2012
33min
In 1961, over 250,000 Cubans joined their country’s National Literacy Campaign and taught more than 707,000 other Cubans to read and write. Almost half of these volunteer teachers were under 18. More than half were women.
Narrated by Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker, MAESTRA (Spanish for teacher) explores the experiences of nine of the 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.
Official Selection a the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and the San Francisco Latino Film Festival.
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you about the stories shared by the women in the film?
Follow-Up: How do their experiences compare to what you expected, and how do you think this campaign affected their lives?
How did participating in the Literacy Campaign affect the women involved?
Follow-Up: What personal or societal obstacles did they overcome, and how did their experience reshape their perspectives?
How does Maestra portray the intersection of gender and education?
Follow-Up: In what ways did this campaign empower women? How might similar educational initiatives impact women today?
In what ways did the Literacy Campaign redefine literacy as more than just the ability to read and write? (Think about the link between literacy and freedom/empowerment portrayed in the film.)
What did you think of the film's storytelling approach?
Follow-Up: How did the director's use of first-person narratives impact your understanding of the campaign and its legacy?
References
Abendroth, M. (2009). Rebel literacy: Cuba's National Literacy Campaign and critical global citizenship.
Litwin Books. Buttle-Smith, J. (2017). Cuban flag (Unsplash) [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuban_Flag_(Unsplash).jpg
Fidel Castro - MATS Terminal Washington 1959 [Photograph]. (1959). Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fidel_Castro_- _MATS_Terminal_Washington_1959.jpg
Directorate of Intelligence, CIA (2013). Cuba map [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuba_map.png
Fidel Castro 1950s [Photograph]. (n.d.). Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fidel_Castro_1950s.jpg
Fulgencio Batista, 1938 [Photograph]. (1938). Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fulgencio_Batista,_1938.jpg
Glinn, B. (1959). Cuban Revolution: the march to La Habana, 1959 [Photograph]. JSTOR https://jstor.org/stable/community.9740369
Leffler, W. K. (1960). Fidel Castro - UN General Assembly [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fidel_Castro_- _UN_General_Assembly_1960.jpg
History.com Editors. (2023, August 9). Cuban Revolution. History, https://www.history.com/topics/latin-america/cuban-revolution Leonard, T. (2017). Cuba, 1900 to present. In Encyclopedia of Modern Latin America (1900 to the Present). Facts On File. https://login.proxy154.nclive.org/login? url=https://online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=99147&itemid=WE53&articleId=244967
Maxence. (2015). Niña - Campaña Nacional de Alfabetización en Cuba [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. Fulgencio Batista, 1938 [Photograph]. (1938). Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fulgencio_Batista,_1938.jpg
Prieto, A. (1981). Cuba’s National Literacy Campaign. Journal of Reading, 25(3), 215–221. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40029025
