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Series XVIII: Miami-Havana, 1991-1992, inclusive

Scope and Content Note

The series contains copies of the full-length documentary Miami-Havana (1992) as well as interviews and footage featured in the documentary. This 52-minute film examines the personal impact of families divided as a result of diplomatic conflict between the United States and Cuba. The documentary features a series of interviews and airport scenes that address struggles families face in light of restrictions on travel and communications between the two countries.

Filmed in both Havana and Miami, the documentary also examines the successive waves of Cuban emigration, America's blockade of Cuba, and the US imprisonment and deportation of the Cuban "excludables."

Miami-Havana, 1992, inclusive

Box: 73, DVD: 9 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

This is a full-length version of the film Miami-Havana.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Content of this DVD is born-digital. Advanced notice is required to access these materials.

Miami-Havana, 1992, inclusive

reel: ref2160 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Extent

1 Reels

Miami-Havana, 1992, inclusive

reel: ref2171 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Miami-Havana, 1992, inclusive

Box: 75, DVD: ref7 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

This is a full-length version of the film Miami-Havana. This film is in Spanish.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 00:52:00.

Miami-Havana, 1992, inclusive

Box: 81, DVD: ref464 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

This is a full-length version of the film Miami-Havana. This film is in Spanish.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 00:52:00.

Miami-Havana, Spanish, 1992, inclusive

Box: 61, Cassette: ref976 (Material Type: video)

Diaz, Carmen: Interview 1, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 40, Cassette: ref1195 (Material Type: video)

Language of Materials

The interview with Carmen Diaz is in English.

Scope and Content Note

This video contains footage of people waiting in a small room, likely an immigration office. There is also footage of a busy street, including several police officers addressing a man, a man handing out cards to cars at a red light, and other activity at the store fronts. The rest of the video is footage from an interview with Carmen Diaz, a clinical psychologist. She discusses psychological issues facing Cuban refugees, particularly balseros, and the political issues affecting immigration in the relationship between the United States and Cuba.

Conditions Governing Access

This video is closed due to the presence of personally identifiable information.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Duration: 00:30:13.

Diaz, Carmen: Interview 2, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 40, Cassette: ref1196 (Material Type: video)

Language of Materials

This interview is in English.

Scope and Content Note

This video contains footage from an interview with Carmen Diaz. She continues her discussion on Cuban refugees in the United States, on the political relationship between the United States and Cuba, and her desire to return to Cuba. She also briefly talks about Fidel Castro, Orlando Bosch, and the broader political and economic climate in Latin America.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Duration: 00:29:14.

[Fuste, Tomas Garcia]: Interview and other footage, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 82, DVD: ref565 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

The initial portion of video involves pictures of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity in Miami. The bulk of the footage features a long interview with Tomas Garcia Fuste at the WQBA radio station, which for many years served as the voice of anti-Castro Cubans in Florida.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 01:00:00.

Sanchez, Lourdes: Interview, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 81, DVD: ref460 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

In this footage Estela Bravo interviews Lourdes Sanchez, a government chemist who works on the Isla de la Juventud.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 00:21:16.

Sanchez, Lourdes: Interview, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 81, DVD: ref461 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 00:21:32.

Sanchez, Lourdes (family): Interview, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 81, DVD: ref466 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

In this video Estela Bravo interviews the mother of Lourdes Sanchez. A portion of the footage shows the family watching the Bravo interview in Cuba with her daughter, Lourdes.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 00:53:00.

Villar, Arturo: Interview (with His Wife, Jorgina), circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 65, Cassette: ref1198 (Material Type: video)

Language of Materials

The first interview is in English and the second interview is in Spanish.

Scope and Content Note

This video begins with an interview with Arturo Villar. He discusses his insights on what drove the balseros, people who traveled via makeshift rafts from Cuba to the United States, as well the Marielitos (refugees of the 1980 Mariel boatlift). He also discusses the creation of Radio Progeso in Miami. The second half the video contains an interview of Arturo and his wife, Jorgina, together. Jorgina talks about when they left Cuba to live in Spain, Puerto Rico, and Miami, and her subsequent visits to Cuba. At the end of the video, there are close-up shots of Arturo and conversations with his wife and the interviewers.

Biographical Note

Arturo Villar was a former journalist who advised businesses about opportunities in the Cuban economy. He left Cuba after the revolution, but expressed his desire to return.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Duration: 00:28:32.

Villar, Arturo: Interview, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 66, Cassette: ref1355 (Material Type: video)

Footage including Coast Guard, Wayne Smith, "excludables', circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 79, DVD: ref331 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

This tape contains footage for Miami-Havana that may have subsequently been used in The Cuban Excludables. It contains clips of United States and Cuban Coast Guard picking up rafters; interviews with parents of one rafter; and explanation of US immigration rules regarding Cubans. In the middle of the video there is a section of no sound, followed by a high-pitched sound. Interviews resume after, and include several clips of Wayne Smith, and of the "excludables". Francisco Aruca is also featured in some of these scenes.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 00:37:03.

Footage at Miami Airport, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 81, DVD: ref459 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

Estela Bravo interviews a variety of people at the Miami airport. Some appear to be leaving for Cuba and others are just accompanying travelers.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 00:22:00.

Footage: Various, including brief interviews with Orlando Bosch, Jose Cruz, and others, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 81, DVD: ref462 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

This video features a wide variety of footage. In the first part Emilio Cueto speaks with Estela Bravo and then sings and plays the piano. Around 00:03:30 there is an interview with Orlando Bosch; later there is footage with the Miami High School cheerleading squad; an additional interview with Lourdes Sanchez and her mother, which features several unidentified individuals; an interview with women in a sewing factory; and at 00:40:00 an interview with Jose Cruz. The interview with Cruz begins in Spanish, but then he speaks at length in English about his organization, The Cuban American Coalition. He also criticizes the Cuban American National Foundation and Jorge Mas Canosa.

Historical/Biographical Note

Emilio Cueto is a lawyer, author, pianist and collector of Cuban cultural materials. He lives in Washington D.C.

Jose Cruz is a former Jesuit priest whose Cuban-American Coalition supports family reunification, advocates dialogue with Cuba, and opposes the US embargo.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 00:55:00.

Footage of men from Commandos L, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 81, DVD: ref468 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Historical/Biographical Note

Comandos L, originally Comandos Libertad, or Liberty Command, is a Miami-based anti-Castro paramilitary group that made a number of attacks on Cuba.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 01:01:00.

Footage: "Guard, Thomas Sanchez, Havana Street", circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 81, DVD: ref469 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 01:01:00.

Footage: Salvation Army church service, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 81, DVD: ref470 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

This video features footage of a church service at the Salvation Army. The church service is followed by musical performances.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 01:02:00.

Footage: Miami High School cheerleaders and others, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 82, DVD: ref568 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Scope and Content Note

This video contains footage contains a performance and interviews with Miami High School cheerleaders, who are of Cuban descent, and many interviews with other Cuban Americans. In between, are street scenes, shots of a US flag flying, and footage of the inside of a church (B-roll).

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 00:59:00.

Footage: Demonstrations against the embargo in Bicentennial Park, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 82, DVD: ref570 (Material Type: Moving Images)

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Umatic. Duration: 00:41:00.

Miami-Havana 2nd Cut English and Spanish, 1992, inclusive

Box: 66, Cassette: ref1324 (Material Type: video)

"#62 Aruca in Studio #63 Aruca in Studio" (Francisco Aruca), circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 55, Cassette: ref1175 (Material Type: video)

Aruca, Francisco: Interview in Office, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 67, Cassette: ref1378 (Material Type: video)

Eric Interview (on box), Javiar Interview (on tape), circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 65, Cassette: ref1193 (Material Type: video)

Language of Materials

This video is in Spanish.

Scope and Content Note

This video contains an interview with a young man who discusses how life in the United States is nothing like he expected when he came from Cuba. He describes that life in the United States is hard and expensive, and how in some ways, the quality of life is better in Cuba for young people.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Duration: 00:31:43.

"Jose Marti Airport interviews; Children, Namibia", 1991 August 20, inclusive

Box: 67, Cassette: ref1377 (Material Type: video)

Scope and Content Note

This video appears to contain material from both Miami-Havana and Namibia: The Last Colony. The box indicates interviews as the Jose Marti Airport in Cuba and also mentions young people from Namibia. They may be young Namibians who were educated in Cuba.

Interview with Dina Espino and Start of Interview with Saimi, circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 60, Cassette: ref1375 (Material Type: video)

Language of Materials

This video is in Spanish.

Scope and Content Note

This video contains an interview with Dina Espino. She talks about the negative effects of family separation when part of a family moves to the United States while the rest remains in Cuba. terview concludes with close-up and cutaway shots of Dina. The second part of this recording consists of an interview with Saimi, a young girl who lived in Miami and has recently returned to live in Cuba. She is interviewed with her new teachers in a schoolyard. Estela asks her to describe the differences between schools in the different countries and to discuss the ways she had to adjust. Her teachers talk about how well Saimi has transitioned and adapted to her new school in Cuba. There is also footage of Saimi and her parents and background footage that shows Saimi and other children playing in the schoolyard together.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Duration: 00:26:50.

Interviews with Women in Sewing Factory (Hialeah, FL), circa 1991-1992, inclusive

Box: 67, Cassette: ref1381 (Material Type: video)

Cont. y Fin de Entrevista a Viteo y una Familia de Guines, circa 1990s, inclusive

Box: 21, Cassette: 429 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Language of Materials

The video is in Spanish.

Scope and Content Note

This video features an interview with a mother and her adult son. They are retelling a story of a family divided between Cuba and the United States: one family member in the U.S. was facing challenges with living on the streets, and his family in Cuba was powerless to help. The interviewees then talk about the many people who left Cuba after the Cuban Revolution without realizing how difficult living in the United States would be. The video ends with footage of their home.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Betacam. Duration: 00:15:58.

Interview with Heidi and Her Friend Ricardo, 1991 September 21

Box: 18, Cassette: ref523 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Language of Materials

This video is in Spanish.

Scope and Content Note

This video contains an interview with 14-year-old Heidi and her friend Ricardo. Both express their desire to leave Cuba and live in Miami. Heidi discusses how her views and experiences are very different from her parents and grandparents. They discuss how Heidi's boyfriend recently left for Miami by boat. Ricardo talks about how he is afraid of the journey to Miami. The last few minutes of the video contain street footage of some kind of demonstration or crowded street.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Betacam. Duration: 00:22:00.

Interview with Idelsa's Mother, Grandma, and Uncle, circa 1990s, inclusive

Box: 21, Cassette: 449 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Language of Materials

This video is in Spanish.

Scope and Content Note

This video contains an interview with a family in Miami. They describe the challenges they are experiencing with financially supporting and maintaining ties with family in Cuba due to the embargo and tensions between the two countries.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Betacam. Duration: 00:31:24.

Miami Street Interviews with Man from Comandos Libertad and Woman from FAC, circa 1990s, inclusive

Box: 60, Cassette: ref532 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Language of Materials

This video is in Spanish.

Scope and Content Note

In this video, Estela interviews two men on the street in Miami. They describe the work that they do to support Cuban exiles in the United States. Another woman joins the conversation and Estela asks them all to share their opinions on the relationship between the United States and Cuba. The woman reacts strongly to Estela's question and they continue to debate the two countries' relationship as well as things Cuba could do to improve quality of life for its citizens.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Betacam. Duration: 00:22:30.

Psicóloga Patricia Murzio, circa 1990s, inclusive

Box: 21, Cassette: 436 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Language of Materials

This video is in Spanish.

Scope and Content Note

This video features an interview with Dr. Patricia Ares Murzio, a professor of psychology at the University of Havana. She discusses the ways that families are psychologically and emotionally impacted when some family members leave for the United States while others stay in Cuba.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Betacam. Duration: 00:28:36.

Saimi Continua Entrevista, circa 1990s, inclusive

Box: 21, Cassette: 453 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Language of Materials

This video is primarily in Spanish with some background conversations in English.

Scope and Content Note

This video contains an interview with Saimi and her family. Saimi had lived in Miami and is speaking about the cultural differences between living in the United States and Cuba. She compares the United States with Cuba, saying that in the U.S., one needs a lot of money and has to work very hard to survive but in Cuba one doesn't pay rent, utilities, or water bills. Her sister and mother express their happiness to have the family reunited in Cuba again. The interview concludes with close-up, background, and cutaway shots of Saimi and her family. The final five minutes feature a different interview of an unidentified family discussing the hardships of maintaining connections as a family divided between the United States and Cuba.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Original Format: Betacam. Duration: 00:28:22.

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012