Celebrating the Sights, Sounds, Culture of Cuba at CSM
La Plata, MD – Several events will be held Nov. 15 and 16 that will introduce students and visitors at the College of Southern Maryland’s La Plata and Prince Frederick campuses to the sights, sounds and culture of the Caribbean island of Cuba.
CSM’s Global Initiatives Committee, in conjunction with the Student Activities Committee and the Diversity Department, will sponsor “Celebrating Cuba,” an event honoring International Week.
“The relationship between Cuba and the United States has reached a point where the governments have begun to develop a relationship that has the potential to benefit U.S. and Cuban citizens,” said Shaneeza Kazim, a CSM early childhood development program coordinator and member of the Global Initiatives Committee. “In spring 2016, CSM staff and faculty had the opportunity to visit Cuba for an educational trip. CSM’s Travel Study program would like to offer the same travel studies opportunity to students in the future. Sharing information about Cuba during International Week is a way to provide students and the community with an introduction to this culturally diverse country.”
Events Nov. 15 on the La Plata Campus that are open to the public include a sampling of Cuban cuisine and a demonstration of Cuban games for children at 11 a.m. Dr. Eileen Abel, CSM vice president of academic affairs, will share her photographs taken during the college’s travel study trip to Cuba at 11:30 a.m.
“Craving Cuba,” a documentary that focuses on the Cuban-American identity in times of diplomatic change between the U.S. and Cuba, will be shown from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., followed by a conversation with the documentary’s filmmaker Zuzy Martin Lynch set to begin at 1:15 p.m. The film is ultimately a chronicle of what it means to be a Cuban-American.
Lynch, on a quest of self-discovery, interviewed artists, musicians, journalists, politicians and others to better understand herself, her community and Cuba today. The bilingual film has been accepted to seven film festivals and won an Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature Film at its world premiere. Lynch is a Cuban-American filmmaker and producer who lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Born and raised in New Jersey and heavily influenced by her grandparents, she attributes her passion and drive to her Cuban roots. Her fascination with bicultural identity inspired her to make “Craving Cuba.”
At 2:30 p.m., Dr. Stephen Johnson and Ritmo Cache, CSM’s Latin Ensemble, will perform.
Events at the La Plata Campus will be held in the Center for Business and Industry (BI Building, Room 113, 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata.
Three events the next day, Nov. 16, will be open to the public at the Prince Frederick Campus.
The film, “Craving Cuba,” will be shown from 1 to 2 p.m., followed by a discussion with the filmmaker from 2 to 3 p.m. Trio Latino will perform Cuban music from 3 to 4 p.m. Those events will be held in Building B, Rooms 103-105 at 115 J.W. Williams Road, Prince Frederick.
Earlier in the day Nov. 16, students at the Prince Frederick Campus will be treated to Cuban cuisine by the Student Activities Committee. Travel study displays will be offered by the Distance Learning and Faculty Development Division.
The Global Initiatives Committee is a CSM college-wide committee established to provide leadership and coordination in the college’s efforts to create a global education program that is community based. The committee’s purpose is to oversee the efforts of various units of the college and to encourage the development of international/global initiatives throughout CSM and in the surrounding Southern Maryland community.
For more information on the La Plata Campus events, email SKazim@csmd.edu.
For more information on the Prince Frederick Campus events, email MMaratta@csmd.edu. For more information on travel study options in 2017 to Belize, Florida, Ireland and Scotland, visit www.csmd.edu/travelstudy.
