I hope you are all loving the Cuando Sali de Cuba stories as much as I am. I feel so honored that I can give so many of you a place to share. It is my hope that the stories of how and why we are exiles will finally be told and get some traction.
The films I'm giving away today are a must-see for Cubans everywhere. Please visit the Voices from Mariel website to learn more about Dr. Jose Garcia and his family's exodus on the Mariel Boatlift. Or follow Voices from Mariel on Facebook for more information on upcoming screenings of the film.
These two winners will each receive a copy of the Voices from Mariel DVD.
For more information about Carlos Montaner and The Grandchildren of the Cuban Revolution film, please check out their website or follow them on Facebook. Prepare yourself! It's quite an eye-opening film.
The Grandchildren of the Cuban Revolution goes to:
Please send me an email with HEY, MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! in the subject line (so I don't accidentally delete it) along with your snail mail address so that I can send the DVDs out to you ASAP.
Muchos besos to you all and thank you for sharing your stories!
As you know, I am passionate about story telling. I believe it's important for all of us to record our personal histories. Much more so those of us whose stories are woven into a larger historical context.
I plan on continuing to highlight those stories as long as you keep sending them. The plight of Cubans - on the island as well as those of us who are exiles - has long been misunderstood by the general population. I want people to know who we are and where we came from and why.
Amy Kikita and I had the pleasure recently of meeting two Cuban filmmakers each with a different story to tell.
Dr. Jose Garcia and Carlos Montaner with me and Amy
Dr. Jose Garcia tells his "coming to America" story in the moving documentary, Voices from Mariel.
Dr. Garcia goes back to Cuba and the neighborhoods of his youth searching for the friends and loved ones he left behind when he left Cuba via the Mariel Boatlift in 1980. He interviews other Marielitos, who tell the stories of leaving their homeland and what it was like coming to the U.S. as part of that amazing historical exodus of 125,000 souls.
Voices from Mariel will be shown this coming weekend at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida and also on November 6th at the Alexandria Film Festival in Alexandria, Virginia.
Check their Facebook page for dates, locations and times.
Carlos Montaner directed the beautiful documentary, Grandchildren of the Cuban Revolution. Montaner interviews young Cubans who are still on the island and are frozen out of the political and economic process there. This moving film allows them to express their fears and frustrations about growing up under communist rule.
Watching both films, I felt like I was seeing two sides of the same story.
There are as many stories as there are Cuban people. All of them involve heartbreak loss and longing. All are worthy to be told.
Today I have 3 DVDs to give away.
One copy of Carlos Montaner's film, The Grandchildren of the Cuban Revolution.
And two copies of Dr. Garcia's Voices from Mariel.
To enter the drawing for a chance to win one of the DVDs, please leave a comment on this post and answer one or both of the following questions:
If you're Cuban, when did you leave? And how?
If you're not Cuban, (you're welcome to enter this giveaway, too, of course!) tell me what you know about or what fascinates you about Cuban people. Or if you have a personal connection, please tell me.
I'll do a random drawing on Wednesday, October 26th at 7 pm Pacific Time.
NOTE: If you have not yet sent me your own "Coming to America" story, please send it to me via email along with some photos. Write Cuando Sali de Cuba in the subject line. I promise to highlight it here on MBFCF. Thank you!
I'm often amazed at how little people here seem to know about the waves of Cuban immigrants refugees to this country.
The older folks seem to remember that in the early 60's there were some displaced Cuban children that needed homes. This they only know if one of the children ended up in their neighborhood. I'm referring, of course, to the Pedro Pan Flights, where 14,000 unaccompanied minors were sent to the U.S. by their terrified parents, hoping to save them from communism. They did. At great personal sacrifice. Read that story here.
But there are other stories. Some very dramatic, some with happy endings. As I start thinking about it, I realize that just about every Cuban has a "Cuando Sali de Cuba" story to tell.
The beautiful dvd Voices from Mariel tells the stories of those that left on the Mariel Boat Lift in 1980. They tell their stories. 125,000 Cubans were displaced. Their exodus was much different from ours (the first group), but super dramatic. And no, just because someone came to the U.S. via Mariel doesn't make them a felon. (You've watched Scarface a few too many times, but that's not important right now!)
I have a beautiful DVD that tells that story. It's called Voices from Mariel and it's just beautiful and oh so honest. So today's giveaway is a copy of Voices from Mariel.
To enter the drawing, please leave a comment and tell me your coming to America story.
Start off with....Cuando sali de Cuba.... tell me about your travels and how you found things in this country.
If you send it by email and with photos, I'll be happy to post it here, with your permission.
In fact, I think everyone should write down their story and share it. I'd love to give you a platform here.
Please leave me a comment, here on this post and tell me 1) how and when your family left Cuba. (No matter the time.) 2) Tell me details you remember. 3) Send me photos. I want to know it all.
In turn, by leaving a comment or sending an email with story and photos, I will put your name into the drawing for the Voices of Mariel Boatlift DVD.
It's a beautiful film. I promise you'll enjoy it. We are all one people. Cuban-Americans. And proud of it.
I'll pick a winner randomly on Saturday evening, May 21 at 6 pm Pacific.
Now, come on....Tell me your Coming to America story.
Happy 20 de Mayo!
My Big Fat Cuban Family: A Cuban-American Blog
My Big Fat Cuban Family is all about my Cuban American life. Enjoy my ramblings on my blog about my Cuban family, Cuban heritage, Cuban culture, Cuban life. And some decent Cuban recipes with pictures, too.
