Following the Cuban Revolution, one of Fidel Castro's audacious goals was to eradicate illiteracy throughout Cuba. This program showcases two films by director Catherine Murphy. Her newest work "Silvio Rodriguez: Mi Primera Tarea (My First Task) as well as "Maestra".

Testimony of Cuban trovador Silvio Rodriguez on the youth brigades during the 1961 Cuban Literacy Campaign.

Silvio Rodriguez: Mi Primera Tarea (My First Calling)

Testimony of Cuban trovador Silvio Rodriguez on the youth brigades during the 1961 Cuban Literacy Campaign.

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 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 LGBTQI community. With wit and spirit, all recall negotiating for autonomy and independence in a culture still bound by patriarchal structures. Eight years in the making, MAESTRA highlights the will and courage that made the monumental endeavor possible and the pivotal role of women’s and youth empowerment in building a new society.

Maestra

Education changed the way of life for the Cuban people. It gave them hope.

United States of America

1 of 100,000: Remembering Cuba's Literacy Campaign

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Cine+Mas San Francisco Latino Film Festival

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