Cuba Excursion - Diversity and Inclusion in Cuba

Student Excursion to the Caribbean Island Nation Becomes an Extraordinary Cultural Experience.

Embracing diversity - in dealing with a foreign culture, as well as in interacting with people with disabilities - was the central challenge of a student excursion to Cuba. The excursion was organized in collaboration between the Chair of Romance Literatures and Cultures (Prof. Dr. Susanne Hartwig, Dr. Mirjam Leuzinger) and the Language Center of the University of Passau (Dr. José Onelio Blanco Delgado), and conducted with Prof. Dr. Julio Checa from the Universidad Carlos III in Madrid from March 9 to March 23, 2019.

"Without the energetic and careful support of the Cuban lecturer Dr. Blanco Delgado, we probably wouldn't have managed," explains Prof. Dr. Hartwig, "because Cuba's unique political and social situation requires a keen cultural sensitivity in organization." "We experienced Cuba in a way we would never have as tourists," say the students. Fourteen young people gained insights into very diverse projects involving socially disadvantaged people, especially those with disabilities. However, it wasn't just about lectures and explanations, but also about personal storytelling, actively helping out, painting together, eating, and dancing. Any apprehension quickly disappeared.

The academic part of the excursion consisted of a colloquium on March 16th at the Universidad de Ciencias Pedagógicas "Enrique José Varona," titled "Diversidad e inclusión en Europa y América Latina," which brought together perspectives from Spain, Brazil, and Cuba on the cultural concepts of disability and inclusion. Students and lecturers also reported live on local radio in Havana. The one-hour broadcast was hosted by Prof. Dr. Mario Masvidal, who has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Passau three times and planned his fourth visit to the city of Passau for June 2019.

Another highlight of the excursion was the presentation of a German translation prepared in Passau under the guidance of the Spanish lecturer María-Victoria Gómez González for the Museo de la Alfabetización in Havana: the subtitling of a film about the unprecedented Cuban literacy campaign at the beginning of the 1960s. In the second half of the packed excursion program, city tours on the theme of 'Cultural Diversity' were scheduled.

The often challenging everyday life of the Cuban population, which became noticeable through personal conversations and firsthand experiences, left the students pensive. However, equally impressive was the Cuban solidarity, evident not only in the neighborhood projects and social institutions. What do the students take away from the cultural encounter? "Latin American joy of life," the motto "Be spontaneous!" and the realization: "Life can be so beautiful. We just have to embrace it, be more spontaneous, warmer in our interactions with our fellow human beings and their diversity."