Diaspora Interview: Radio Habana Cuba

Radio Havana Cuba (Radio Habana Cuba) is the official government-run international broadcasting station of Cuba.  Our Founder, Kasara Davidson, has interviewed with the station on two occasions, as of date.

1st Interview 

Interview: April 6, 2019

Broadcasted: April 8, 2019

Journalist: Isis Maria Allen

Radio Presenter: Kevin Jones

Translator & Interpreter: Gisela Moreno

Kasara Davidson discussed the premiere of Diner En Blanc (DEB) in Havana, a worldwide event in which people have a meal dressed in white in a temporary, public dining setup. One of Cuba’s most popular hotels, Hotel Nacional, was the venue selected for the gathering and hosted nearly 500 international guests on Saturday, April 13, 2019. 

2nd Interview 

Interview: July 31, 2019

Broadcasted: August 16, 2019

Journalist: Isis Maria Allen

Radio Presenter: Kevin Jones

Translator & Interpreter: Gisela Moreno

Kasara Davidson discussed recent regulation changes by the Trump Administration which affect US citizens who want to visit Cuba. She described our then-upcoming Programs, Fitness & Wellness En La Habana (Public Program) and Trinity School Delegation (Private Program) and explained the types of legal travel licenses for Cuba. 

Diaspora Notable Mention: NBC News - Step-by-Step

A story covering the journey of our dance school partners, Pasion Caribeña, in Habana Vieja (Old Havana). Our partners teach the steps and stories behind different forms of Cuban dance like son, salsa and folkloric, to our clients. This article showcases our 2016 Study Abroad Program with one of our institutional clients, the University of Baltimore, that participated in group dance classes.

“The dance school has partnerships with local hotels and casa particulares (private accommodations) as well as a dance school in Switzerland. It also works with U.S. based businesses like Diaspora Enterprise Solutions [now known as Diaspora Travel & Trade], which bring groups of American citizens to Cuba on cultural and educational programs.

Having both local and international partnerships has allowed Pasion Caribeña to expand its client base rather quickly with students from around the world. “For us it’s incredible. We have people from America now, Germany, Chinese people, Japan, around the world. For us it’s amazing,” Stable said.

Lima’s goal is to open two more dance schools in Havana in just a few months and then expand the Pasion Caribeña brand to other provinces on the island.”

Diaspora Interview: NBC News - Africa in the Americas

Diaspora Travel & Trade brought a group of Black professionals to Havana to experience the Cuban history, culture and everyday life through a vibrant Afro-Cuban lens and our clients were interviewed about their first experiences on the island. Our Founder, Kasara Davidson, also describes the full range of our services and clientele while discussing the African presence in Cuba. “I would describe Cuba as one word: alive…Africa is everywhere in Cuba. Africa is in the music, its in the people, its in the food, its in the rhythms, its in the language. Afro-Cuban is Cuba.” Watch the full video interview below.

*Note: This video quotes us as DiasporaES.  We changed our name to Diaspora Travel & Trade in 2017.

KEDavidson Notable Mention: NBC News - Black and Cuba

A thought-provoking write-up of an award-winning documentary "Black and Cuba" highlighting the experience of nine Yale graduate students that formed a Black resistance reading group. The students discussed books on the movement against racism and took a trip to Cuba in 2002 to learn about revolution on the island. Founder of Diaspora Travel & Trade, Kasara Davidson, was selected by the journalist after a screening of the film to provide her thoughts on the film:

“The explanation of the intricacies and even paradoxes of Cuba is what audience member Kasara Davidson appreciated the most about the film, although she had her reservations. “I think it gave a very good, accurate impression of the complexities and contradictions of Cuba. I was a little concerned that the film would romanticize it, but was pleasantly surprised,” she said. Several Cuban Americans who were also in the audience echoed that sentiment.”

Diaspora Notable Mention: VICE

A university student, Nakia Brown, writes a touching personal memoir detailing how studying the Yoruba/Ifa spiritual practice in Cuba through one our curated Programs helped to heal her wounds of grief. She participated in a Summer 2016 Program at the University of Baltimore entitled “Guillén, Hemingway, Hughes: Cuban Literary Arts and Cultural Historiography.” 

She writes: “As a part of the study abroad program, which was organized by Diaspora Travel & Trade, I traveled to Cuba in 2016 for two weeks to study the Yoruba religion. Cuba was colonized by Spain in the 1490s and the first Yoruba people arrived there in the 1500s. Originally, each orisha had their own group of expert practitioners. However, due to the slave trade, the knowledge of all the orishas had to be shared between practitioners and unified to sustain the practice. Not many orishas survived this. According to religion and society professor at the University of Matanzas, Andres Rodriguez Reyes, out of the hundreds of orishas, fewer than 100 orishas are widely known in Cuba today. Commonly, only about 11 or so orishas are widely recognized throughout the African diaspora.

While a great deal was lost in slavery, we found ways to cleverly preserve our past. Afro Cubans syncretized their orishas behind Catholic saints. Oshun, the owner of beauty, femininity, love, and sensuality was syncretized with the Lady of Charity. Changó, the owner of fire, lightning, war, drumming, and dancing, was syncretized with Santa Barbara. Today, however, the Yoruba religion is no longer a clandestine practice. It's woven into everyday life—from the streets to the bars—making Cuba a perfect place on this side of the world to dive deeper into the practice and see its cultural perseverance up close.”