TCNJ

20 Above: Many on the island practice Santeria, a Cuban religion with African roots, says Christine Garrity '15, who photographed this rumba group's Santeria-inspired performance. The woman in blue is portraying the Orisha Yemaya. Orishas are deities that represent manifestations of God. Yemaya, the mother of all living things, is considered one of the most powerful. " IT'S SURREAL when you think about it," says Professor of Art Lois Fichner- Rathus about the state of U.S–Cuba relations for the last 50 years: "This proximity of geography between our countries, but the strangeness between the people; how we can be so close, yet so separated." Preceding pages: Prado Street, one of Havana's main thoroughfares, perfectly showcases two ubiquities of Cuban society: colorful period architecture and racial diversity, says photographer Jack Meyers '15. Though many Americans view Cuba as a "country stuck in the past," he was struck by Cubans' "mobility and hopefulness." In January, Fichner-Rathus and fellow art professors Elizabeth Mackie and Anita Allyn led 23 students on a two-week study tour of Cuba's monuments, museums, and cultural sites. Just before departure, the group had tuned in as a class to watch President Obama's address announcing that the U.S. and Cuba would seek détente. The announcement seemed to come out of nowhere, says Fichner- Rathus, and when it was over, the students—most too young to remember the Elián González affair, let alone view Cuba as a threat to the U.S.—cheered. "It was an overwhelming moment," says Fichner-Rathus. "I told the students then that they would be among the last people to see Cuba before everything changes." —Tony Marchetti SUMMER 2015

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