The main objective of a history museum is to consolidate the history of a particular time period (or periods) and present it to the public for the purpose of education and entertainment. This seems like a very basic goal, and indeed, most museum-goers will most likely not think of all of the various elements that enter into the creation of the displays they view. The knowledgeable observer though, can extract a great deal of information pertaining to the culture and the people who created it, from a museum exhibit.

Visiting the Museum of the Revolution in Havana, Cuba was an exciting and revealing experience from the point of view of a foreigner interested in museology. I was particularly interested in the most recent addition to the Museum, the exhibit “Venceremos!” Venceremos! is the the exhibit of the Special Period of the revolution. I knew that the Special Period had been difficult for Cuba for a number of different reasons and was anxious to see how the powers that be had dealt with it. Even their inclination to deal with it at all, to attempt to put it in perspective indicates that perhaps they feel that Cuba is changing once again,. Perhaps the fact that the Special Period can be viewed in retrospect indicates that Cuba is moving beyond it.

All museums must have a concept or a unifying theme that they use to develop their exhibits within and Venceremos! is no exception. The exhibit is very revealing of Cuban museology in general. In all of the museums I visited while in Cuba, the country’s history since the revolution was portrayed in terms of la lucha, or the struggle. The struggle referred, usually to the struggle against imperialism, with the United States being a frequent player. The curators responsible for developing Venceremos! also framed that particular exhibit in this manner.

The explanation for the Special Period that is given upon entering is, “ The Special Period is an emergency economic programme conceived before the break-off of ties with the socialist bloc and the tightening of the U.S. blockade. It’s aim is to allow us to resist and continue our development plans.”1 Obviously, having been phrased this way, one intent of the statement is to inform the visitor that plans for the Special Period had been underway before the fall of communism in the Eastern bloc countries. Perhaps this is done in order to counter the notion that Cuba was left stranded and helpless when the Soviet union dissolved in 1989. Also, contained in this explanation is the notion of resistance or challenge, a theme which is central to Cuban museology. Following this explanation is the statement that, “The fall of communism in Eastern Europe caused joy among exiles.” The exiles referred to here are obviously joyous because they believe that communism will fall in Cuba as well. This leads into the ways in which Cuba has adapted to the Special Period.

One panel depicts the greatest challenge posed to the revolution during the Special Period. The panel describes the riots in Havana in 1994, one of the hardest years of the Special Period. I was aware of this incident and of the changes Fidel instigated following it. The way it was presented though, was revealing of Cuba’s official conception of history,

Groups of anti-social elements and tramps performed counter-revolutionary riots in two neighborhoods- Habana Vieja and Centro Habana- on 5 August 1994. The workers responded immediately and, without weapons, put an end to the revolts supported by Fidel’s presence, who had rushed to join the revolutionary people. Huge popular demonstrations succeeded, frustrating all attempts to create unsteadiness. While museums in the United States would most likely cite objectivity as a goal in their presentation of exhibits, this is not so in Cuba. Museums are certainly run by the state, although I do not pretend to understand the exact relationship between the two. Since the museums receive their funding from the government the history portrayed is the history the government wants the museum to portray. Another example of the government’s interpretation relates to the case in Venceremos! dealing with the issue of government during the Special Period. A quote from Fidel reads, “(These) years have shown that our political system is one of the most democratic in the world and now we are going to put it to new tests.” Although this concept may seem strange, it is really not that different than in the United States where museums are funded by wealthy patrons who, in turn, have the power to dictate the types of exhibits the museum shows. In Cuba the issue of funding results in history being portrayed from the government’s point of view; In the U.S. this translates to history or art or culture being framed in terms of the wealthy and the powerful. I would also suggest as an explanation for this presentation of history, the concept of national pride. In Cuba, like here, in addition to being informative to visitor who wants to know more about a location, museums are a source pride for the communities in which they reside.

The ensuing cases seemed to be of two types. Their were those that told of the challenges posed to country during the Special Period and there were those that depicted the achievements of the Special Period. One case contained several tables related to economic losses caused by the United States. The first table was of losses related to the U.S. airspace ban and the second to the blockade (as of 12/95). There was a case about tourism that showed pictures from the industry and had a table of the countries with the most tourists coming to Cuba. The following cases depicted Cuban achievements during the Special Period; research centers built during the Special Period, military achievements, employment and social security, health care, with a breakdown by type, education, with displays of books, pamphlets and pictures, Cuban sports and culture, Cuban foreign policy and international solidarity, and a case depicting merchandise of Fidel and Che.

In a case of artwork was the caption, “Carved woodwork made by Silvio Diaz Bazil, member of the National Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.” In addition to this piece, the second floor of the Museum of the Revolution was showing an exhibit of artwork created by the disabled. Several paintings in this exhibit had been done by a mouth painter. Despite the economic difficulties Cuba has experienced during the Special Period, social programs remain a source of pride for the country.

As far as exhibit design goes, the exhibit Venceremos differed drastically from what one would expect to see in a national museum in the United States. While I do not believe that it is fair to judge any other country’s museums using U.S. standards of good museology, it is interesting to compare some similarities and differences. The exhibit was mostly bilingual in English and Spanish with one text situated under the other in the same fonts. Traditional U.S. museology would most likely not approve, however U.S. museums are increasingly using technology to provide visitors with multi-lingual interpretations, technology that Cuba can scarcely afford. Most cases were not clearly labeled and I often had to inspect the content of the cases and read small descriptions on individual items to determine how what I was looking at related to the Special Period.

As I previously stated in reference to the ability of Cuban museums to use technology to translate exhibit text, money for such things is scarce. This made the exhibit very straightforward in terms of the way it was setup. Text, including descriptions and quotes, was used. Visual displays included tables and charts, artifacts and photos. Pictures, tables, charts and text were displayed on drab green backgrounds. Not having any reason to believe otherwise, I had to assume that the color choice was arbitrary.2 The various levels of text were, at times distracting. Descriptive statements were interspersed with quotes from Fidel and occasionally there was so much text that it attracted the eye away from the artifact(s) in the case.

The exhibit concluded with the visitor walking out past a painting done in the style of much of the revolutionary art that one might encounter on the street, very colorful and with a political message. On either side of the painting is a quote from Fidel (one version in Spanish and one in English). The message of the quote reinforces the messages of the entire exhibit: Cuba has overcome obstacles in the past and will overcome this one as well.

SSC Cuba 2000 Web Project Managers: Christopher Hall, Emily Uddin-Alves, Amanda Warnock