Marquette’s Mission week, themed, ‘Who Is My Neighbor?’ was kicked off with Jennifer Janviere, photographer and Marquette media specialist, who shared her adventures of traveling to Cuba.

Wednesday in the Johnston Hall’s Jpad, Janviere’s presentation, ‘Portrait of Cuba,’ featured pictures, stories and a different look into Cubans’ lives.

When Janviere expressed her want to travel to Cuba, most of her peers were worried. Determined, she took all the necessary steps and in December 2010, she was off to Havana.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Cuba,” Janviere said. “I’ve always been one of those people where if you tell me I can’t do something, I’m going to want to do it more.”

While in Cuba, Janviere wanted to get a sense of what Cuban life is like.

“I wanted to capture the everyday life of Cubans and bridge the gap between people of Cuba and the United States,” she said.

The audience was captivated by Janviere’s photos, each more vibrant than the last. Although Janviere’s focus was on people, the economic and political aspects could not help but show.

She explained how a dual economy has developed within the nation. Because there are two types of currency in the country, one used with tourists and one the locals use, a sense of frustration from Cubans is often evident.

The currency used with tourists is worth a lot more than the local’s currency. Often, Cubans would make more money working in the tourist industry than they would being a teacher or doctor.

Janviere made it a point to ask every Cuban she could, “what is the one thing you want Americans to know about Cuba?”

One response stuck out to her. A local in Havana responded, “the US embargo against Cuba should be lifted. The reality is that there are government mismanagements and so many structural problems,” that are the cause of Cuba’s economy.

After looking through Janviere’s photos, one could get a sense of what Cuba is like. Although rundown in parts, Cuba is a beautiful country full of welcoming people.

“There was such a spirit of community of, ‘everyone is in this together.’ There is a lot of friendliness and willingness to know what their neighbors are all about up north,” Janviere said.

Students and faculty left the presentation with a sense of perspective. Graduate student and teaching assistant at Marquette, Patrick Johnson, thought Janviere’s presentation was eye-opening.

“When I think of Cuba, I don’t think of anything special, really,” he said. “You don’t hear a lot about Cuba or what it’s about. After this, though, I realized that there is so much more that meets the eye.”

Dean of the College of Communication, Lori Bergen, felt this presentation tied in perfectly with Marquette’s mission week because we are neighbors with Cuba.

“What Jen did was so powerful,” Bergen said. “If you can’t share your experiences with others then what you learned won’t grow.”

Students now have the opportunity to travel to Cuba through Marquette. A program being offered this summer is open and accepting applications. For more information check out:
http://www.marquette.edu/abroad/cuba-summer.shtml

To check out Janviere’s photos visit:
http://portraitofcuba.weebly.com/

For more upcoming events during mission week, check out:
http://www.marquette.edu/mission/missionweek.shtml