A Fall 2012 KWC class, entitled Justice and Revolution in Cuba, gave a group from Kentucky Wesleyan a rare chance to study the history of the Cuban Revolution and the status of the current legal system in Cuba. The group travelled throughout the country, and met with Cuban government officials, law professors from the University of Havana, and veterans of the Cuban Revolution, as well as local Cuban citizens.

Students Jonathan Bell and Dustin Staves kept a journal of their activities while in Cuba. If you missed the first few posts, you can read their account from the beginning. You can also see a full photo gallery of the trip on KWC’s Flickr account.

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Day 9
Today was mostly travel to Pinar del Rio, a beautiful mountainous place. It is here you will find Cuba’s “Mt. Rushmore” – a large mural painted on the side of a mountain. The scenery was breathtaking and the water refreshing. We visited an old coffee plantation and an environmental park to replenish the natural trees and plants of Cuba.

Day 10
We returned to Havana and back to the Hotel Presidente’. Our last night in Cuba – tomorrow we leave. All evening the song by Ronnie Milsap, Lost in the Fifties Tonight, played over and over in my head. For 11 days we traveled back in time to 1958, to a country where time has appeared to stop.

Our last night, we gathered at the pool and discussed the wonders of Cuba. Our adventure was coming to a close. The night settled in and the evening passed – soon we would be back in the USA. The good old USA, where we would leave the 50’s in the past, turn on our cell phones, boot the computer and get “connected.” I wondered if that is actually a good thing.

Next time: Coming home and more photos …

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A Fall 2012 KWC class, entitled Justice and Revolution in Cuba, gave a group from Kentucky Wesleyan a rare chance to study the history of the Cuban Revolution and the status of the current legal system in Cuba. The group travelled throughout the country, and met with Cuban government officials, law professors from the University of Havana, and veterans of the Cuban Revolution, as well as local Cuban citizens.

Students Jonathan Bell and Dustin Staves kept a journal of their activities while in Cuba. If you missed the first few posts, you can read their account from the beginning. You can also see a full photo gallery of the trip on KWC’s Flickr account.

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Day 7

Today we had free time to walk around the town of Cienfuegos. Dustin Staves had the opportunity to meet with a group of school children, and handed out notebooks and pens from the college. The students were absolutely thrilled, as were the teachers.

The rest of the day, we had a meeting with the local government, who explained the inner workings of a city in Cuba. We then met with law professors and discussed more legal topics, much like in our meeting with the Jurists. We continued on to Santa Clara, arriving at our hotel where we spent the remainder of the night.

Day 8

Today we travelled to the Che museum and memorial. No pictures were allowed. We were there the day before the memorial of his death, so there were many preparations for the memorial on the following day. Inside the museum was the story of Che’s life, told through memorabilia and personal possessions.

In the memorial were the names of the soldiers who gave their life in combat, and a single flame in honor of Che. We all walked through quietly, and respectfully. We then visited an area in which Che derailed a train, which many believe was a turning point in the Revolution.

Following this tour, we met with veterans who served alongside of Che in Cuba and in the Congo, Africa. We travelled back to Havana, to spend one night before travelling to the opposite side of Cuba.

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A Fall 2012 KWC class, entitled Justice and Revolution in Cuba, gave a group from Kentucky Wesleyan a rare chance to study the history of the Cuban Revolution and the status of the current legal system in Cuba. The group travelled throughout the country, and met with Cuban government officials, law professors from the University of Havana, and veterans of the Cuban Revolution, as well as local Cuban citizens.

Students Jonathan Bell and Dustin Staves kept a journal of their activities while in Cuba. If you missed the first few posts, you can read their account from the beginning. You can also see a full photo gallery of the trip on KWC’s Flickr account.

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Day 5

Today was mostly a travelling day. Our first stop was in Batey Soplillar, where we toured the 50^th Anniversary Memorial and Library of Castro’s 1959 Christmas Eve dinner. This was an attempt on the part of Castro to thank the poorest and most downtrodden of Cuba during the time of the revolution.

We travelled to the “Fish Cave” situated near the Bay of Pigs for lunch, followed by a quick swim in the Bay of Pigs. We then travelled to the Bay of Pigs museum in Playa Giron. We eventually ended up in the town of Trinidad, where we remained the rest of the night.

Day 6

Today we ventured into the town of Trinidad, on Cuba’s East coast. We toured an old mansion from the 1800s which still contained most of the original furniture. We watched pottery being made by hand, and some even bought some souvenirs. We boarded the bus and headed to our next destination of Cienfuegos.

We stopped for lunch along the way in Manaca Iznagos. Here we learned a story of two brothers, both longing for the same girl. One brother built the highest tower in the land to confess his love, the other built the deepest well. Neither brother won the girl as she was sold (she was a slave) by their father. The legend goes that no one has yet discovered the well. However, we had the opportunity to climb the tower.

We eventually arrived in Cienfuegos for an unbelievable night, the closest to which many of us will ever feel like celebrities. Student Jonathan Bell describes his impression of our meeting with the Committee for the Defense against the Revolution (CDR), and the block party to follow:

That day we met up with the Committee for Defense in Cienfuegos to witness how that local community participated in local government and politics. It was like a form of our neighborhood watch programs, but to me, the involvement of that community was the polar opposite of ours. They are much more passionate and take the rights they do have seriously. In America, I think we have become somewhat complacent to what we deserve and the freedoms and rights we have.

After the meeting, a block party broke out. Every year around October 8 – the day Che Guevara died – Cubans celebrate his death and his involvement with the Revolution that took place in Cuba. My impression of the meeting was absolutely astonishing! I was deeply moved to see the dedication and the strong sense of passion the locals had to protect each other and to celebrate a person that helped them gain some freedoms they have today.

When we drove up in the bus, I was blown away with how they treated us – they were chanting, “We love Americans!” and dancing, clapping and giving us a welcome like we were famous.

Out of the entire trip, that night was the best! The feelings and passion that I felt we brought to them were life changing. They stressed that they want to have a better relationship with America, and that the embargo should end. To me, it is time to let what happened 50 years ago stop. We have better relationships with countries that we have had devastating relationships with in the past than we have with a country that is only 90 miles away. To me it is utter craziness that we can’t support them and make them feel more like a family member than an enemy.

For a full gallery of photos, head to our Flickr account.

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A Fall 2012 KWC class, entitled Justice and Revolution in Cuba, gave a group from Kentucky Wesleyan a rare chance to study the history of the Cuban Revolution and the status of the current legal system in Cuba. The group travelled throughout the country, and met with Cuban government officials, law professors from the University of Havana, and veterans of the Cuban Revolution, as well as local Cuban citizens.

Students Jonathan Bell and Dustin Staves kept a journal of their activities while in Cuba. This is the fifth post in the series. If you missed the others, you can read their account from the beginning. You can also see a full photo gallery of the trip on KWC’s Flickr account.

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Day 4

The Union of Jurists

Experts on Cuba's legal system (and Dr. Ayers)

Today was a short but informational day. We met with the Union of Jurists – experts on Cuba’s legal system. We were granted an open discussion with the Jurists, and all of us used the opportunity to ask many questions. Throughout the meeting we became educated on many topics. Here are just a few:

Regarding the right to vote, one must be 16;  one must be 18 to run for office. Women are granted equal rights in this process. The only people who cannot vote are those with legal sanctions, such as criminals, or those who lack the mental capacity. It is not mandatory to vote, but it is considered a civic duty. We also found out that over 90 percent of the population votes, and of this percentage, over 95 percent is for Fidel Castro.

Regarding the death penalty, Cuba is slowly moving away from using it on the recommendation of the United Nations. The last time it was used was in 2001 for a case involving piracy. The death penalty can be used for a variety of crimes, and does not have to involve loss of life. For example, drug trafficking is punishable by the death penalty. If the defendant is eligible for the death penalty, the defendant is automatically given a main trial, followed by a second trial, regardless of the findings in the first trial. The high court of Cuba can rule on the process of the trial, but cannot determine guilt or innocence. Fortunately, Cuba has a very low crime rate, and no guns are permitted.

In general, men and women are considered equal – there is no discrimination based on race, religion, sex, etc. Prisoners are given jobs after completing their sentences and are reintegrated into society. The courts supervise all punishment, and have oversight of the prison system, and there are no juries, only a panel of 3-5 elected judges, who serve a term of 4-5 years. They also mentioned that it is difficult to get Cubans to join the police force.

Cuban Sandwiches
After our meeting, we enjoyed lunch at “El Ajibe.” The rest of the day was down time, as this was the last night in Havana for four days. For dinner, Dr. Ayers and student Dustin Staves, along with trustee Jack Wells and his wife Gina, took a taxi to the Hotel National, a five-star hotel, and enjoyed a huge Cuban sandwich. They all say it was one of the best sandwiches they’ve had. Maybe it was just something different from the pork and rice and beans.

Cuban sandwiches at the Hotel National

Next time: The Bay of Pigs …

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A Fall 2012 KWC class, entitled Justice and Revolution in Cuba, gave a group from Kentucky Wesleyan a rare chance to study the history of the Cuban Revolution and the status of the current legal system in Cuba. The group travelled throughout the country, and met with Cuban government officials, law professors from the University of Havana, and veterans of the Cuban Revolution, as well as local Cuban citizens. 

Students Jonathan Bell and Dustin Staves kept a journal of their activities while in Cuba. This is the fourth post in the series. If you missed the others, you can read their account from the beginning. You can also see a full photo gallery of the trip on KWC’s Flickr account.

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Day 3

Today, we started by touring Ernest Hemingway’s hotel room in Old Havana, Cuba. We got to see his belongings, including his typewriter, where many of his famous stories came to life. We continued the day by travelling to the other side of the harbor to see a gigantic statue of Jesus, which greeted the sailors as they came to port. The designer, a woman, wanted the statue to be larger than the one in Brazil; however, the statue had to be completely blocked by the hillside to prevent damage from annual hurricanes.

From here, we travelled to another bay, where Ernest Hemingway wrote “The Old Man, and the Sea.” Here we ate an interesting lunch, while surrounded by pictures of the man many believe is the inspiration for the old man in the novel.

Our next stop was the revolution museum. This building was originally the presidential palace, for Batista. There were many remnants of the Cuban Revolution, including many bullet holes, when Batista was overthrown. We saw the presidential desk, and a secret passageway where Batista managed to escape.

Revolution Museum

Dinner was on our own tonight, and the group decided to travel to Havana’s Chinatown. We travelled by taxi, an interesting adventure in itself. The Chinatown was much like what you would see anywhere, however, it was much smaller. The restaurants only extended down a few blocks on the same street. After dinner, we took the taxis back to the hotel, for much-needed down time.

Because Americans cannot travel to Cuba as tourists, we maintained an Academic status, thus our days had to be completely filled with activities. So as you can imagine, most of us were worn out by the day’s end.

A pickup soccer game ...

Next time: Voting in Cuba and the best sandwich you’ve ever had …

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A Fall 2012 KWC class, entitled Justice and Revolution in Cuba, gave a group from Kentucky Wesleyan a rare chance to study the history of the Cuban Revolution, and the status of the current legal system in Cuba. The group travelled throughout the country, and met with Cuban government officials, law professors from the University of Havana, and veterans of the Cuban Revolution, as well as local Cuban citizens.

Students Jonathan Bell and Dustin Staves kept a journal of their activities while in Cuba. This is the third post in the series. If you missed the others, you can read their account from the beginning. You can also see a full photo gallery of the trip on KWC’s Flickr account.

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Day 2

Revolutionary Square
After much-needed rest, and a quick breakfast, we headed off to our first stop of the day in Havana, Cuba. We visited the “Revolutionary Square,” which could be compared to the Washington, D.C. Mall, but not nearly as large or glamorous, although the Cubans believe everything in their country is bigger and better than what we have in the United States.

The Square consisted of a monument of Jose Marti and his memorial tower, the highest point in Havana, along with the Cuban library, fine arts center, army headquarters, economic building (formerly the lottery headquarters), communications headquarters, and intelligence headquarters. The Office of the President could be seen in the distance.

The City of the Dead
We then travelled to the “City of the Dead,” for a very dramatic tour. Our tour guide explained to us that all the millionaires of Cuba wanted to be buried on “Millionaire’s Row.” This is where Christopher Columbus was buried, before being relocated to Spain. It was considered prestigious to be buried closer to Christopher Columbus, thus the wealthiest of the wealthy were laid next to him. The services for all of the funerals take place at a beautiful yellow church at the center of the cemetery. Approximately 36 or more services take place every Sunday.

Our next stop was an old fort, located at the entrance to Havana’s harbor. Here we had a history lesson on the fort, and also toured a cigar store, where every cigar is hand rolled. It is also the home to the Guinness World Record for the longest cigar.

The Model House
After leaving the fort, we travelled by bus to “The Model House.” Inside this house was a huge, exact replica of Havana, Cuba, built to 1/1000of the actual size. We were taken on a tour of Havana, using the model.

Lunch was at the “Friendship House,” our host for our trip in Cuba. We then toured Old Havana during the daytime, by foot, stopping for rest at a hotel where Ernest Hemingway frequented. The rest of the day was down time, before we had dinner at the “Jazz Café.” We enjoyed a wonderful meal, while listening to Jazz musicians of Havana, Cuba.

Next time: Hemingway, the Revolution and China Town

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