Dedicated to the effort to extend Cuba’s success in combating illiteracy, Luisa Yara Campos not only directs the Literacy Museum in Havana, she trains others in the “Yo Si Puedo” (Yes I Can) campaign. Campos will discuss her work at a talk at the Mathers Museum, sponsored by CUBAmistad, the sister-city project linking Bloomington, Indiana, USA, and Santa Clara, Cuba, whose goal is to encourage dialogue and understanding between citizens of Cuba and the USA. The talk will be free and open to the public.
In 1960, Fidel Castro stood before the United Nations and vowed to eradicate illiteracy in Cuba within one year. At that time, more than a million Cuban peasant farmers were totally illiterate. Inspired by the Revolution, hundreds of thousands of volunteers enlisted. They received training and were sent into the countryside to work with the peasants and teach them to read and write. They were equipped with a standard gray uniform, a warm blanket, a hammock, two text books, and a gas-powered lantern. Such artifacts are preserved in the Literacy Campaign Museum; a testimonial to the commitment by the youth tortured and killed by counter-revolutionaries. Cuban literacy educators trained during the campaign, including Luisa Campos, later went on to assist in literacy campaigns in many other countries. Through a multilingual program developed by Cuban experts to eradicate illiteracy anywhere, thousands of volunteers have inspired literacy projects in countries as diverse as Haiti, Nicaragua, and Mozambique.
Free visitor parking is available by the Indiana Avenue lobby entrance. Metered parking is available at the McCalla School parking lot on the corner of 9th Street and Indiana Avenue. The parking lot also has spaces designated for Indiana University C and ST permits. During the weekends, free parking is available on the surrounding streets. An access ramp is located at the Fess Avenue entrance on the corner of 9th Street and Fess Avenue. Reserved parking spaces are available on 9th Street between Fess Avenue and Indiana Avenue. If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. Please call 812-855-6873.