A team of three student journalists from the department of journalism and mass communication visited Havana, Cuba, in March, as a part of a week-long video production project. The goal of the team was to capture the people and culture of Cuba on video.
The out-of-country cost of the trip was funded entirely by money raised by the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies at North Carolina A&T State University, including a grant from Nestle USA and receipts from the institute's annual golf tournament.
“Getting a chance to go to Cuba was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and gave me a chance to witness the marvels of a country frozen in time,” said Elaina Cession, a rising junior studying media management.
“Most people look at the U.S. embargo on Cuba as a negative thing but it has worked to their advantage because it has allowed them to preserve their culture.”
The excursion was part of a continuing effort by the institute to conduct research and report on the role and impact of people of African descent in Cuba, explained the institute’s director, DeWayne Wickham.
“Cuba is a nation with which the United States has been at loggerheads for more than half a century. During this time, Cuba has had a significant influence on American politics as Cuban exiles in this country have pushed the U.S. government to topple Cuba's communist government,” said Wickham, who periodically writes about Cuban politics in his weekly USA Today column.
The students worked as field producers, videographers, on-air talent and co-hosts for a documentary focusing on Cuba. The documentary also takes a more in-depth look at the 1912 massacre of thousands of Afro-Cubans who were members of the Independent Party of Color, the first independent black political party in the western hemisphere.
With this year marking the centennial anniversary of the massacre, a number of intellects, activists and journalists from across the world were drawn to Cuba to discuss the lingering impact of this event.
Wickham’s Cuba delegation included James Counts Early, the Smithsonian Institution's director of cultural heritage programs, who served as the cultural adviser for the documentary as well as Ken Devanney, N.C. A&T’s television station manager. Student delegates who traveled to Cuba this spring included: Elaina Cession, a rising senior in media management; and recent graduates, Felicia Lawrence and Lauren Branch, both electronic media majors.
“Cuba was an amazing experience culturally and professionally. I was able to practice the language and learn about a different culture while applying the skills that I learned at this institution,” Lawrence said.
Branch said the experience made her appreciate the freedom she holds as a U.S. citizen.
“I learned a lot about the differences in our cultures and how we live (in America),” she added. Branch says the journey to Cuba bolstered her interest in traveling to other countries as a future journalist.
