In October, Casa del Alba in Havana hosted the premier of the second part of the three-part documentary 1912: Voces para un silencio [1912: Breaking the Silence] by Gloria Rolando.

The documentary seeks to cover some antecedents in the history of the Afrocubans’ struggle for resistance, a necessary recapitulation which goes step by step down the path taken by the black movement in Cuba since colonial times, the struggle for independence, and the situation of Black Cubans once the Island of Cuba achieved its independence in 1902. The documentary makes references to important black leaders in Cuba from the nineteenth century, such as Juan Gualberto Gómez and Martín Morúa Delgado and discusses the importance of figures such as Antonio Maceo and Quintín Banderas.

At the recent screening of 1912 part two, Rolando expressed that she was happy about the presentation of the film, which includes testimonies of the family of Pedro Ivonet and opinions of prominent intellectuals, among them historian Eduardo Torres Cueva. The director explained that this history is a fascinating world and that the idea was not to remake a “Black” history in Cuba, but rather speak about a part of Cuba’s history. This second part presents the demonstrations and the struggles of Blacks organized under the Partido Independiente de Color [Independent Party of Color] from 1908 to 1912, in neo-Republican Cuba.

Rolando pointed out that she is preparing the third and last part of the series, which should be released in 2012, when Cuba celebrates the 100th anniversary of those events.

For full articles, see http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/cuba/2011-09-16/presentan-capitulo-dos-del-documental-1912-voces-para-un-silencio/ and http://afrocubaweb.com/gloriarolando/breakingthesilence.htm