1912 and the Other 1937

I had the fortune to see Gloria Rolando's documentaries on the 1912 massacre of Afro-Cubans as well as Reembarque, which puts a human face on the experiences of Haitians and Cubans of Haitian descent. The humiliating and demeaning repatriations of Haitians in 1937 are vividly retold by Haitians in eastern Cuba and Haitians within Haiti, and the viewer sees Haitian culture alive and well in Cuba. Although the musical performances and interviews were beautiful, I think the documentary would have benefited from a deeper analysis or context of Haiti at the time, particularly the push factors for Haitians in the specific regions of Okay, Aquin, Bainet, Leogane, etc. where most of the emigrants in the period between 1910-1930 were born. Nonetheless, Reembarque breathes life into Matthew Casey's well-known study on Haitians in Cuba during the same period. 

As for Rolando's other documentary series, the film accomplishes a similar task of bringing to life through interviews, newspapers, historians, and descendants of the historical actors or people from Oriente and Santa Clara, the rise and fall of the Partido Independiente de Color, culminating in the massacres of thousands of blacks. The world needs more documentaries and studies of these crucial episodes in Cuban history, also important for emphasizing inter-Caribbean links and cultural exchange, even in the midst of US imperialism. Fortunately, the presence of Dr. Patrick Bellegarde-Smith and Gloria Rolando epitomizes the importance of inter-island historical relationships and provided an excellent overview of the connections between 1912 and 1937, 1804 and 1959, in the short discussion after the showing. I intend to watch more of Rolando's work.