7 News Belize

Artists For Cuba
posted (January 22, 2019)
On Saturday a group of 5 Belizeans will be traveling to Cuba to participate in solidarity activities in Havana. Alex Courtenay spoke to members of that group to find out the details of the trip...

Alex Courtenay reporting
Teachers, artists and activists - all words that best describe the delegation of Belizeans traveling to Cuba at the end of this week.

The group will participate in the conference of the Equilibrium of the World in Havana as well as take part in several activities and discussions to demonstrate their solidarity with the fellow Caribbean nation.

Delmar Tzib - Teacher
"Well first of all I think we must recognize that the whole region is under threat right now. There's a right wing, generally through the region there's right wing governments coming into power. And what this is doing is that the minorities and marginalized are coming under attack. In a way Cuba represents the bastion of marginalization and a bastion in terms of the people that have been ignored for long. So the trip that we are going to go is basically to build a brotherhood with Cuba. In extending what they could say Cooperation."

Cuba, as most people know, has been the subject of an almost 60 year economic blockade from the United States, which has stagnated the country's growth and development. But why should Belizean's care? Well, according to a member of the delegation, it's because Cuba cares about us…

Katie Usher - Artist
"The question of territory is very important right now as you know. As we're trying to move towards a referendum date. Whether or not we should go to the ICJ, so when it comes to Belize and thinking about self-determination and our independence movement which is even back way beyond our independence you think 50s-60s. Cubas was one of the first Caribbean nations that supported us. And again on of the first Latin nations that supported us. So definitely we need to support Cuba."

Carlos Quiroz, also known as 'Lito', will also be travelling to Cuba. Lito, who specializes in poster art, a minimalist style that focuses on translating large ideas into basic graphics, will display a number of his works along with his Cuban contemporary, 'Falco' in an exhibit named Ka'aanar - a blend of Maya and West African words for "two".

Carlos "Lito" Quiroz - Artist
"Some of my pieces talk about the United States age old economic blockade over Cuba. My contribution to educating people here in Belize about the blockade. We as a people need to stand in solidarity along with our Cuban brothers and sisters. Stand in solidarity and stand up against such policies."

Another one of the objectives of the trip is to trade teaching knowledge. SJC's Delmar Tzib hopes to bring back some pedagogical strategies from his Cuban counterparts…

Delmar Tzib - Teacher
"One of the philosophers that have been around in Latin America is a guy by the name of Paolo Frere talks about Pedagogy of the Oppressed whereby you created a literate classroom whereby people feel free to voice their opinion in an equal basis as the teacher. SO the teacher is just like a guide throughout the discussion but the gist of the educational process is to have them talk and feel free to just voice whatever they think and have in their mind we could say."

And while the small delegation will be busy participating in events at Cuban cultural and educational institutions, Lito put it best when he spoke about the true goal of the trip.

One of the main things I wish and I think it's the objective of everyone on the trip is that we will be able to comeback with a better understanding of Cuba as well. And now hopefully collaborating is that we can comeback and me in particular can contribute to the visualizing and creating visuals to spark interest and emotions of Belizeans into recognizing and embracing the solidarity with Cuba. The group will spend just under a week in the Cuban capital.

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