Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Labor Tour November 16-22

Invitation to Join a Labor Tour of Cuba: November 16th - November 22nd (8/15/14)

We are putting together a seven-day, six night tour of Cuba for senior staff and local leaders at various U.S. labor unions. The tour will concentrate on the current economic reforms and their impact on Cuban workers. It will also explore how Cuban trade unions are trying to deal with these massive changes. Finally, we will get a real education on how the U.S. blockade impacts Cuba and how it also impacts the United States.

We would like to invite you to join this exciting trip tentatively scheduled for November 16th through November 22nd. A maximum of fifteen (and a minimum of 10) people will join the tour that is sponsored and organized by Disarm Education Fund, a nonprofit organization that has a U.S. government license to conduct people-to-people tours of Cuba. The tour will be lead by Bob Schwartz, Director of Disarm Education Fund and Michael Locker, President of Locker Associates.

Undoubtedly you will learn a lot from this experience, and you could possibly use this knowledge in your work moving forward. The Revolution is now 55 years old and, as you probably know, Cuba is currently undergoing major economic and social changes, experimenting with new ways to improve their weak economy and incorporating private ownership in their restructuring efforts. As you might expect, Cuban workers from every occupation are undergoing difficult changes as these government reforms are being instituted.

Moreover, Cuba is still confronted with a total U.S. economic blockade, cutting the country off from all forms of U.S. commerce and investment. In our opinion this illegal and unjust blockade should be immediately lifted, first because of the massive damage to the Cuban people and their economy and second because it actually hurts the U.S. economy. By blockading Cuba, the U.S. government has eliminated significant exports from the United States, thereby weakening the U.S. economy and employment opportunities.

More specifically, the purpose of the trip is to explore:

· The rapidly changing Cuban reality.

· The role of Cuban unions and workers in restructuring their economy.

· The role of Cuban cooperatives in restructuring their economy.

· The impact of the U.S. embargo on Cuba and the United States.

· How the end of the U.S. embargo would affect the U.S. economy and U.S. workers.

· How to involve U.S. unions and labor leaders in ending the Cuban embargo.

Tentative activities during the trip include:

· Meet with national and local union leaders of the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC).

· Open discussion with the Cuban Communist Party on key political questions.

· Visit two traditional work centers, including a one day trip to Cienfuegos.

· Visit two new co-operative work centers.

· Visit the new port of Mariel.

· Visit a school or daycare center.

· Visit a health clinic.

· Presentation & discussion on the Cuban economy with a Cuban economist.

· Presentation & discussion on the US embargo and its impact on Cuba with an expert.

· Meet with the Catholic Church.

· Tour Old Havana where major restoration has occurred.

· Meet with professors and administrators at the University of Havana.

· Experience diverse cultural activities including music, dance, theater, etc.

This trip will cost about $3,000. This will include roundtrip airfare from Miami to Havana, transportation services inside Cuba, accommodations at a first-class hotel, breakfast every morning, two lunches and two dinners at excellent restaurants, translation and a guide. Transportation to and from Miami is not included and must be arranged for and paid by you.

See the attached Fact Sheet for further details on the tour.

If you are interested in applying for this tour fill out the attached questionnaire and return it no later than July 31, 2014 to:

Michael Locker

Locker Associates

225 Broadway, Suite 2625

New York, NY 10007

212-962-2980

lockerassociates@yahoo.com

If you have any questions please call or email Michael Locker at 212-962-2980 or lockerassociates@yahoo.com.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Cuban state tourism industry beginning to do business with new class of entrepreneurs

Andrea Rodriguez And Michael Weissenstein, The Associated Press
Sat, 27 Sep 2014 11:16:00 CST

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FILE - This Sept. 11, 2013 file photo shows the San Francisco de Asis plaza during a light rain near the harbor in Old Havana, Cuba. Cuba’s state-run tourism industry is increasingly doing business with the country’s new class of entrepreneurs, trying to improve quality of food and lodging while maintaining a grip on the sector’s biggest sources of foreign exchange. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes, File)

HAVANA - Cuba's state-run tourism industry increasingly is doing business with the country's new class of private entrepreneurs, trying to improve quality of food and lodging while maintaining a grip on the sector's biggest sources of foreign exchange.

One of the country's highest tourism officials provided new details on the initiative in an interview with The Associated Press, saying two dozen restaurants for tourists have been converted into worker-owned co-operatives since January. Jose Manuel Bisbe, president of state tour operator Havanatur, also said his firm was sending tourists to hundreds of private bed-and-breakfasts instead of government hotels.

"The state must free itself from activities that aren't decisive for the economy and that experience is showing function better privately," he told the AP on Friday. He said that some tourism-related businesses like bus transport and large-scale hotels would remain in state hands.

Tourism is one of Cuba's top four generators of income, along with nickel mining, medical services and remittances from relatives living abroad.

State-run restaurants for tourists and for Cubans have long suffered from complaints about poor quality and widespread pilferage by employees who resell food and supplies on the black market or take them for personal use. Hundreds of private restaurants have sprung up around the country since the launch of a limited economic liberalization four years ago and generally offer food and customer service far superior to those in government venues.

Cuba sees co-operatives as a middle ground between the communist model of state ownership and the private enterprise that has been making inroads into industries like restaurants and personal services under the reform meant to spur badly needed growth.

State news agency Prensa Latina has reported that Cuba has 11,000 restaurants, most for Cubans, and 1,260 private establishments known as "paladares," which cater mostly to visitors and foreigners living in Cuba.

Official statistics are sparse in Cuba and Bisbe declined to provide further details of the private enterprise initiative, including how many restaurants were run wholly or partly by the state tourism sector. The Ministry of Commerce also runs a large number of restaurants.

State news agency Cubadebate reported this week that 200 homeowners in the lush Vinales valley had signed deals with state tour operators to provide lodging for tourists.

___

Andrea Rodriguez on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP

Michael Weissenstein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mweissenstein

Monday, September 22, 2014

Tour Agencies Sign Contracts with Private Rent Houses in Eastern Cuba

Created on Monday, 22 September 2014

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Tour Agencies Sign Contracts with Private Rent Houses in Eastern Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 22 (acn) About 200 of the more than 700 rent houses existing in Viñales town have signed to date contracts with Cubatur, Havanatur and Cubanacan agencies, in keeping with the politics drawn in the 6th Communist Party Congress, Granma newspaper published today.

The establishment of business linkages between travel agencies and the non-state sector seeks to meet the demand for accommodation during the high season in that Pinar del Rio municipality, which has only three hotels, executives of that industry said.

According to Yarelis Moreno, Cubatur representative in the province, the measure also reflects the intention of promoting Cuban lifestyle, culture and roots. In that sense, it is another option offered to customers, she said.

These relationships not only benefit the travel agencies, but it also provides self-employed sector another source of income, as well as a means of promotion and recognition.

For establishing the contract the landlords must have their documentation in order, comply with tax regulations and have comfortable rooms in line with international standards.

http://www.cubanews.ain.cu/economy/1478-tour-agencies-sign-contracts-with-private-rent-houses-in-eastern-cuba

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Site Visit for Spanish Studies Abroad

Spanish Studies Abroad is pleased to host a Site Visit to our program
in Cuba this coming Spring. We believe strongly that these
familiarization trips are a good opportunity to perform program assessment.
Our objective is to provide U.S. colleagues the opportunity to meet our
staff, learn about our programs and talk to our students about their
experience abroad.

In Cuba, the four-night visit from March 16 to March 20, 2015, will focus on our getting to know our program and contacts at Universidad de La Habana. The Site Visits will be led by our on-site staff and Resident Directors, as well as U.S. colleagues.

Spanish Studies Abroad follows the ethical guidelines established by the
Forum on Education Abroad and NAFSA for funding opportunities for program
assessment. We subsidize this valuable opportunity by covering on-site
costs for Group Site Visits, as we do for any Independent Site Vist. Please
share the following link with your colleagues in International Education,
as well as faculty in your Spanish Departments -
http://www.spanishstudies.org/site-visits.html.

_____________________
Jerry Guidera
Executive Director
Spanish Studies Abroad
446 Main Street
Amherst, MA 01002
Office 413.256.0011
Mobile 413.222.2173
www.SpanishStudies.org

Jerry Guidera <jerry.guidera@SPANISHSTUDIES.ORG>

Inexpensive Labor Trip Challenging Travel Restrictions December 27 - January 5/9

New Year's in Havana December 27, 2014- January 5th, 2015

A Multicultural and Labor Seminar trip to Cuba.
December 27, 2014- January 5th, 2015

The richness of Cuban culture and identity has been fed by many streams
throughout its history of migrations. Most of us know that Cubanidad,
or Cuban identity and ethnicity, was formed essentially by the mix of
Spanish, African and indigenous peoples, but on this journey we will
visit with some of the many vibrant cities in Cuba,Trinidad, Havana, Playa Giron, Villa Clara, the country's oldest cigar factory and Havana's Malecon promenade and travelers who want to see the cultural side of Havana nights.

We will have extraordinary opportunities to interact with people
involved in a range of community projects in a way that will give us a
sense of current developments in Cuba, and a view of how Cubans use the
transformative power of the creative process. during this time of
fascinating changes and challenges,

23 anniversary of the U.S./Cuba Labor Exchange.

Price of the Multicultural and Labor Seminar for 10 days $1,650
December 27, 2014- January 5th, 2015

The price of the trip will include: round trip airfare (from Cancun, Mexico to Havana, Cuba to Cancun, Mexico), hotel in Havana (double occupancy), 2 meals per day (breakfast and dinner), internal transportation to and from the program, Translation, Cuban visa and the program. Single rooms are available for an additional $350.

A 2 week of Cuba Labor Seminar-On Cuban education $1,950 December 27,
2014- January 9th, 2015

We will visit the cities of Havana,Santa Clara, Trinidad and Playa
Giron.

This price is good until the end of September,2014. The price may
increase for any application made after that date.

Please Email your application to:
US/Cuba Labor Exchange E-mail: laborexchange@aol.com
laborexchange1991@gmail.com,

A group of trade unionists and workers are exercising their
constitutional right to travel to Cuba, to gather educational
information and to have an exchange of ideas with other workers of the world. These rights are guaranteed by the US Constitution and by the International Human Rights declaration of the United Nations.

"...one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr."

Of all the civil rights for which the world has struggled and fought for 5,000 years, the right to learn is undoubtedly the most fundamental. The freedom to learn. Has been bought by bitter sacrifice. And whatever we may think of the curtailment of other civil rights, we should fight to the last ditch to keep open the right to learn." - W.E.B. DuBois, "The Freedom to Learn." (1949)

All questions MUST be completed. PLEASE PRINT neatly and/or type.

The original application must be submitted, with a copy of your passport attached and $500 deposit made payable to the Labor Exchange.

All information will be kept confidential

Legal Name (as it appears on the passport)____________________
_________________________
Address:____________________________________________________ ______ City_______________________________ State __________________ Zip Code___________ Phone/Fax____________________________
e -mail: ______________________________
Union/Organization_________________________________________
How/from whom did you learn about the U.S./Cuba Labor Exchange ___________________________
Passport#_____________________
Expiration Date_________________
Date of birth_________________________
Place of birth _________________________________

Please Email your application to: US/Cuba Labor Exchange
E-mail to: laborexchange@aol.com or laborexchange1991@gmail.com,

Friday, September 5, 2014

New Third Party Provider Offers Programs with Martin Luther King Center

Licensed study abroad in Cuba


The Autonomous University for Social Movements (AUSM) now has a license to
organize educational programs in Cuba.

Our semester, summer and short term programs, focused on the History, Culture and Politics of Cuba, were managed previously under agreements with several accredited colleges and universities.  Thomas Hansen, PhD, our program coordinator, has 23 years of experience organizing educational programs in Cuba.

Our partner in Havana, the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Center, has 26 years of experience managing educational programs.  We are the only study abroad program in Cuba authorized to offer homestays for students and visiting professors.


Some of Cuba's leading academics and NGOs teach in a program that combines
academic rigor and experiential learning.

We can accept students from accredited US institutions who are part of degree-granting programs for our 16-credit semester and 6-credit Summer programs.  We are also available to arrange short term accredited programs.

For more information, see www.mexicosolidarity.org/cuba.

Tom Hansen, PhD
Autonomous University of Social Movements
Albany Park Autonomous Center
Mexico Solidarity Network
3460 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
773 583 7728


Advisory:  Please send mail to thomasalfredhansen@gmail.com

Chicago Havana Dance Collaboration

Choreographer Jan Bartoszek makes Cuban connections

Jan Bartoszek of Hedwig Dance has a curiosity about what makes people dance, and about Cuban culture

Contemporary troupe Hedwig Dances cooks up new work with Havana's DanzAbierta

"I'm really trying to find out what makes people dance," says choreographer Jan Bartoszek. "It's got to come from the whole body — it's not just intellectual, not about mimicking."

Bartoszek, who's helmed contemporary troupe Hedwig Dances for nearly 30 years, is quiet but passionate, driven by curiosity about many things, but particularly other cultures.

She's chosen the right art form. For whatever reason — because dance can communicate without language, because even the worldwide community is relatively small — dance artists tend to have international connections. Bartoszek has pursued those with particular vigor. "My background is in anthropology and sociology," she explains. "By training and as a person, I'm interested in other cultures and in dance as a manifestation of culture. Throughout the years, I've had dancers from other countries."

Bartoszek hired her first Cuban dancers — the married couple Victor Alexander and Maray Gutierrez Ramis (now Hedwig's artistic associate) — 12 years ago. Since then three other Cubans have joined Hedwig, and today four of the five company members are from Cuba, including Maray's sister, Jessie Gutierrez Ramis, and Edson Cabrera.

Fascinated by her performers and wondering about the environment that produced them, Bartoszek started traveling to Cuba in early 2012, hoping to create a joint work with a Cuban contemporary company devoted to dance theater, as Hedwig is. The result — "Trade Winds/Aires de Cambio," choreographed and performed with Havana-based DanzAbierta — will be on view Oct. 9-11 at the Dance Center of Columbia College.

Uncovering the riches of Cuban culture and creating people-to-people connections isn't a straightforward process, however. Given the United States' history with Cuba, travel back and forth is complicated. When Bartoszek first visited, it was on a dance tour she custom-designed with Evanston's Art Encounter, which has a license to travel there. During that trip she met Susana Pous, DanzAbierta's resident choreographer and co-director with Guido Gali, and started talking with her about collaborating. The Cuban choreographer was excited but skeptical.

"If I'm sincere," Pous says, "I thought that it was impossible. Because never a company like my company, anything like this would happen: going to a country not so far — but really far."

In 2011, when the eminent Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival invited DanzAbierta to make its U.S. debut, the company's visas arrived the day before the show; the members got to Massachusetts only in the nick of time. Though Pous says their experience at the Pillow was good, it was also "really hard with the timing, the papers."

Because Bartoszek and Pous knew that getting together would be difficult, they chose a structure for their piece that would work long-distance. "Our thought was to do something that interlocked," Bartoszek explains, each company devising its own sections but also sometimes commingling onstage. The six members of DanzAbierta will arrive in Chicago, if the stars align, in late September to finish up the piece; its leading co-producer, Links Hall, is supplying rehearsal space.

"The idea came up of using the seasons as a springboard for talking about life — the seasons aren't just nature but what happens to people, the seasons in their lives," Bartoszek says. The piece starts with fall (Hedwig) and continues through summer (DanzAbierta), with a concluding section for both companies. Videos of Havana and Chicago establish the places' differences — and similarities. "In both cities, life is around the water," says Pous. "I'm in Chicago, I see the lake, I feel like I'm on the malecon ('seafront') in Havana."

Though neither Hedwig nor DanzAbierta is a folkloric troupe, Bartoszek recognizes and prizes the influence of Afro-Cuban music and dance on her performers. The way slaves were treated in Cuba, she says, accounts for its "purer strain" of African culture: "The folks that came to Cuba were not separated from each other but stayed together, and many of the African traditions were kept intact. But in the United States, families and communities were separated at auction. It was just different: the blues came out of that, and jazz. African culture also changed and evolved in Cuba, but the very complex African rhythms remained."

From an early age — "it's like learning to read and write," Bartoszek notes — Cuban performers take classes daily in Afro-Cuban dance, moving to chanting and drumming. "The form allows such freedom of expression," she says, "getting inside the movement and letting go in a communal way, becoming part of something larger."

Bartoszek believes her Cuban performers have made her focus harder on movement's intention. "Yes, that was happening before they came," she says. "But I think it's really flowered with the dancers I have now." She also feels "blessed" by their technical polish, their integration and fluidity, which she attributes to early, intensive training in multiple dance forms.

Pous, who grew up in Barcelona and first danced there, moved to Cuba more than 10 years ago: "I discover the Cuban way of dance and Cuban people, and I fall in love of course." She was surprised to find that, unlike in Spain, Cuban theaters were always "full of people. Doesn't matter if it's classical ballet or contemporary or folkloric — they like, and they dance."

Bartoszek says, "Dancing is really, truly part of the culture."

Pous adds that Cuban people "find humor about everything," even about what they call la luchita: "the little struggle," the tiny daily battles to live and work. "It means fighting every day, everywhere, with everything, but nothing happen. And life go on," Pous says.

"And you go with it," says Bartoszek.

To be a dance artist in our country, especially for 30 years, likewise requires coming to terms with la luchita. Bartoszek has continued to produce the emotionally rich, quality work for which she's known partly by searching out "new ventures," she says. "Doors open, and there's a whole new world." She recently returned from Germany, where she visited Pina Bausch's Tanztheater; with Art Encounter, she's planned another "Touch Cuba" tour for late January.

She also credits support from her family and the company. "Maray and Victor believe in what they do," Bartoszek says. "To have that consistency, that kind of trust and ensemble work, is priceless."

ctc-arts@tribune.com

'Trade Winds/Aires

de Cambio'

When: 8 p.m. Oct. 9-11

Where: Dance Center of Columbia

College, 1306 S. Michigan Ave.

Tickets: $26-$30 at 312-369-8330 or colum.edu/dance_center

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/dance/ct-jan-bartoszek-hedwig-dances-column.html#page=1

Travcoa Returning to Cuba With Two New Tours

TOUR OPERATOR | TRAVCOA | DAVID COGSWELL | SEPTEMBER 05, 2014

PHOTO: The cathedral in Old Havana. (Photo by David Cogswell)

Travcoa received its approval from the U.S. Treasury Department to continue operating People to People trips for two more years. The company is re-introducing its tour offerings with some modifications based on its first year’s experience.

Last year the company offered one trip. This year it has split the trip into two variations, one seven-day itinerary and one 10-day itinerary. Both are entitledCommunity, Culture and Cuisine.

“It was great to have a year of learning,” said Cathy Holler, vice president business development and product innovation. “One of the things that we learned about the traveler that wants to visit Cuba is that some want just a taste of it. They want a short trip. They don’t want to move around a lot. They just want to base in one place. Those are the ones who want to stay in Havana, use that as a base, almost as a hub and spoke to their experience.”

For travelers with that preference, the seven-day trip is appropriate. But Travcoa discovered that some travelers have distinctly different preferences and a second variation was introduced to meet the needs of more adventurous clients.

“There’s another side of the community of travelers that wants to have a more intensive exploration,” said Holler. “They want to actually get into the country and stay in places outside of Havana. Last year we had a full program that did Havana and into the external countryside, into Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santa Maria and those regions.

“This year what we’ve done is we have a 10-day program that does spend three days visiting Santa Clara, Cayo Santa María, Caibarién, Remedios, Caletón, and Ciénaga de Zapata National Park. And then that program arrives in Havana and does the program in Havana for five nights. The shorter program just does the Havana part.”

Both programs begin with a pre-night in Miami.

Tour operators are allowed to take American citizens to Cuba even though the U.S. still has Cuba under an economic embargo since the early 1960s under the People to People provisions enacted under President Clinton, cut back by President Bush and then liberalized again under President Obama.

The People to People exception to the embargo restrictions is based on Americans visiting for cultural and educational exchanges with the Cuban people. Americans looking for a tropical beach vacation cannot do it in Cuba.

“One of the requirements of the People to People program is that it’s not a leisure vacation,” said Holler. “It’s a full-time program of educational exchange. So from the morning till 5 o’clock you are busy doing approved People to People exchanges where you’re engaging with the locals. So if someone is looking to travel to Cuba to go to the beaches, you can’t do that as an American visitor under the People to People licensing and opportunity. It doesn’t mean that after 5 o’clock or so when you’re at the hotel, if there’s a beach you can go to it. But during the daytime it’s not a beach vacation. This is really designed for somebody who is truly fascinated to learn about the culture, the people and the history, and to really get authentic engagements at a local level with Cuba.”

Like all U.S. tours to Cuba, Travcoa’s tours are highly regulated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Every day must include a minimum number of educational experiences that comply with the Office of Foreign Assets Controls People to People requirements. But the requirements only require the tour to be highly educational, which is what Travcoa’s trips have always been, so it’s a natural for Travcoa.

When each day’s requirements are met, participants are free to enjoy some leisure time. All meals are included on the program. Travcoa's Dine Around program allows clients to eat at a restaurant of their choosing and bring the receipt to the tour director for reimbursement.

For information, visit www.travcoa.com.

http://www.travelpulse.com/news/tour-operators/travcoa-returning-to-cuba-with-two-new-tours.html