“EL CAMINO DEL CIMARRÓN”
(PATH OF THE FREEDOM SEEKER)
AN ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK
MARCH 15 – 23, 2025
ABOUT “EL CAMINO DEL CIMARRÓN”
Esteban Montejo was known as the last living Cimarrón (“freedom seeker”) in Cuba. In 1966, ethnographer and anthropologist Miguel Barnett interviewed Montejo at 103 years old for a period of three years. The resulting biography written by Barnett traced Montejo’s life as a slave, a freedom seeker, and a solider in the Cuban War for independence. La Biografia de un Cimarrón (Biography of a Runaway Slave) became a watershed moment for African American studies, Cuban history and Latin American literature. (The book is available for purchase on Amazon, https://a.co/d/hXgEQLI). Montejo’s life story has been translated into dozens of languages and been released in numerous editions. Scholars today still study the work, and Barnett still lectures at various events throughout Latin America and Europe.
El Camino Del Cimarrón is an 9-day/8-night alternative spring break program where you retrace some of the steps taken by Montejo. Sociologist, professor, and avid hiker, Dr. Guillermo Grenier, leads you on a hiking journey that brings you face-to-face to many of the locations and sites mentioned in the biography written by Migel Barnett.
PROGRAM GOALS
By the end of the experience, participants will be able to:
- Familiarize themselves with the life and times of Estaban Montejo as described by him and Miguel Barnett
- Identify some of the sights and locations mentioned in the biography
- Recognize the lifestyle of a slave in 19th century Cuba and the conditions enslaved Africans and their descendants endured under bondage.
- The landscapes and the natural environments mentioned in the biography
- Become acquainted with Cuban culture today
ABOUT OUR HOST
Guillermo J. Grenier, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Dr. Grenier is one of the founders of the Miami school of social analysis, and has authored or coauthored six books and dozens of articles on labor, migration and immigrant political culture. Dr. Grenier has been a Fulbright Fellow and a Faculty Fellow of the University of Notre Dame’s Institute of Latino Studies as well as Director of the Florida Center for Labor Research and Studies. Since 1991, he has served as a lead investigator of the FIU Cuba Poll, the most cited source on the political culture of Cuban Americans in Florida.
Dr. Grenier’s passion for long distance trekking has led him to explore historic trails throughout Europe and the Americas. He first made the 350 kilometer journey in 2016 from Sagua La Grande to the City of Cienfuegos, where Montejo lived as an Independence War soldier. Since then, he has worked his team of local docents and other experts to bring to life el Camino Del Cimarrón.
Dr. Grenier lectures nationally and internationally on his research. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology and his M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque.
To learn more about the project, El Camino Del Cimarrón, you can click here: https://caminodelCimarrón.com/about-the-camino/#theproject. PROGRAM ITINERARY
IMPORTANT DATES
- Application and Deposit Deadline – February 1, 2025
- Final Payment Deadline – February 14, 2025
- Depart for Cuba – March 15, 2025
- Departure back to U.S. – March 23, 2025
GET READY TO HIKE
This program involves an extensive amount of hiking through uneven terrain and hills. Over the total course of the program, you will hike about 25 miles (40 km). The single longest hike is 9.5 miles (~15 km). Be prepared.
This Program will be conducted in English and in Spanish with English Translation
The journey begins at Miami International Airport, when we travel together as a group on a commercial airline into Havana, Cuba. Once you clear immigration and customs, the Civitas GES and Daiquiri team will be waiting to greet you on the other side of security.
As a travel program, you’ll be staying in various accommodations throughout the island including hotels, private hostels, and homestays with families.
The lessons you learn will extend far beyond the past. Our full-time schedule of activities will connect you to the communities we visit. You’ll learn from NGO’s trying to make a difference in daily life. Our schedule is designed to make you feel like you’ve lived 8 months in 8 days.
By participating in the program, you also give back to the members of the community who support the program in Cuba and contribute to the development of the local economy.
REGISTRATION FORM
All proposals can be submitted and presented in Spanish or in English.
Please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words plus 3 to 5 keywords. There can only be a maximum of three authors for the proposal. Your thematic area can be related to any of the Workshop Themes.
The full text for publication will be submitted for blind peer review to be approved and published in the memories of the event. Text length between 6-10 pages. References in APA 2016 (citation index). All proposals must follow this format in order to be included in the Academic Program.
Once you receive notification of the acceptance of your proposal you must send to the Academic Committee your presentation in PowerPoint or equivalent.
Those presenting virtually must send a video that does not exceed 5 minutes with the main ideas of their proposal. The video will be presented by the moderator asynchronously if necessary.
In all cases there will be interaction among participants through the congress website.
All participants will be sent the link to join the event one week before it begins.
Keynote lecture proposals should be submitted as soon as possible. They will be evaluated by the scientific committee on a rolling basis. Proposals selected by the committee will receive an official invitation to be a plenary speaker. Proposals must be sent in digital format to vpaez@uho.edu.cu or vimilce2@gmail.com. The first page of the abstract should include: Title of the paper, Authors’ data: Names and surnames, affiliation(s), (when different, indicate with consecutive numerical superscripts), address, country of origin, and e-mail.
Commission presentations should be at least 10 minutes long with a maximum of 15 minutes. Presentations done in English will not be translated. Presentation slides should be submitted in either PowerPoint or PDF format. We request that you use the provided PowerPoint template or image overlay for your presentation. Slides can be written in English, Spanish, French, or all three. Translated handouts in PDF Format are always welcomed. Click here to download a zip file of the Convention template.
Each presentation is limited to 15 minutes.
Posters should have dimensions of no more than 90 centimeters (36 inches) vertical x 60 centimeters (24 inches) horizonal.
Posters must contain: Title of the research, authors’ data (names and surnames, institutional affiliation, e-mail, country), an abstract, justification, general objective, theoretical approach, methodology and results of the research.
Posters can be in English, Spanish, French or all three. Translated handouts in PDF Format are always welcomed.
Files should be in an mp4 format no more than 15 minutes in length. They must contain: Title of the research, Author’s data (names and surnames, institutional affiliation, e-mail, country). Complete audiovisual work must be submitted by the deadline for proposals.
PROGRAM COST
* Invoicing and payments for the Application Fee are processed by Squareup.com. Deposits for accepted delegates become non-refundable. The deposit counts towards the full cost of the program. The remaining cost of the program will be invoiced once the deposit is received. All credit card payments are subject to a 3.5% merchant fee. Payment Plans offered to qualified participants from Square.com who have made an initial deposit. Click here to view our full terms and conditions.
Ready to Pay The Entire Program Now?
TOTAL PROGRAM INCLUDES:
- Roundtrip Airfare from Miami to Cuba*
- Cuba Entry Visa
- US and Cuba Tuition
- Access to All Program Events and Activities
- Ground Transportation to and From Cuban Airports
- A Home Stay in Private Accommodations
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Daily
- Cuba Health and Repatriation Insurance
- English Speaking Guides
* Don’t live in Miami? Reach out to us and we can help you connect to the group flight for only the difference in airfare.
Logistical services for US travelers are provided solely by Civitas Global Educational Services in cooperation with Daiquiri Tours. This program is developed in full compliance with the United States Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control under general license CFR 31 § 515.565b for people-to-people travel. Click here to see the full OFAC Regulations related to travel to Cuba.