CUBA 2017

 CUBA 2017 by Adriana Corzo

The opportunity of traveling to Cuba presented to me this summer came with many surprises and excitement. Quite frankly, it is a bit of challenge to share all I encountered and experienced. I don't quite know how to explain my mixed feelings about it. Cuba has always been a mystery. For some is a tropical island and for some others is a difficult chapter of contemporary history of a failing or a successful government philosophy.  For me it represented a discovery.  A personal discovery.  A literary discovery. A human discovery. A discovery of a part of contemporary history that people of my generation and background lived from the outside.  From the inside, the excitement to discover Cuba from a cultural point and the inevitable political system was quiet a journey.

To my surprise Cuba was much more than what I expected.  More than a political chapter of history I learned about, it was an amazing experience to witness the power that comes with human resilience. A human experience where poets, artists, historians, musicians and immensely talented and generous beings with their individual forms of expressions gave to us the opportunity to learn and enjoy and appreciate their art. This in the middle of a combined nostalgic and at the same time hopeful message.  Working for many days with poet Leymen Pérez and others was a great way to discover Cuba not only in a literary way but historically and politically. 

The various activities in the afternoon open channels of curiosity.  Whether it was visiting the Castillo de San Severino & Ruta del Esclavo or the Finca del proyecto agropecuario, each respective activity came with its own discovery and definition of each space in this journey. The confined space of the editorial house was a preamble to seek more about Cuba. The confined space yet large cavity inside the Bellamar caves served as a metaphor for the the hidden beauty of this island. Visiting the picture-perfect crystal clear blue ocean in Varadero with its white sand released that feeling of confinement into the reality of the limitless natural beauty of Cuba. Riding in the bus from one point to another carried images containing mixed feelings of tourism and poorism. Poorism which at the same time unveiled an unspoken beauty.

The highlight of the trip is translating poetry. What an exciting, intellectual and formative activity. I thoroughly enjoyed the expression part, the literary part, as much as I enjoyed the human behind the letters.

I came back with memories & anecdotes and I have not stopped talking about it with all of those who approach me with the question how is Cuba?

I feel fortunate to have had this opportunity. To see the contrast.  It is beauty and perhaps ugly at the same time. An opportunity to see freedom in a contradicting way, one that is framed in revolutionary ideology.

The world should know more about Cuba and the beauty of its people. Poetry should travel and should never be confined to an island. It was a privilege to have had the opportunity to translate Cuban poetry to the English language and in some way, open the channels of communication and expression via literary pieces. All of us involved in this adventure, should be ambassadors of this message of trapped freedom and expression, nostalgic beauty and hope. A feeling which left me with a desire to do more than what I did in my short time in Cuba.

Cuba is a place where time paused and yet people continue to grow and develop inside. It is a contradictory yet fascinating place.  An unforgettable experience for others to seek. Certainly, a building block in my formation.

I highly recommend to others to experience Cuba and get sensitized with this contrasting environment that will open your horizons and stimulate your intellect.