Maestra

Maestra

In 1961, over 250,000 Cubans joined their country’s National Literacy Campaign and taught 707,000 other Cubans to read and write. Almost half of these volunteer teachers were under 18. More than half were women.

Narrated by Alice Walker, Maestra (Spanish for teacher) explores the experiences of nine women who, as young girls, helped eradicate Cuban illiteracy within one year. Interweaving recent interviews, archival footage, and Campaign photos, this lively documentary includes one of the first Cubans of her generation to call herself a feminist and one of the first openly proud members of Cuba’s LGBT community. With wit and spirit, all recall negotiating for autonomy and independence in a culture still bound by patriarchal structures.

Eight years in the making, Maestra highlights the will and courage that made the monumental endeavor possible and the pivotal role of women’s and youth empowerment in building a new society.

“The Cuban Literacy Campaign is an important but little-known chapter in the history of the Americas. Catherine Murphy has created a project with rare and intimate access to this history. Her documentary MAESTRA brings together moving interviews with living witnesses, beautiful archival film footage, and Catherine’s compelling storytelling. Based on personal testimonies of teachers and students from the campaign, her film will preserve the oral histories of a generation that will soon be gone. The historical significance of this archive -and its lessons for the present- cannot be overstated.”
-Howard Zinn (Author of A People’s History of the United States)

Maestra
Filmmaker: Catherine Murphy
Distributor: Women Make Movies (WMM)
Website
2012 USA/Cuba 33 minutes
Spanish, English subtitles

tickets

 

 

Events

Joe Hill 100 Roadshow San Diego Concert
2015 Archive
2014 Archive
2013 Archive