CUBA
 

AFRO-CUBAN ARTS & CULTURE IN HAVANA

Though just 90 miles from the United States, Cuba remains a mystery to most Americans. Now, on our in-depth program, travelers will experience this enigmatic island through the eyes of its people. Discover Havana during specially arranged meetings. Explore captivating Cuba, with privileged access to the country's arts community and experts. Savor Cuban cuisine in paladares and get to know our warm neighbors to the south. Explore the many rich influences of Afro-Cuban heritage from the combination of native African and other cultural elements and see how it manifests in religion, music, language, and the arts.

Faculty Hosts


Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw

Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw is Class of 1940 bicentennial Term Associate Professor in the department of Art History at Penn. Her research and teaching focus on the art and material culture made in the Americas and Europe since the eighteenth century. A specialist in the history of portraiture, she is especially interested in the history of representational painting in the United States and post-colonial Latin America. Professor Shaw is the founding director of the Penn in Havana Summer Abroad program and has family living in Cuba. Between 2014 and 2019, she visited the island nearly a dozen times with Penn students and alumni. She is a regular Penn Alumni Travel host, leading trips throughout the Caribbean, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, France, Spain, and Portugal.


 




Peter Decherney

Peter Decherney is Professor of Cinema & Media Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Director of the Penn Global Documentary Institute, and Faculty Director of Penn’s university-wide Online Learning Initiative. He is the author or editor of seven books including Hollywood’s Copyright Wars: From Edison to the Internet and Hollywood: A Very Short Introduction. Prof. Decherney has also written for The New York Times, Forbes, and Inside Higher Ed, among other publications. He is an award-winning documentary and virtual reality filmmaker, who has directed a series of films about global migration and on the political role of artists in Myanmar, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the U.S. His virtual reality docuseries, The Heart of Puerto Rico about artists in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (co-directed with Jean Lee) won the Best VR Experience and Best Director awards at the 2020 AT&T Film Awards. 


 

TRAVEL INSURANCE
We encourage all Penn Alumni travelers to select the travel insurance that is right for you. If you are looking for a travel insurance provider, your tour operator will be able to offer some suggestions.

ITINERARY

Day 1 U.S. / Havana, Cuba
Day 2 Havana
Day 3 Havana
Day 4 Havana
Day 5 Havana/Matanzas
Day 6 Havana
Day 7 Havana/ Depart for U.S.




Participation in tour packages by The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania (“UPenn”), through its Penn Alumni Travel program, is limited solely to educational sponsorship of the tour. UPenn is not affiliated with the third party tour operators (“Tour Operators”) that operate and manage the tours advertised here. UPenn disclaims any responsibility or liability for any acts or omissions of the Tour Operators.