Cuba in Angola at 50: Remembrance, Trauma, and the Afterlives of War Presented by University of Miami Libraries
Join us for the second of two webinars this spring that explore how scholars, journalists, and artists are recovering a more complete picture of the Angolan Civil War’s legacy.
Half a century after the start of Cuba’s military involvement in Angola, the war remains one of the most consequential yet least discussed experiences of the revolutionary period. For the tens of thousands of Cubans who served overseas between 1975 and 1991—as soldiers, teachers, doctors, and technicians—the conflict left lasting personal and social scars that have often been overshadowed by triumphalist official narratives.
Our second event features political scientist María de los Ángeles Torres, currently at work on a book provisionally titled “Democratizing the Past: Cuban Memories of the Angolan Civil War.” She will be joined by Ivette Leyva-Martínez, creator of the blog “La última guerra,” a pioneer in asking Angola veterans to share their experiences. Cuban independent film director Carla Valdés León will discuss clips from her 2016 documentary “Days of December,” which explores the hidden toll of the war on veterans and their families.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A with the online audience. This conversation will be conducted in both English and Spanish languages.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
María de los Ángeles Torres, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor of Latin American and Latino studies at the University of Illinois Chicago. She has written extensively on Latinos, Cuba, Cuban exile politics and identity, immigration, and culture.
She is the author of “In the Land of Mirrors: The Politics of Cuban Exiles in the United States,” “The Lost Apple: Operation Pedro Pan, Cuban Children in the U.S., and the Promise of a Better Future,” and “Time and Democracy in Cuban Thought: The Elusive Present;” co-author of “Citizens in the Present: Civically Engaged Youth in the Americas;” and co-editor of several works, including “By Heart/De Memoria: Cuban Women’s Journeys in and Out of Exile” and “Borderless Borders: Latinos, Latin America and the Paradoxes of Interdependence.” She is currently working on the book “Democratizing the Past: Cubans Remember the Angolan Civil War,” supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and research funding from the University of Illinois Chicago.
Ivette Leyva is a journalist and independent researcher of the Angolan War. In 2009, she created the blog “La última guerra” (“The Last War”) to explore her lifelong interest in the conflict.
Carla Valdés León is a filmmaker and curator. She has directed the short documentaries “Los Puros” (2021), Coral Prize at the 42nd Havana Film Festival, and “Días de Diciembre” (2016), awarded at Muestra Joven Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry. Her feature film “La línea del ombligo” (“Navel Line”) premiered in December 2024 at the 45th Havana Film Festival. Her films have been shown at festivals in Europe, Latin America, and the United States. She is currently co-director and film curator for the INSULARIA Film Festival in the Canary Islands.