Art in Action: ‘Poet of Havana’ Uses His Music to Address Pain Caused by Politics
Ask students: What percent of Cuban citizens have left in recent years? Who is Carlos Varela, and what is his background?
As Cuba stands to become even more isolated, many Cubans continue to leave and those who stay remain cut off from family in the United States. Carlos Varela, a singer known as “The Poet of Havana,” has been addressing the pain politics causes. Jeffrey Brown reports from Havana for our series, Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy and our arts and culture series, CANVAS.
View the transcript of the story.
Discussion Questions
- What percent of Cuban citizens have left in recent years?
- Who is Carlos Varela, and what is his background?
- Where was Varela raised?
- How does Varela view his music?
- Why does Varela not consider his music political?
Focus Questions
- Carlos Varela claims that he doesn't see his music as political but that it does address societal concerns and is focused on the lives and culture of Cuba, where he was raised. Why do you think Varela makes the distinction between politics and his music? In what way is it political, even if that wasn't his intent?
- Media literacy: If you could interview another person for this story, who would you choose and why?
Extension Activity
Read about this art exhibit from 2016. How does the artistic expression of politics compare between that example and the one in the story you just watched about Carlos Varela?
You can also see more of News Hour's Art in Action series here, including this segment below about music as a gateway between the U.S. and Cuba. (A lesson on the segment below can be found here.)
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
Advertisement
