Experience The Spirit of Cuba with Dr. Joyce Salisbury!
The Great Courses Journeys
| |  | Never stop learning. | | | | |
| Dear Lifelong Learner,
Islands are special places. Islanders work to preserve a special identity while they are always drawn into a sea trade. Island plants and animals are also susceptible to intrusion by new species brought by ship. These things make islands fascinating to study, and Cuba is the most fascinating of all because its history is intimately linked with that of the USA, its giant neighbor so close by. I want to tell the dynamic story of Cuba by looking at the layers of the past that have created the spirit of this island.
We will trace the arrival of the Taino Indigenous peoples and then the Spanish and the African slaves and the English, not to mention the pirates, the mafia, Frank Sinatra, and Hemingway. All these groups – and individuals -- gathered on this small island and built a rich culture that we can enjoy. The music and dance they developed has transformed American music, and the food they created has changed American palates. We will explore all these elements as we visit Havana and beyond.
The island was also transformed by the plants these many visitors brought. To see the change, we are first going to an official UNESCO biosphere preserve, designed to save the endemic species that have always lived here. Are you a bird-watcher? Bring your binoculars. I love this glimpse of the pristine past. Then we will go to a sugar plantation to get an idea of the transformative nature of sugar and tobacco. (Enjoy a cigar? Get ready for your Cuban experience!) To see this side of Cuba we will go to a little-visited colonial town, Trinidad, to step into the colonial past.
Last, but certainly not least, Cuba is a land of shifting ideas. The island moved from plantation economies to revolution to a rising entrepreneurial spirit. We can explore these ideas as we have the rare opportunities to talk to the people who have been involved.
This short summary doesn't do justice to the wonderful opportunities this amazing island offers. I look forward to telling this intricate story as we all engage in the spirit of Cuba from its past to its present. I hope you'll join me in this exploration.
Sincerely, |  | | Dr. Joyce Salisbury | | | | LEARN MORE BY FOLLOWING US ON SOCIAL MEDIA | | | | | | | | |
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