Latino Cultural Activities

Cultural activities provide an opportunity to reinforce the experiences, traditions, and beliefs of the Latino culture amongst Latinos and to introduce these ideas to people from other cultures. These activities serve as a mechanism to pass down traditions to generations to come and thus maintain the Latino culture. Two cultural activities that I have attended this semester that pertain to the Latino culture include the Midwest Association for Latin American Studies (MALAS) opening reception and the film screening of Chico y Rita. Participating in these activities allowed me to gain experience and knowledge of Latino culture, learn how the Latino culture is preserved, and relate it to the course material covered in Latino studies
The first …show more content…
The animated film was set in Havana, Cuba in the 1940’s and followed the love story of aspiring artists Chico and Rita. Pianist Chico and singer Rita were drawn together emotionally and musically through Cuban jazz, and entered a competition in which their song won. Following the competition, Chico and Rita drifted apart as they encountered problems within their relationship. After she was discovered by an American agent in Cuba, she went to New York City to pursue her dreams. Separately, Chico also traveled to New York City to pursue his career as a pianist. Both Chico and Rita were able to travel the country as their careers grew. However, both Chico and Rita experienced discrimination for being Latinos in a predominately white country while at the same time being praised for their talents. In addition, Chico and Rita still felt a connection between them, and after all of their hardships, they decided to get married. However, Chico was framed for the possession of illegal substances and deported back to Cuba, under Fidel Castro’s control, before this marriage could occur. After decades of being separated, Chico and Rita were finally able to reunite at the end of the film. After it was shown, there was a discussion about certain aspects of the movie. The discussion questions allowed the audience to reflect on the use of animation to portray the tragic love story between the main characters and what advantages it had over using live actors. We also discussed the themes of segregation and discrimination Cubans faced during that time period. Other themes included the importance of music to Cuban culture and its importance as a mechanism to capture human