Historic U.S.-Cuba Cultural Exchange Shows Benefits of Working Abroad

June 17, 2011

Cultural exchange is one of the many ways that different countries can come together to reach a better understanding of one another.

As a demonstration of the power of cultural exchange and what it can do for relations between different nations, the Florida Orchestra recently visited Cuba, a country that has had a near-total embargo placed on it by the U.S. since 1962.

The St. Petersburg Times reports that the orchestra was recently granted permission for a multiple-year cultural exchange with Cuba. The news source reports that the first trip to the island nation will involve one of the orchestra’s wind quintets, with the visit taking place in late September 2011. The U.S. will also host the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba in return.

Jose Valiente has been the head of a taskforce created by the orchestra to look into the possible cultural exchange opportunity. An accountant in Tampa and a former chairman of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Valiente came to the U.S. from Cuba in 1962 when he was 12 years old.

Valiente said that the cultural exchange would be a major step towards the U.S. and Cuba gaining additional appreciation and understanding of one another.

“I think of this exchange as the laying down of another brick on the bridge that is rebuilding,” he told the news source. “Cuba and the U.S. will soon be friends. It’s not ‘if’; it’s ‘when’.”

The Times reports that U.S. President Barack Obama announced at the beginning of the year that restrictions on travel to Cuba would be eased to improve the “free flow of information” between the countries. This cultural exchange, the first of its kind since 1999, is likely a product of the president’s new stance.

Cultural exchange programs create tremendous opportunities for people to explore the world and gain a deeper understanding of other cultures and customs. Organizations like InterExchange Working Abroad offer work and volunteer abroad options in countries throughout the world to allow young people in the U.S. to engage in such experiences. With the help of a cultural exchange organization, those who participate often return home with not only an enhanced understanding of the world around them but hundreds of life-long memories.

Find out more  about InterExchange Working Abroad’s many international programs that last from 2 weeks to 12 months, with start dates throughout the year.