Isabella Rodriguez grew up listening to her mother and grandmother talk about their native country, Cuba, and although she has never visited the island, her identity has been greatly shaped by Cuban culture.
A senior studying microbiology and immunology, Rodriguez is the president of the Federación de Estudiantes Cubanos (FEC), or the Federation of Cuban Students, a student organization that was founded in 1967. The group presently has more than 30 members. Not all of them are Cuban, but they take an active interest in sharing Cuban culture with the University of Miami community.
“I wanted to check out organizations that aligned with my beliefs and reminded me of home,” said Rodriguez, whose father is Puerto Rican. “I wanted something homey and that was FEC. The first meeting reminded me of my grandmother and my mom and what I grew up with.”
Now, when she is not in class, Rodriguez spends hours with her fellow FEC members eating lunch, speaking Spanglish (mixing English and Spanish), and playing dominoes at their office in the Donna E. Shalala Student Center.
For Rocio Pelaez, a first-year student studying English and history, FEC is a way to maintain her roots. Born in Havana, she remembers the political repression and trauma of growing up in a Communist regime. But she also remembers the close family life and friendship ties that she enjoyed in her native country. She understands the generational trauma of being brought out of one’s country.
“If you are Cuban, you grew up experiencing and hearing all the stories about Cuba,” she said. “And there is a yearning that you cannot escape.”
That nostalgia and yearning will be explored in a film being shown as part of the annual A Week of Cuban Culture events, taking place March 17–21.
On March 18, the documentary “Hijos de la Diaspora” will be shown at the Kislak Center at the University of Miami, adjacent to the Otto G. Richter Library. A reception will precede the film and a conversation with director Lunes Ona and producer Ileana Perez Drago will follow. The film is being shown as a collaboration between FEC and the Cuban Heritage Collection.
“Hijos de la Diaspora” explores how Cuban culture persists even among the young children of Cuban exiles, many of whom have never visited the island.
Amanda Moreno-Schroeder, director of the Cuban Heritage Collection and Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair, thought the film was an excellent choice as a highlight of FEC’s A Week of Cuban Culture.
“‘Hijos de la Diaspora’ tells the intergenerational and transnational story of the Cuban diaspora experience, sharing the voices and perspectives of young Cuban-descended people around the world,” said Moreno-Schroeder. “The documentary encapsulates the ideas of identity, memory, and belonging that have defined our community’s experiences over the last 60-plus years, preserving our heritage and fostering understanding of the global impact of Cuban migration.”
A Week of Cuban Culture events on the Coral Gables Campus include:
Monday, March 17:
- 11 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies, Lakeside Patio
- 6 p.m. – Domino Tournament, The Rathskeller
Tuesday, March 18:
- 11 a.m. – Cafecito on the Rocks, University Center Rock Plaza
- 6 p.m. – Film Screening of “Hijos de la Diaspora,” Kislak Center
Thursday, March 20:
- 6 p.m. – Jose Marti Day of Service, Shalala Student Center Activities Room North
Friday, March 21:
- 11 a.m. – Closing Ceremonies, University Center Rock Plaza