In a small coastal fishing town in Cuba, I speak with an animal protector about animal welfare in Cuba and the role that donated supplies play in helping owned pets and those strays that live among people in the community.    

In this episode, Ken Foster sits down with Samuel Riera and Derbis Campos to discuss the life of Cuban artists.  We begin by discussing the system that recognizes “official” artists in Cuba, which requires formal training and a license.  But Samuel and Derbis work with people outside the system: adults with disabilities who work entirely on their own.  Samuel and Derbis started the Art Brut Cuba Project in 2013 and have now found recognition internationally for their work and the artists they support.  We also talk about the San Isidro artists who have been imprisoned for criticizing the government, and the mass exodus of many of their friends due to the economic and political struggles post-pandemic. 

For more information on their work, visit rierastudioart.com

For more on podcast host Ken Foster, visit kenfosterbooks.com

In this debut episode, we start our podcast journey with an expat.  Conner Gorry is a journalist from the USA who has been working and living in Havana for the past twenty years.  She also is part of the Cuba Libro English language bookstore cafe in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana.  She talks about why she loves Cuba, what challenges Cubans face, things that might be getting better, and what it means to be a Yuma.