By: Melissa Silvestri
Issue date: 3/5/07 Section: Arts
East of Havana is a fascinating documentary about contemporary rap music
in Cuba. The film follows three local rappers - Magyori, Mikki, and
Soandry - who are members of the rap collective El Cartel and rhapsodize
about the fallen Cuban economy of the 1990s and the anger it has fueled
their generation (blackouts, no money, poor housing). The three are
charismatic, intriguing individuals, who talk about what rap means to
them and how they express their emotions and life stories in the
strength and purity of their rap verse.
The three youths grew up in an impoverished part of Havana, where
Magyori sells her belongings and others' stuff for a daily profit. Mikko
lives with his grandfather and does odd jobs and Soandry is his parents'
last remaining child - their older son left Cuba during the 1994 exodus
when 33,000 Cubans fled the island to the United States, and hasn't been
able to return home since. A heartbreaking moment occurs when Soandry's
older brother, who lives in Seattle, sees pictures of his parents and
brother for the first time since he left, and the shock of seeing their
aged faces brings him to tears.
The film was co-directed by native Cuban Jauretsi Saizabitoria, and
co-produced by her longtime friend, actress Charlize Theron. The idea
for the film came from a 2001 trip the two took to Cuba and the drive to
show the island beyond images of Castro, Scarface and 80-year-old Buena
Vista Social Club-type musicians. This film shows the inherent strength
of the young generation and their determination to change Cuba into a
more economically diverse, rich nation. East of Havana is a small, but
unforgettable film that gives an American audience a rare eye into the
everyday life of Cubans living under Castro's government.
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