In the film, Viva Cuba, you will meet two main characters,

Jorgito and Malú, who live in Havana, Cuba.

What are some things you already know

about Cuba?

Let’s learn more!

• Cuba is the largest country in the Caribbean• Population: 11,047,251 (July 2014 est.)• Capital: Havana – Population 2.1 million (in 2011)

• Slightly smaller than Pennsylvania• Official language is Spanish• Ethnic groups: white 64.1%, mestizo 26.6%,

black 9.3% (2012 est.)

Important Facts

Listen carefully during the film to hear the place names circled above!

• The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries.

• Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru.

• Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. Subsequently, the 1901 Platt Amendment to the Cuban constitution authorized the US to intervene in Cuba in the event of instability.

• The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from the US in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians.

Taken from The World Factbook.

Cuba’s History

• Three important people in Cuba’s history that you will hear about in Viva Cuba are:– José Martí– Fidel Castro– Che Guevara

Important People

• José Martí, (1853-1895) was born in Havana, Cuba. He was a poet and essayist who became the symbol of Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain. His dedication to the goal of Cuban freedom made his name a synonym for liberty throughout Latin America. Martí organized and unified the movement for Cuban independence and died on the battlefield fighting for it. As a writer, he was distinguished for his personal prose and deceptively simple, sincere verse on themes of a free and united America.

José Martí

Taken from the Encyclopedia Britannica.

• Martí is still remembered and honored by Cubans. For example, Havana’s main airport is named the José Martí International Airport, and his birthday (January 28th) is still celebrated throughout Cuba. Some of his verses have even been put to music in the world-famous song “Guantanamera.”

Pay attention to how Martí’s birthday is celebrated in the film.

• Fidel Castro is known throughout the world as Cuba’s most famous political leader. In 1959, he led a rebel army to victory and held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He transformed his country into the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere and became a symbol of the Communist Revolution in Latin America.

Taken from The World Factbook and Encyclopedia Britannica.

Fidel Castro

• He held the title of premier until 1976, and then began a long tenure as president of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers. He handed over provisional power in July 2006 because of health problems and formally relinquished the presidency in February 2008 to his brother Raúl Castro.

Taken from The World Factbook and Encyclopedia Britannica.

Can you see or hear anything about one of the Castro brothers in the film?

• Che Guevara (born Ernesto Guevara de la Serna) met Fidel and Raúl Castro in Mexico where they were political exiles preparing to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba. Che joined Fidel Castro’s force and became a prominent communist figure in the Cuban Revolution (1956-1959).

• During the early 1960s, he defined policies in Cuba in many speeches and writings such as “Man and Socialism in Cuba,” which examined Cuba’s new brand of Communism.

• He later became a guerilla leader in South America, and after his execution by the Bolivian Army became regarded as a martyred hero and icon of leftists radicalism and anti-imperialism.

Taken from Encyclopedia Britannica.

Che Guevara

• To this day, he remains one of Cuba’s “heroes of the Revolution” and his image can be seen on buildings and posters across the country.

• Every Friday, elementary school children pledge to follow Che’s example.Pay attention to what the school children

say during the film! And see if you can spot any

Images of Che!

• Thousands of American cars were brought into Cuba up until 1960, the year that the United States government declared a trade embargo that stopped all imports. This was a year after Fidel Castro had seized power.

• From that time on, the innovative Cubans found ways to keep their prized American cars in operation, even though they could no longer import parts from the U.S. The majority of these cars have been repowered with diesel engines, either from Russia or Japan.

• There are no junkyards in Cuba. Everything that would have been junk is on the cars.

Taken from an article in The Vancouver Sun.

How many examples of these classic cars can you spot in the film?

Classic Cars

• There are several characteristics that make Spanish spoken in Cuba different than what you hear in other Spanish-speaking countries.

• For example, the letter “s” is often omitted when speaking. Después may be pronounced as depue.

• There is also a weak pronunciation of other consonants, especially at the end of a syllable. Cansado may be pronounced as cansao.

Listen carefully during the film to see if you can notice some examples!

Cuban Spanish

• Another characteristic of Cuban Spanish is the use of the diminutive -ico and -ica instead of the standard -ito and –ita in words with -t in the last syllable. For example, plato (plate) becomes platico instead of platito, and momento (moment) momentico.

• Another interesting tidbit is that Cubans tend to speak familiarly. You might hear a Cuban address a stranger with mi corazón (my heart), mi vida (my life), or cariño (dear) are common.

• Cubans are less likely to use "usted" when speaking to a stranger, elder, or superior. The familiar "tú" is considered acceptable in all but very formal situations.

• The güije is a character who has become legend in Cuba. He has been described as a little old black man, a monster of medium size with goat legs and a caiman tail, and a tiny black child with big eyes.

• The behavior of the güije is similar to that of the elf. He is mischievous and appears and disappears in the blink of an eye. However, no stories of him doing harm have been reported.

Pay attention to what the güije en Viva Cuba looks like and does.

Los Güijes

• There are many things to do and places to see in Cuba…like the beautiful Varadero Beach that you will see in the film.

• But wait just a minute before you pack your bags…the U.S. Department of State website states:– Tourist travel to Cuba is prohibited under U.S. law

for U.S. citizens and others under U.S. jurisdiction.

Traveling to Cuba

Oh well, Varadero Beach…maybe I’ll see you one day!

• If you are dying to get to Cuba, you may not be able to just go and hang out at the beach all day, but it is possible to receive travel authorization for one of the following reasons:– Visiting a close relative– Traveling with a church or religious group– Doing professional work or research– Taking a “people to people” educational tour– Studying abroad

• Illegal immigration to the United States - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the US's southwest border - is a continuing problem.

• The US Coast Guard intercepted 1,357 Cuban nationals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in 2013.

• Also in 2013, 14,251 Cuban migrants presented themselves at various land border ports of entry through out the US.

Taken from The World Factbook

Who wants to leave Cuba in the film? Why?

Cuban Immigrants

Now that you know more

about Cuba…

It’s movie time!

• http://www.mapsofworld.com/flags/cuba-flag.html• http://www.artelista.com/en/artwork/4775939575896422-guijesencuadrados.html• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/cu.htm• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara#mediaviewer/File:CheHigh.jpg• http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/latino-daily-news/details/puerto-rico-working-on-300-f

oot-tall-christopher-columbus-statue/29549/• www.unc.edu/wrc/maps.html• http://lainfo.es/en/2014/08/13/latin-america-celebrate-birthday-of-fidel-castro/• http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/02/fidel-castros-older-sister-dies.html• http://www.haciendapub.com/articles/fidel-and-ra%C3%BAl-castro-%E2%80%94-communist-breth

ren• http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/File:Raul_Castro_Uniform.png• http://www.historyofcuba.com/lagaleria/pages/FidelCastro5.htm• http://www.hist.umn.edu/hist1015/Stuff/Latin%20America/GH%20Cuba%20Fidel%20Raul%20Che

.html• http://www.historyofcuba.com/lagaleria/pages/JoseMarti4.htm• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yank_tank• http://www.cuba-junky.com/matanzas/varadero-home.htm• http://www.classicresorts.ie/cuba-holidays/• http://elizabm.wordpress.com/• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477916/• https://www.flickr.com/photos/joncrel/236998272/meta/

Images obtained from…

• http://www.cuban-traditions.com/cultural_traditions/the_guije/the_guije.html

• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/248399/Che-Guevara.

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7033432.stm• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factb

ook/geos/cu.html• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/98822/Fide

l-Castro• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/366828/Jos

e-Julian-Marti• http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/historyoftheca

ribbean/p/josemarti.htm• http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Havana+rolling+m

useum/9241902/story.html• http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/countr

y/cuba.html• http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/travel/cuba-doing

-it-your-way.html?_r=0• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Spanish

Information obtained from…

• What do you think happened at the end?• How does the film remind you of the story of Romeo and

Juliet?• Do you agree with the gender roles Jorgito and Malú’s

parents describe at the beginning of the film? For example, “boys play with boys,” “girls play with girls,” “girls play with dolls,” and “boys play ball.”

• What are your thoughts on Malú’s mom’s beliefs that she shouldn’t play with someone who is “beneath” her? She calls Jorgito’s family “low people” with “no culture” and “trash.”

• Share some examples of how you could see that Jorgito and Malú’s socioeconomic status truly is different.

• How do you think both mom’s change throughout the film?

Discussion Questions

• Both moms are fed up with Cuba. Malú’s mom says that “everything is illegal.” What exactly does she mean by this? Research some specifics.

• Jorgito’s mom tells his dad that she is fed up with his country and that he is full of machismo. Investigate this term and find out what she means.

• It is obvious that Jorgito’s dad has a problem with both alcohol and domestic violence. What is the prevalence of this in Cuba? In Latin America?

• When Malú’s abuela was buried, did you notice the cemetery? How was it different than the ones we have here in the US? Why?

• Other than the abundance of classic cars, did you notice additional differences in transportation? (Like no helmets!) Research transportation in Cuba to learn more.

• What would you still like to know about Cuba? Choose a topic of your own and discover the answer! Maybe you want to know more about Cuban food or music, Guantanamo Bay, or famous Cuban Americans.

Further Exploration