To celebrate José Martí’s birthday this month HavanaNewYork.com has asked members of the Cuban American artistic community here in the NYC Tri-state area to recite the work of the poet, writer and statesman for our video camera. Starting with Jesse Herrero, orchestra leader and producer of SonSublime, and throughout the rest of the month we will feature video clips of these recitals on our YouTube channel.
This project is something we have been wanting to do for some time, but now with the recent developments in Cuba – US relations it seems more suited than ever. Further inspiration came after our reading of a recent article online entitled, Cuba still waiting for its José Martí by Tony Ruiz, Gavilan College Trustee and professor. Below is an excerpt from this article:
“Philosophers like Spain’s Antonio Machado believe you can’t separate a man from his dreams. If this is so, the Cuban people are still waiting for José Martí, the beloved leader and martyr of its independence from Spain. José Martí was a writer and poet who truly understood what freedom, dignity, and democracy is all about. That is the dream he left the Cuban people who have read Martí’s works and have waited for his dream to encircle their small island.”
“I am a sincere man, from where the palms grow...and before I pass on, I want to disperse...my verses from my soul” - José Martí, lyrics to the song “Guantanamera”
“Even after Cuba’s liberation from Spain, the people lacked self-determination and were in the grip of foreign intervention from the United States, dictators like Batista, and Fidel Castro. I cannot think of another country where individuals have never had the freedom to make choices regarding their future. As Americans, most of us take this freedom for granted.”
From the book "Selected Writings (Penguin Classics)
José Martí (Author), Esther Allen (Translator), Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria (Introduction) - “José Martí (1853-1895) is the most renowned political and literary figure in the history of Cuba. A poet, essayist, orator, statesman, abolitionist, and the martyred revolutionary leader of Cuba's fight for independence from Spain, Martí lived in exile in New York for most of his adult life, earning his living as a foreign correspondent. Throughout the 1880s and early 1890s, Martí's were the eyes through which much of Latin America saw the United States. His impassioned, kaleidoscopic evocations of that period in U.S. history, the assassination of James Garfield, the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, the execution of the Chicago anarchists, the lynching of the Italians in New Orleans, and much more, bring it rushing back to life.”
Also visit www.HavanaNewYork.com your guide to Cuban music & more…
“I am a sincere man, from where the palms grow...and before I pass on, I want to disperse...my verses from my soul” - José Martí, lyrics to the song “Guantanamera”
“Even after Cuba’s liberation from Spain, the people lacked self-determination and were in the grip of foreign intervention from the United States, dictators like Batista, and Fidel Castro. I cannot think of another country where individuals have never had the freedom to make choices regarding their future. As Americans, most of us take this freedom for granted.”
From the book "Selected Writings (Penguin Classics)
José Martí (Author), Esther Allen (Translator), Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria (Introduction) - “José Martí (1853-1895) is the most renowned political and literary figure in the history of Cuba. A poet, essayist, orator, statesman, abolitionist, and the martyred revolutionary leader of Cuba's fight for independence from Spain, Martí lived in exile in New York for most of his adult life, earning his living as a foreign correspondent. Throughout the 1880s and early 1890s, Martí's were the eyes through which much of Latin America saw the United States. His impassioned, kaleidoscopic evocations of that period in U.S. history, the assassination of James Garfield, the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, the execution of the Chicago anarchists, the lynching of the Italians in New Orleans, and much more, bring it rushing back to life.”
Also visit www.HavanaNewYork.com your guide to Cuban music & more…
