Al Jazeera English - Witness: 88 Keys in Cuba
Since Fidel Castro's Communist revolution six decades ago, Cuba has been on the frontline of an international power struggle. Crippled by a punitive trade embargo imposed by the United States in 1962 the Caribbean island was supported by the USSR. But when the Soviet Union collapsed economic aid dried up.
Since then life has been hard for this outpost of communism to keep its people fed and watered. One thing that has helped sustain Cubans over the years is their love of music and the Russians helped establish a music education system which continues today. But not without some difficulty. The US trade embargo, coupled with a hot and humid climate, spells disaster for musical instruments, especially the piano, many of which are slowly dying.
It is a serious problem that one visitor took to heart. Elizabeth Jones' film 88 Keys in Cuba examines how Irishman Ciaran Ryan was inspired to come to the rescue of the island’s pianos with money raised by the music community back home.
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About Al Jazeera - Witness
Rageh Omaar presents Witness, a half-hour daily documentary series which features short, specially commissioned or acquired films gathered from independent filmmakers.
Each documentary reveals the unknown lives of ordinary people, following their lives, telling their stories and portraying the challenges that confront them. Our witnesses are people in a situation or those who have observed them first hand.
The films cover conflict, belief, the past and the future and as well as bringing new stories to light they showcase the talents of a new breed of multi-skilled, frontline journalist. In the studio, Rageh will further explore the issues raised in the films, with expert guests on the subject matter and the filmmakers themselves.
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