The documentary is the capstone of three years of work by the Periclean Scholars Class of 2020 and focuses on the many faces of the people of Cuba.
The Periclean Scholars Class of 2020 has released “Sin Embargo,” a short documentary that features the voices of 17 Cubans the scholars met during a 10-day trip to the Caribbean island during Winter Term. The film comes toward the close of three years of study of Cuban history, culture and U.S.-Cuban relations by the cohort.
The project is titled “Sin Embargo,” which along with meaning “without the embargo” also means “however,” with the students seeking to develop a deeper understanding of the diverse histories and needs of Cubans. During Winter Term, the students spent time in a variety of venues with a broad range of groups while gathering content for the documentary.
Students are selected as Periclean Scholars during their first year at Elon. The program is the centerpiece of Project Pericles, which is committed to raising the level of civic engagement and social responsibility of the entire university community. Students inducted into the Periclean Scholars program take a series of academic courses culminating in a class project of global social change. The project is designed and carried out by the cohort of students from each year’s class under the direction of their faculty mentor. April Post, senior lecturer in Spanish, has served as faculty mentor for the Class of 2020 scholars.
Paired with the documentary is “Sin Embargo — a Collection of Human Stories,” a Facebook page that includes a variety of resources and stories along with video interviews recorded during Winter Term and later included within the documentary.
To continue the discussion, the Periclean Scholars will host a WebEx session at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 4, to answer questions about the documentary and the experience the scholars have had during the past three years. The meeting can be accessed here (Meeting number: 616 263 170, Password: JCgyppxn472)