NEBRASKA HAS MANY TIES TO CUBAN INDUSTRY AND PEOPLE
“Nebraska Connects with Cuba,” is a program
with fascinating stories of Nebraskans who find
their lives unexpectedly changed by people and events
in Cuba.
A trip to Cuba by the University of Nebraska -Lincoln
College of Journalism prompted NETV to begin production
of "Nebraska Connects with Cuba". The
project builds on the experiences of University
of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism students
and their recent trip to Cuba. The class and trip
were part of an effort to introduce Nebraska students
to international affairs and Nebraskans to a topic
that has the potential to affect them.
“Nebraska Connects with Cuba” is also
part of a statewide outreach project funded by
a grant from MacNeil/Lehrer
Productions’ By the People: America in the
World initiative. The mission is to encourage
and sustain informed public dialogue on international
affairs. At 9 p.m. CT (8 MT) on May 22, following
“Nebraska Connects with Cuba,” NETV
airs the national “By
the People” documentary, hosted by Jim
Lehrer of “The
Online NewsHour,” which explores the
different perspectives citizens bring to international
issues, including discussions taped in Omaha.
“Nebraska Connects with Cuba” offers
fresh perspectives on how the trade embargo and
other public policy decisions affect the lives
of everyday people in both countries. NETV producer
Bill
Kelly traveled to Cuba earlier this year to
document the personal connections Nebraskans have
with the people of Cuba. Among them:
· Tom Rieber, a farmer from Gibbon,
traveled to Cuba on a trade mission and found
himself dining with President Fidel Castro.
Viewers also hear from a Cuban farmer who must
buy his supplies on the black market because
his government ignores his needs.
 »Watch
the video from Statewide's Cuba Trade perspective:
Real
Player | QuickTime | Transcript
· Viewers meet a determined Catholic priest who heads the Cuba AIDS Project as well as Dr. Byron Barksdale, a pathologist from North Platte who helps the
project get support from America.
»Watch
the video from Statewide's Cuba Aids Project perspective:
Real Player | QuickTime | Transcript
· Cuban Americans from Omaha share stories of fleeing Castro’s revolution,
and debate the wisdom of current U.S. policy. Included are Jorge Rodriguez, a researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center who fled Cuba after fighting Castro as a teenaged counter-revolutionary, and Jose Novoa, the owner of a printing business who fled Cuba with his wife. Castro’s coup in 1958 occurred the
same week the couple were married.
»Watch the video from Statewide's Cubans in Omaha Perspective:
RealPlayer | QuickTime| Transcript
»
For a closer look at CUBA, watch the SLIDE SHOW.
· Senator Chuck Hagel and Congressmen Tom Osborne are also featured in interviews: Transcript
|
