UNC study abroad program expands to Cuba

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Sun, Dec. 14, 2003

UNC study abroad program expands to Cuba
Associated Press

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina has teamed up with the University of Havana to allow students to study abroad in Cuba.

UNC-Chapel Hill will send eight students there next month to study Cuban history, culture and international relations, along with Spanish grammar and language.

The university has sent students to Cuba before, but they traveled under another school's government license, a requirement of the U.S. government.

UNC's license was several years old and was awarded before new federal restrictions were in place. The Department of the Treasury recently renewed UNC's license, allowing Carolina to send students and faculty to Cuba.

"I think this might be the only country in the Western Hemisphere that Americans are denied the right to travel to," said Louis Perez, a UNC history professor who specializes in Cuba. "I think what the program allows us to do, among many other things, is to place our students in a country that is intrinsically fascinating in terms of its history and culture." (snip/...)

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/7491840.htm

[Judi Lynn]

1. All Female Hip-Hop Concert To Rock Cuba

All Female Hip-Hop Concert To Rock Cuba
By Clarence Burke Jr.
Date: 12/15/2003 11:40 AM

Cuba will play host to the first all women's hip-hop concert this month, the first such event to take place on the island.

The concert, titled "Proven Presence" will feature Cuban rappers Esencia, Oye Habana, Maryoris, Las positivas and Las crudas.

The event, which kicks off at 5:00 pm on December 17, will take place at Covarrubias Hall of the National Theater. (snip/...)

http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=2677

Hip-hop scene has grown strong in Cuba
by David Cazares | Sun-Sentinel

Only a few years ago, the most vibrant music thought to be coming out of Cuba was timba. This fiery dance music was played by popular bands that relied on the pulsating rhythms and intricate arrangements favored by its biggest stars.

Though practitioners of the complicated genre are still going strong, in recent years Cuba's musical scene has increasingly made room for new performers for whom hip-hop is the biggest call. From humble beginnings two decades ago, in which Cuban rappers got their start by following the lead of American groups, the island's hip-hop stars have become a phenomenon -- so much so that a Cuban government that once ignored them now actively promotes their art.

Comments | Read more...
This weekend, hip-hop fans in South Florida will have a chance to see some of Cuba's most talented acts, when the International Hip Hop Exchange/Miami presents the groups Doble Filo and Obsesión in a finale concert for the two-week cultural exchange.

The two groups, which have participated in a conference exploring Caribbean influences on U.S. hip-hop culture, perform Saturday at Miami's Gusman Center, 174 E. Flagler St.

Young Cubans started listening to rap and hip-hop more than two decades ago, when they began picking up the latest U.S. sounds from Miami radio stations. But the music didn't begin to catch on until the early 1990s, when Cuba's economy hit the skids.

That's when Cuba's hip-hop scene emerged, at first fashioned after the lyrics, gestures and break dancing of American rap groups.
(snip/...)

http://havanajournal.com/culture_comments/P444_0_3_0/