"The Cuban experiment with socialism raises a number of theoretical questions about the difficulties of social transformation in multiracial societies," said Marable. "How successful has Cuba been in uprooting racism and sexism? Are the values of a socialist society possible in a transition to a market economy?"
"IBM is honored to sponsor this spectacular exhibition that tells the story of a nation's history while giving all of us a broader view of Haiti's cultural heritage," said Gregg A. DeMar, general manager, Great Lakes Area, IBM Corporation. "Through the study of diverse cultures we often learn more about ourselves, our beliefs and values, as well as gain insight into those whose heritage is represented in an exhibition such as `Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou.'" The predominant religion of the Haitian people, Vodou was created by enslaved Africans who transformed their beliefs and rituals according to the conditions they had to face in the New World. These African traditions encountered European traditions -- the art and ritual practices of Roman Catholicism -- to emerge in an original form, Vodou. The word "Vodou," meaning "sacred," was borrowed into Haitian Creole from the Fon language of West Africa. Parallel African-derived religions now flourish in the Caribbean, South America and major cities of the United States and Canada.
The issue at hand was brought to our attention by Brazilian activist Ivanir dos Santos - the executive secretary of an organization called CEAP (Center for the Articulation of Outcast Populations) who came to our attention recently to protest a song released by Sony Music/Brazil artist Tiririca called "Look at Her Hair." "It was something for the children ... a carnival song, kind of a joke," a spokesperson for Sony Music/Brazil, Michele Rumchinsky, said of the record. The average White man or woman in Brazil, a nation of 80 million people of African descent that has the world's second-largest population of people of African descent outside of Nigeria - makes three times what the average Afro-Brazilian earns, although Afro-Brazilians make up 44 percent of the nation's population.
