My CIVITAS Cuba Experience
Stepping out of the airport, the warm bright sunlight beaming and fans of green palm tree leaves swaying in front of me, I felt like I was back in Senegal. With my fellow Lehman peers and Professor Bertrade Banoum and Professor Betty Wanguri, we escaped the freezing cold of New York City on a research trip to Havana, Cuba.
Thanks to CIVITAS, we not only got to share our knowledge and research during the 28th Scientific Workshop of Afro-American Social and Cultural Anthropology conference, but we also got to learn so much about the incredibly rich and complex history of Cuba. In the 10 days of our trip, we also visited Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad, experiencing new art, architecture and meeting locals along the way.
On our first day, we were treated to a fashion show and got to meet the designers. They shared their ethos, their vision for their brand and the ways they come up with their designs. The models descended the staircase gracefully, and showed off the dresses and outfits that represented Cuban and Afro-centric culture.