that Cuba AyUUda trips be focused on religious activity does not mean that First Unitarian members attempt to convert Cubans or go about holding worship services. Rather, members practice a more practical faith, said Slegers. “We define ‘religious activities’ as acting religiously all the time we are in Cuba according to the principles of our faith. Every time we interact with Cubans we are doing this. For example, if we share a meal, that’s communion.”

Hampson added, “It’s common for Cuba AyUUda groups to join in reflection at the end of a day with their Cuban support people. This often includes lighting a candle and perhaps offering a reading.”

There is a recent sign that the U.S. government may ease restrictions on Cuba. On January 14 President Obama issued a letter directing the secretaries of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security to take steps to reach out to the Cuban people.

Those steps appear to indicate that restrictions on religious groups and travel for educational purposes may be eased and that it will become easier to send limited amounts of money into Cuba. Slegers said that she hopes that with new policies, other UU congregations and even the Unitarian Universalist Association and UU Service Committee will consider engaging with Cuba.

Slegers said that there are certain guidelines that are helpful in creating cross-cultural relationships. Meet people as equals. See the holy in the other. Pay close attention to the presence of the sacred in the ordinary.

And don’t ask too many questions. “Cubans have said they like the fact we don’t quiz them about politics,” she said. “Or act like we’re interviewing them. Instead we orient our people to the concept of mutuality. We ask people to focus on making friends. We try to relate ordinary person to ordinary person.”

In turn, “Cubans say they recognize how hard it is for us to get there,” said Slegers. “They’re impressed we work that hard to get to see them. We show them that what they’ve been told of all Americans being greedy is wrong. That alone is positive.”

The insights go both ways. Cubans share environmentally sustainable practices they’ve had to develop to survive economic challenges. Slegers said the environment may be another area where Cuba AyUUda can connect with Cubans. “Because the country has not been overdeveloped there is a lot we can learn from the ecology.”

Travel goes both ways too. In March the group’s Cuban guide from its first tour in 2003, and her daughter, will visit Portland. “We’ve remained very close,” said Slegers.

Slegers believes the trips lead to more social action at home in Portland. “If you relate to people with fewer economic means you are more likely to come home and get involved with economically disadvantaged communities in your own town. It gives you a different perspective of your own privilege and what it means to be poor.”

Every trip to Cuba has its surprises, but one trip was more eventful than others. In December 2009 when a Cuba AyUUda group of 14 people arrived at the Havana airport it was refused entry to the country. Some members were detained overnight. The problem turned out to be that members needed a different type of visa than they’d previously been required to have. That incident occurred shortly after a man was arrested for illegally distributing satellite communications equipment in Cuba. That apparently caused the Cuban government to more closely scrutinize other visitors. One of the challenges of visiting Cuba, said Slegers, is that sometimes rules are enforced differently. “It’s something we have to consider each time we go.”

Linda Hunter has made three trips with Cuba AyUUda. As an African-American she said she was struck by one thing especially about Cuba. “Youth there seem to treat each other with more respect, camaraderie, humor, and support than I see here.” That gave her an idea and she came home and created a fellowship program that she hopes will entice local youth of color to go to Cuba with Cuba AyUUda. “There is so much youth-on-youth violence here and our youth seem so driven by marketing. I think that visiting Cuba could help them with self-identification and having pride in their ancestry and roots.”

Rick Fortner, director of music for All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Okla., went to Cuba in December with the group. “It was such an eye-opening experience,” he said. “It’s the essential gospel of Jesus—love and care for your neighbor. The governments may not agree, but the people like each other.”

Jesus Magan is a freelance tour guide in Cuba and has guided many of the Cuba AyUUda trips. “We did not have relatives abroad until we met Cuba AyUUda,” he said in an email interview. “They represent for us relatives who care about us. We have been in a permanent struggle for existence here since the tightening of the economic embargo in the 1990s, and it is very rewarding to know that we are not alone. We are very thankful that Carol, Mark, and others from Portland started this fruitful channel of sincere friendship.”

Cuba AyUUda’s visibility within the congregation and Portland itself has grown as more and more people have joined the trips. “We have retreats now, with intense conversations after each trip,” said Slegers. “That has added depth to the organization. We’ve also attracted more young people.”

One of those young people, Meredith Michaud, organized a salsa party on behalf of Cuba AyUUda, an event that now happens annually and draws in people from outside the congregation. “The salsa parties bring in a very diverse crowd of Afro Cubans, Cuban Americans, Hispanics, young and older people together,” said Slegers. “We offer dance lessons and demonstrations. We’ve become a ‘with it’ group. This is one of the most diverse things happening in the congregation.” The salsa parties also raise money for Cuba AyUUda’s work.

Michaud has led two Cuba AyUUda trips. “There have been so many great moments for me,” she said. “My favorite may have been on my last trip, in December, when we visited the artists’ community. We decided to do a salsa dance lesson. All of these people from the whole community came and we had this enormous dance jam. People had an amazing time and we were drinking mango juice, and it was this wonderful spontaneous thing. I hope that we’re helping people to realize there’s this larger world out there and it’s important for all of us to think about the circumstances other people live under.”

http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/177019.shtml

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Comment:

Under the new regulations, any "religious organization" has a general license for "religious activities", requiring only a letter signed by a responsible official from that organization.  It is no longer necessary to apply or report to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for a program like AyUUda.  A religious visa is still required by the Cubans but that policy may be changed.  For further information, contact director@ffrd.org

John McAuliff

Fund for Reconciliation and Development