2016 Travel Seminar to Cuba: Times of Transition in a Revolutionary Nation
Cuba: times of transition in a revolutionary nation
By Omar Brown (STH ’16)
Going to Cuba with the Boston University School of Theology was a dream for many of the participants in the 2016 Study-Travel Seminar to Matanzas and Havana, co-sponsored with the General Board of Church and Society of the UMC. Whether we came with commitments to democracy or socialism, whether we came with a hermeneutics of suspicion or utopian expectations, it was certain that the experiences of our time in Cuba would reflect the diversity of our participants. The group that traveled to Cuba March 29-April 4 included seminary students, pastors, alumni, faculty, and administrators. Group participants varied in their theological commitments, ethnic backgrounds, age, gender and professions, but we all came together to celebrate the beautiful opportunity to discover the depth and breath of all that this small slice of time and Cuba had to offer.
Cuba was truly a proverbial “Tale of Two Cities,” the two worlds of development collided as we viewed a country that seemed to be fluctuating between the past and the present. At first glance, once arriving at the airport, one could see the vintage vehicles that would wet the appetite of any car collector in the United States. Yet upon deeper levels of observation you could see the encroachment of newer and more recently imported vehicles. The cars in the parking lot alone were enough to reveal both our expectations and our ignorance of the Cuban society. Moving on to the seminary of Matanzas we were further greeted with the sights, sounds, and smells of the beautiful Caribbean landscape. The rolling mountains undulated into the relatively flat coast which then filtered into the majestic blue sea that the Caribbean is so famed for.
Our group gladly exchanged our hopes and questions for our current trip with eager anticipation and a cool decorum of introductory friendship. “How did the church survive within the context of Socialism?” “What Exactly is the Cuban experience of Politics?” “What would come of Obama’s visit” “Will we get to dance Salsa?” The questions filtered into the air as a mixture of popular 80’s and nineties music mingled with contemporary salsa and merengue played over the bus sound system, music compliments of Orestes, our driver. We arrived at the Seminary of Matanzas with the humble and warm hospitality of the staff and faculty and looked forward to the days to come.
The conference titled “A Journey of Wisdom and Love” began in full force as we looked at the concept of wisdom, under the leadership of the regal figure Pastor Ofelia Ortega, who has championed the ecumenical advancement of the seminary at Matanzas for many years. Many of the presenters and participants rose to the challenge of a bi-lingual conference as we had simultaneous translation from English into Spanish and vise-versa. The topics presented ranged from Biblical narratives on wisdom, to contextual understandings of wisdom, to wisdom as it is uniquely expressed through the struggles and ministry of women.
The dialogue was rich in content as post-colonial ideals, sustainable development praxis, ecclesiology, Mariology and social justice were brought in direct relation to the main topic of wisdom. Many women of great standing within their respective denominations, spoke of their ongoing relationship with Cuba and its people. These women, as well as men, spoke of their triumphs and challenges in developing the social, cultural and religious life of Cuba. Facing resistance from both ecclesial and governmental polities alike, many of these wise souls represented a cadre of people who sought to co-labor with the Cuban people and continue to extend the olive branch of love and friendship to the church of Cuba and its national citizens.
We heard of programs that brought instruments in from Canada to develop music inside and outside the church. We also heard of a program called ‘Living Waters’ that equipped churches all across Cuba with the opportunity to provide potable filtered water to all members of their surrounding communities free of charge. The intellectual rigor was equally met with the sentiments of celebration as we honored the several pioneering women who spanned the fields of Missions, Biblical Studies, Contextual Education, Womanist Theology and Sustainable Development. Dr. De la Rosa and Dean Pamela Lightsey, faculty at Boston University School of Theology, gave excellent presentations and facilitations that contributed to the main theme of wisdom as uniquely expressed by women.
As our time in Matanzas shifted to a close, we could not help but recognize the voices of the seminarians who attended the school. Those of us who were bi-lingual had the opportunity to converse with the young seminarians of Matanzas and hear their perspective on “Cubanidad” or Cuban identity. The feelings of the younger seminarians were mixed, in that they had great hopes for Cuba and recognized many of the benefits of the revolution (free health care and free education being amongst the most notable), yet there truly was a desire for more. As Christians they spoke of the difficulties of ecumenism, sexual identity, gender identity, and increasing wealth disparities. They spoke to us about the challenges of living without the abundance that so many of our western societies have come accustomed to. Yet at the same time, these students spoke to us about the sincere comradery that existed amongst the Cuban people. That in the midst of lack there was truly a communal spirit, a comradery that could not be denied.
We left the Seminary of Matanzas for Havana and remarked on how developed the infrastructure of the country was. We did not see anyone wondering the streets, we did not see anyone begging, and the normal signs of abject poverty that often accompany the landscape of many developing nations (especially within their capital cities) were not in sight. We questioned the realities of racial tension, we questioned the human rights issues, we questioned the merits of socialism and we questioned the ill of capitalism. While in Havana we learned more about the popular religion of Cuba’s people, including Santeria, investigating the theology of traditional and non-traditional forms of encountering the metaphysical realm. We also explored in depth the economics of a Socialist state, looking at the ways in which Cuba has developed partnerships with developed nations that endeavor to advance the welfare of the country as a whole. The nuances of the emerging private markets, government contracts, agricultural development and macro level economic reform were all a part of our discussions and would be difficult to fully unpack within the confines of this article, but needless to say, Cuba’s innovative methodologies are both a source of hope and of controversy.
We ended our time visiting Cuba’s International school of Medicine. We saw how over the past several decades, Cuba has provided humanitarian aid to almost every continent of the earth by taking in many of the brightest minds from around the globe (particularly within the African continent) and through a process of selection that prioritizes “the least of these” chooses young men as recipients of free education to become doctors, with the objective of sending them back to their home country upon the completion of the MD. It was almost as if the Cuban government had given a public health oriented, full-bright scholarship to the rest of the world sending them out as medical missionaries to share the wealth of knowledge that the Cuban medical field has developed.
Yes, there was some time for the beach in between our seminars and discussions, and yes, there was an occasional traditional Cuban sandwich, but I think the defining realities of Cuba remains as the outstanding love, warmth, hospitality and dignity of its people.
We left Cuba with many answers and many more questions and I think for many of us, though it was our first time, we earnestly hoped it would not be our last. We consider the importance of our experience:
“This experience was life-changing and life-giving for me. It is exactly what I needed at this particular place in my life. I felt very connected to the Cuban people, and I feel that this was a stepping-stone for me to begin making what I hope will be a lifetime of connections with this land and its people.” –Gina Carloni, Director of Enrollment and International Student Services at Boston University School of Theology
“It was a transformative experience for me and my wife… we have traveled the world … Europe, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico… as part of my work experience at Corning, Inc as well as on cruise ships and in seminars but nothing quite like this, from early morning until late at night… it seemed like a month long, jam packed event… and we loved every bit of it… stretching our minds, challenging our thinking, building new relationships and launching us into some new adventures that I’m sure will continue for years to come.” –Phil Doster (STH ’57, STH ’59) and Virginia Doster
OMAR BROWN is a student in the Masters of Theological Studies program at Boston University School of Theology.