3 “My August 2017 Cuban Trip’’ In 2015 President Barack Obama, our first Black President, opened diplomatic relationships between the United States and Cuba after nearly a 50 years silence. Americans could travel to Cuba for educational purposes. When Donald Trump became President, he said Americans could not go to Cuba and spend any money in hotels or restaurants. Jack and Jill, an organization founded in Philadelphia in 1938 for Black families, reserved 125 spaces on a Greek cruise ship for the trip to Cuba. I am a former member of the organization. Dr. Ingrid Watson- Miller and I were cabinmates. ( Those of you who read The Devil’s Nose should recognize that name; she and I co-wrote it in 2015) .We met the ship in Montego Bay , Jamaica and sailed to Cuba from August 4 to August 11; we slept on the ship and ate all our meals there. Thus, we followed Donald Trump’s mandate of not spending any money in Cuban hotels and restaurants. Ingrid and I also participated in a full schedule of educational exchange activities resulting in meaningful interaction with residents of Santiago de Cuba, Havana and Cienfuegos. I started my trip to Cuba by flying from Charlotte, North Carolina to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Once I landed in Jamaica, I went to the ports and embarked on the Greek Ship Celestyal Crystal. In Santiago de Cuba, we met Dr. Martha Cordie Jackson who is the director of the Fernando Ortiz African Cultural Center. We enjoyed a dance performance by the Oricha gods. Pictures were taken with the dancers. We then strolled the Patio of the Artisans and to Conga Gallery to see its collection of contemporary Cuban art. The group continued the tour by visiting three of the most iconic sites in Santiago de Cuba , i.e. a memorial to Antonio Maceo, San Juan Hill and the Moncada Barracks. Antonio Maceo, the “Bronze Titan” led two wars of independence against the Spanish. San Juan Hill is where Teddy Roosevelt and his rough riders defeated the Spanish during the Spanish American War. The Moncada Barracks are where Fidel and Raul Castro began their 1953 assault on the Batista regime. Havana, the capital of Cuba, was a two days adventure. On day one, we took a walking tour of Old Havana which had a breathtaking mix of Baroque and neoclassical monuments. We also saw a homogeneous ensemble of private houses with arcades, balconies, wrought-iron gates and internal courtyards. The group saw the Royal Forces castle, Saint Francis of Assis Square, the Cathedral Square, the Old Square and the Arms Square. I got an opportunity to see and buy old books in all languages and interact with the book sellers. In the afternoon, the Panoramic Tour included a photo stop at the famed Old Capitol Building. Then we drove pass Revolution Museum, the Fine Arts Museum, Central Park and the Grand Theater of Havana. We stopped at Revolution Square for some free time and photos. We s ...

1. 3
“My August 2017 Cuban
Trip’’
In 2015 President Barack Obama, our first Black President,
opened diplomatic relationships between the United States and
Cuba after nearly a 50 years silence. Americans could travel to
Cuba for educational purposes. When Donald Trump became
President, he said Americans could not go to Cuba and spend
any money in hotels or restaurants. Jack and Jill, an
organization founded in Philadelphia in 1938 for Black families,
reserved 125 spaces on a Greek cruise ship for the trip to Cuba.
I am a former member of the organization. Dr. Ingrid Watson-
Miller and I were cabinmates. ( Those of you who read The
Devil’s Nose should recognize that name; she and I co-wrote it
in 2015) .We met the ship in Montego Bay , Jamaica and sailed
to Cuba from August 4 to August 11; we slept on the ship and
ate all our meals there. Thus, we followed Donald Trump’s
mandate of not spending any money in Cuban hotels and
restaurants. Ingrid and I also participated in a full schedule of
educational exchange activities resulting in meaningful
interaction with residents of Santiago de Cuba, Havana and
Cienfuegos.
I started my trip to Cuba by flying from Charlotte, North
Carolina to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Once I landed in Jamaica, I
went to the ports and embarked on the Greek Ship Celestyal
Crystal. In Santiago de Cuba, we met Dr. Martha Cordie
Jackson who is the director of the Fernando Ortiz African
Cultural Center. We enjoyed a dance performance by the
Oricha gods. Pictures were taken with the dancers. We then
strolled the Patio of the Artisans and to Conga Gallery to see its
collection of contemporary Cuban art. The group continued the
tour by visiting three of the most iconic sites in Santiago de
Cuba , i.e. a memorial to Antonio Maceo, San Juan Hill and the

2. Moncada Barracks. Antonio Maceo, the “Bronze Titan” led two
wars of independence against the Spanish. San Juan Hill is
where Teddy Roosevelt and his rough riders defeated the
Spanish during the Spanish American War. The Moncada
Barracks are where Fidel and Raul Castro began their 1953
assault on the Batista regime.
Havana, the capital of Cuba, was a two days adventure. On
day one, we took a walking tour of Old Havana which had a
breathtaking mix of Baroque and neoclassical monuments. We
also saw a homogeneous ensemble of private houses with
arcades, balconies, wrought-iron gates and internal courtyards.
The group saw the Royal Forces castle, Saint Francis of Assis
Square, the Cathedral Square, the Old Square and the Arms
Square. I got an opportunity to see and buy old books in all
languages and interact with the book sellers.
In the afternoon, the Panoramic Tour included a photo stop
at the famed Old Capitol Building. Then we drove pass
Revolution Museum, the Fine Arts Museum, Central Park and
the Grand Theater of Havana. We stopped at Revolution Square
for some free time and photos. We saw the Jose Marti
Memorial , the National Library and the Revolution Palace
there. We left Revolution Square and drove pass Old Havana’s
most important buildings, the University of Havana, the Alma
Mater statue, the Coppelia ice crew palor, the Yara movie
theater and the Havana Libre hotel. We ended the tour at San
Jose Market which is the size of three football fields.
Day two of the tour of Havana took us to the Fine Arts
Museum and the museum of the Revolution. The museum of the
Revolution is housed in the former Presidential Palace and it is
dedicated to the revolutionary war of the 1950s and to the
country’s post-1959 history. After visiting the museums, we
made a stop to marvel at some of the outdoor installations of
legendary Cuban ceramicist and graphic artist Jose Fuster who
is a pioneer of Cuban visual art.
Cienfuegos, known as “The Pearl of the South”, was our last
port of call. It was founded in 1819 and is situated on the

3. Caribbean at the heart of Cuba’s sugar cane, mango, tobacco
and coffee production area. We stopped at the Graphic Society
of Cienfuegos where we met with local artists. This society is
beloved by the people of Cienfuegos for its programs for
children with special needs. We then enjoyed a panoramic view
of the city before we visited the magnificent Teatro Thomas
Terry. It was built between 1887 and 1889 to honor Venezuelan
industrialist Thomas Terry. This 950-seat opera house and
theater are decorated with Carrara marble and hand-carved
Cuban hardwood.
On the Celestyal Crystal, we enjoyed lively lectures on
Cuba’s fascinating history given to us by Dr. Jorge Gonzalez
Arocha. We also learned about aspects of Afro Cuban Culture;
we learned to dance the salsa, rumba , bachata and cha -cha -cha
like a Cuban. We attended a Cuban cooking demonstration and
we learned to make mojitos like a professional. The history of
rum was explained to us and we watched how Cuban cigars are
hand rolled.
The trip was enjoyable and educational. I am so grateful
that I was able to explore such a beautiful country. The people
are many shades of brown and black and many reminded me of
the Hispanics I have encountered in other Latin American
countries I have been fortunate to visit. ¡ Viva La Cuba!
Dr. Margaret L. Morris
April 4, 2020
________________________QUESTIONS; DUE APRIL 20,
2020____________7 points each
1.before 2015 when was the last time Cuba and the United
States ha diplomatic relations?2. What is Jack and Jill? 3. Who
is Dr. Ingrid Watson-Miller? 4.How many days did the cruise
last? 5. Name the 3 ports of call for the ship. 6.Who is Dr.
Martha Conde Jackson. 7.Idetift Antonio Maceo. 8. What
happened in 1953 in Cuba’s history? 9. Identify Jose Fuster. 10.
Identify Cienfuegos. 11.What does “cien” mean in Spanish?
What does “fuegos” mean? So, what does the word Cienfuegos
mean? 12.Name 3 dances the passengers learned on the ship.13.

4. What was the cruise ship’s name? 14. What are mojitos? 15.
Translate Viva la Cuba!
“”La Lengua de Res de Orula” (“Orula’s Beef
Tongue”)
Today one can read stories from books and even e-books
on computers. There are even audio books that one can listen to
in the car or at home. We are fortunate to live at a time when
books are so easily accessible. However, it has not always been
this way.
Before books could be written, one had to learn to write
and read before books could be created. It was extremely
important to possess an excellent memory before writing and
reading were available. Usually stories were told by one person
to another; often details changed as the story was passed
around. This method became known as Oral Tradition. No one
really knows the origin nor the first person to tell these stories.
”Orula’s Beef Tongue” is a vivid example of Oral Tradition.
Obatalá was a ruler in an Afro-Ecuadorian village. He said
one day that his life will end in a few years and he needed to
pick the next ruler. He noticed Orula, a young strong man, and
he decided to test Orula’s intelligence to see if he would make a
great ruler.
Obatalá said to Orula,” Ï want you to go find the best meal
in the world and prepare it for me. “Orula went to the market
and searched until he found a beef tongue. He then looked for
certain herbs and spices to season the tongue as it cooked.
Once the tongue was ready for consumption, he gave some to
Obatalá. Obatalá enjoyed the meal and asked Orula why did he
choose the beef tongue as the best meal. He said he chose it
because the tongue is a powerful weapon; it can cause people to
get praise; it can give one a great reputation and it can spread

5. love.
Obatalá was impressed with what Orula said and decided to
give him another test. Obatalá said to Orula that he wanted him
to cook the worst meal in the world and Orula agreed to do so.
He again went to the market and looked for a beef tongue. He
found the herbs and spices to cook the beef tongue.
When the meal was ready, Obatalá ate it and said it was
delicious. He then asked Orula how can the tongue be both the
best meal and the worst meal in the world? Orula had already
stated the positive aspects of the tongue and now he talked
about the negative aspects. A tongue can start wars; it can ruin
a person’s reputation and it can spread hate.
Obatalá was highly impressed with the wise words Orula
said about the power of the tongue. Obatalá felt confident that
Orula will be a wise and just ruler for the Afro-Ecuadorian
village.
******** Answer the questions that follow in complete English
sentences and submit them to Dr. Morris by 11:59 pm on April
13, 2020.
1.Who wrote this story? 2.Identify Orula. 3. Identify Obatala.4.
What was the first test Orula performed? 5.What did he do to
the tongue before cooking it? 6.Name 3 positive aspects of the
tongue. A. B. C.
7.What was the second test Orula had to pass? 8.Before cooking
the tongue, what did Orula do? 9.Name
3 negative characteristics of the tongue. A. B. C. 10. What
is the message you get from this story?