Last spring, with trumpet in hand, Gibron Lockhart would walk the Malecón — a broad promenade bordering the Caribbean Sea in Havana, Cuba’s capital — and meet people. They would ask to play music with him, to sing or to dance, and along the way he learned their dances and the subtleties of their music.
“They’re so open and so warm and loving,” jazz studies senior Lockhart said. “You meet them and they give you a hug and a kiss on the cheek.”
Lockhart was taking part in a new Cuban study abroad program, called Culture and Sustainable Development, currently in its second year. The program was only recently made possible because of relaxed travel restrictions under the Obama administration that permit academic trips and exchanges between higher education institutions.
Partnering with Colegio San Gerónimo in Havana, the program is interdisciplinary. It focuses on Cuba’s musical heritage as well as how the Cuban people have lived under trade embargoes put in place by the U.S. government that have, in large part, cut the island off from the U.S. since 1963.
“We focus on cultural differences, and differences in attitudes towards the environment and life,” said Ricardo Lorenz, an associate professor of composition and one of the program’s directors. “How (have) those 50 years of their so-called revolution, how has it affected the relationship between their citizens and the environment, as well as the relationship between their citizens and communal living and culture, specifically music?“
The lack of new goods and resources entering the country has forced Cuba to be mostly self-sufficient, meaning the island has relatively little waste per capita and is the only country the World Wildlife Foundation has named a model of sustainable development.
“The reason why they have such a pristine environment right now is almost by serendipity, because 50 years ago, they closed the gate of progress.” Lorenz said. “They have realized the socialist way of looking at life, how much that has helped the environment, so they decided to implement laws to preserve that attitude towards that environment. This is something that is always a great influence on students to see.”
Ruled by Fidel Castro since the 1959 revolution, old age and failing health have seen the country’s reins transferred to his brother Raul in recent years. With new rule came the economic and social reforms that might have played a role in prompting the U.S. to ease travel restrictions, creating new opportunities for students to study the country and its culture.
“The fact that we can go now for a limited time is a sign that the view of Cuba, and the relationship with the U.S. is changing very rapidly,” Lorenz said. “What we see now is the very crest of the tsunami. Cuba is changing very dramatically.”
Andy Gomez, a senior fellow and special assistant to the president for international affairs at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami, holds a different view.
“I think that everyone should travel to Cuba,” he said. “However, the Cuban government has used a lot of these trips by students to promote what they want these students to hear.”
Lockhart said his experience allowed him to see both positive and negative aspects of Cuban life.
“In central Havana — it is really geared towards tourism, you get to see the glamour,” he said. “However, on our trip we were able to travel, like, four hours outside Havana and were able to see the countryside and actually get to talk to different people.”
Gomez said study abroad trips not only benefit American students, but also Cubans.
“Many of us feel that traveling to Cuba is very important because it breaks down the communication blockage that the majority of the people have in Cuba,” Gomez said.
“I encourage those students from Michigan State to reach and make contact with regular, young Cubans.”
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