Photo from Inmagine

The following was written by Carol Steele, Global Exchange Director of Cuba Customized Reality Tours. She is an accomplished percussionist who has played with an eclectic range of musical acts, everything from Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Joan Baez and Steve Winwood to Diana Ross and Tears for Fears.

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The 27th Annual International Jazz Festival in Havana is coming up– you wonder, should you go?  And I say to you emphatically, ABSOLUTELY SI !!!!!!

It is a great time to be in Havana!  Usually right on the heels of the International Film Festival, Havana is buzzing with energy.  There are so many concerts in different venues all over town, lots of Cuban Jazz, as well as invited guests from around the world, and BEST of all (says the musician) the late night jam sessions!  You never know who might stop by and sit in on one of these nightly jams.  Once you have your pass for the festival, you can get into all of the shows, afternoon lecture demonstrations, and although I think there may be a small fee to go to the jam sessions – it’s a fee that’s well worth it as far as I’m concerned.

I started going to Cuba in 1987, during a time when I was working as a professional recording musician/percussionist, and wanted to go to the root – or “la mata” as my Cuban friends in New York used to say. (The root of my technique as a percussionist)  I was recording and working with Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Bette Midler and Tears for Fears, to name a few, and going to Cuba during my time off.  I went to study, see, learn, absorb, breathe, play, dance, and see what it feels like to be in   “la mata” and what I can tell you is that it changed my life!

Carol Steele in action!

I am not a formally trained musician, I play by “ear” (and I would add, heart and soul.)  So for me, whether I get to play or not, just going to Cuba, and getting to be in the presence of the masters that are constantly taking modern Cuban music to new levels, or having the privilege of experiencing Afro-Cuban Folkloric music that is being played in the same way that it was handed down from Mother Africa – it inspires.  Whether I have ever put my hands on a drum or not, during any given visit over the past 25 years, I always come home playing something different, taking a different solo, and feeling my place in the music in just a very subtle and different way – inspired.

So, I have to say that the Jazz Festival is an incredibly unique time to be in Havana, with so much music happening in so many different places daily. Whether you are a musician or dancer, expert or novice, music aficionado or music critic………. You will come back changed in some way that you might not be able to put your finger on at first –  is it the music, the culture, the people, the food, the painting, the architecture, the history……………or is it just ALL of it!  Come with us and see – and by the way, let me know!

TRAVEL TO CUBA

The 27th International Jazz Festival of Havana is taking place on December 11, 2011 – December 21, 2011. Find out how to travel there with Global Exchange.

You can see Carol in action & on percussion in this video!

Lots going on in Cuba travel news. A few New York Times articles recently covered Cuba travel changes (and Global Exchange!), the Associated Press spoke with Global Exchange’s External Relations Director, and tonight the Travel Channel’s Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations is in Cuba.
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For more than 20 years now Global Exchange‘s Reality Tours program has promoted important people to people ties between North Americans and Cubans.  Our professional delegations, exchanges and licensed educational tours are again increasing in number after the Obama Administration eased some of the travel restrictions and authorized eight new U.S. Airports to offer charter flights to Cuba.

Our External Relations Director Malia Everette was recently interviewed by the Associated Press about the increasing demand for “People to People” Cuba tours that Global Exchange is experiencing for the article US issuing licenses for increased Cuba travel.

A recent New York Times article described one Global Exchange Reality Tour to Cuba:

A hot June sun glared over the Arroyo Arenas organic vegetable garden at the edge of Havana where Ms. Slezak, a 68-year-old retired social worker from Long Island, and 16 other Americans were visiting as part of a “food sovereignty” program organized by Global Exchange, a human rights organization, and Food First, a policy institute.

She and the beans were partly shaded by netting slung over the long trough-shaped beds, but it was hot, damp and sticky. She paused now and then to wipe her forehead.

Sweating in a Cuban field is not everyone’s idea of relaxation, and it is a far cry from the decadent gaiety that drew Americans to Havana before Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. But trips like this are one way of getting to see Cuba, and have just become accessible to most Americans.

Yet another New York Times article described the travel policy changes taking place:

Thanks to policy changes by President Obama earlier this year designed to encourage more contact between Americans and citizens of the Communist-ruled island, the Treasury Department is once again granting so-called “people-to-people” licenses, which greatly expand travel opportunities for Cuba-bound visitors. The new people-to-people measures make it easier for United States citizens who do not have special status as working journalists or scholars to visit Cuba legally, so long as they go with a licensed operator.

What continues to motivate Global Exchange Reality Tour trips to Cuba is how our participants return inspired by their Cuban counterparts and educated first-hand about the tenacity, ingenuity and integrity of the Cuban people. Yes, Global Exchange is also committed to challenging our government to normalize relations with Cuba, but also to build long term relationships between US and Cuban citizens based on respect and real engagement.

In fact this year, Global Exchange is organizing over 20 delegations and have customized another 30 trips to Cuba thus far!

If you’d like to read some insights shared by a recent Cuba Reality Tour participant check out this article written by Linda Slezak which originally appeared in the Slow Food East End newsletter.

Tonight on the Travel Channel: Anthony Bourdain in Cuba!

The premiere episode of the latest season of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations finds the show in Cuba. Here’s a sneak peek at tonight’s show, this part all about baseball:

Organizations & Institutions: Consider Partnering with Global Exchange
Perhaps you may get inspired tonight after watching the travel channel. As a licensed travel service provider, Global Exchange welcomes working with other organizations and institutions that have their own licenses and would love to develop new partnerships to customize journeys. Email malia@globalexchange.org to get started.

Now is THE time to Travel to Cuba!
With new flights recently cleared for lift off, now is the perfect time to plan your trip. We’d love for you to join us on one of our Reality Tours to Cuba.

The best time to go to Cuba? People who have gone on a Global Exchange New Years trip to Cuba come back…different. In a good way. Like they just went on a trip of a lifetime. To learn more about our New Years trips to Cuba this year, go here.

Save $150 on Cuba Trip: Global Exchange Reality Tours is offering a $150 DISCOUNT when you register for one of our Cuba trips by August 15th, 2011. Simply mention this blog post to receive your discount.

So what are you waiting for? Cuba awaits you.

Great News! Today’s LA Times travel section featured Reality Tour’s Fair Harvest journey to Nicaragua.  On behalf of Reality Tours I’d like to say thank you to their staff and editors for covering our alternative and fair trade focused tours.  As you can see in their article ,we are bringing people to understand Nicaragua, its history and people, while creating the opportunity for our partners to share their stories about why fair trade matters. Our Fair Harvesters live with a cooperative member families and work alongside the farmers to harvest coffee, for an alternative “service learning” or voluntourism vacation. The intention behind our Fair Harvest tour is to immerse you into the daily lives of small-scale farming families and enhance your understanding of what Fair Trade means to producers.

In today’s world economy, where profits rule and small-scale producers are left out of the bargaining process, farmers, craft producers, and other workers are often left without resources or hope for their future. Fair Trade helps exploited producers escape from this cycle and gives them a way to maintain their traditional lifestyles with dignity. Fair Trade has helped farmers provide for their families’ basic needs and invest in community development; however, these farmers are still selling most of their crop outside of the Fair Trade system because not enough companies are buying at Fair Trade prices.

Global Exchange has been organizing Fair Trade Campaigns and introducing consumers to Fair Trade products for over twenty years in our Global Exchange stores.  Last year, Reality Tours began a close collaborative partnership with TransFair USA.  We are honored to partner with them and support the incredible work they are doing around the world. Reality Tours has expanded our Fair Harvest series of trips into fair trade communities in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, India, Israel, Mexico, Nepal,  Nicaragua and Palestine (and can customize them in many other places of course!).  Personally, cultivating my relationship with Transfair USA and engaging with their passionate, intelligent staff I have a profound new appreciation for what certification means. I place great value on the “Fair Trade Certified” label on Fair Trade Products and I know that certification ensures that workers are paid fair wages, are free from abusive labor practices, and use environmentally sustainable methods.

Thanks LA Times for reminding the traveler that we have many travel options. You can travel “Fairly” so put your travel dollars where your values are!

Global Exchange Reality Tours blog invites you to Meet the People, Learn the Facts, Make a Difference!
The idea for a Reality Tours blog came from members of the global community. Over the years people have expressed a desire to:

  • Hear more about the work that we do as a dynamic human rights organization working to amplify the benefits of socially responsible travel
  • Share in the real life experiences of Reality Tours current and past trip participants (alumni)
  • Learn more about the amazing host communities that we have been so blessed to journey with since 1988

Reality Tours shares with many the vision that meaningful, socially responsible travel can, and does, change the world. So with this new Reality Tours blog, we are excited and honored to be able to bring you closer to “meet” the people in over 40 destinations around the world whose stories inspire and whom you would never exchange with during a conventional tour package.

Photo Credit: Laura Stevens, Reality Tours Photo Contest Winner

We invite you to hear from travelers just like you that have learned first-hand about important social, economic and ecological issues from impacted communities. We will celebrate together the fact that travelers can and do make a difference.
Reality Tours are transformational experiences and this blog will invite alumni to share what they have done to educate, organize and give back since traveling with us.  This blog will highlight new exciting Reality Tours and customized tours; introduce you to Reality Tours representatives around the globe; bring you even closer to the host communities through their stories and photos; and will also serve as a forum to discuss anything related to socially responsible, educational and sustainable travel!
Just as the idea for this blog came from members of the global community, we hope it will flourish from this same inclusive energy, so if you have ideas about what you would like to see on this blog, let us know!