Closed Captioned
Grades 10-12, College, Adult
Directed by Ray Burley
Produced by CBC's "The Nature of Things"
DVD Purchase $395, Rent $115
, Rent $115
US Release Date: 2007
Copyright Date: 2006
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-672-1
VHS ISBN: 1-59458-671-3
Subjects
Agriculture
Anthropology
Biotechnology
Central America/The Caribbean
Developing World
Energy
Environment
Food And Nutrition
Food Sovereignty
Gardening
Geography
Global Issues
Health
History
Humanities
Latin American Studies
Political Science
Renewable Energy
Social Psychology
Sociology
Sustainability
Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable Development
Cuba: The Accidental Revolution
Two-part series examining Cuba's enormous experiment in sustainable development in the face of an economic crisis brought on by the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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"Anyone interested in ecologically sustainable development...will find this documentary thought provoking." Gregory Biniowsky, Canadian Development and the Environment Consultant living in Cuba |
Cuba: The Accidental Revolution comprises two 45-minute documentaries examining Cuba's success in providing for itself in the face of a massive economic crisis, and how its latest revolutions -- an agricultural revolution and a revolution in science and medicine -- are having repercussions around the world.
Now the world wonders: what will become of Cuba's Green Revolution after Fidel Castro is gone? Will Cuba's "Green Revolution" become a blueprint for sustainable agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology, or will it be swept aside by the economic weight of foreign investors? Or will the public clamor for consumer goods from a weary people, fed up with lack of choice, overwhelm contemporary Cuba? Will Cuba's enormous experiment in sustainable development be maintained if the U.S. embargo is lifted and Cuba is exposed to the brutal arena of world trade? Whatever the future of Cuba's accidental revolution, Castro and his country has shown that alternatives do exist.
The titles in the series are:
Pt. 1 Sustainable Agriculture - Examines Cuba's response to the food crisis created by the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1989.
Pt. 2 Health Care System - In spite of the economic crisis and US embargo, the Cuban health system is an outstanding success story around the world.
Reviews
"Anyone interested in ecologically sustainable development and humanity's future in the context of depleting resources in the 20th Century will find this documentary thought provoking."
"If necessity is the mother of invention, then this vivid and beautifully filmed documentary shows how the Cuban people have faced adversity and austerity with a dogged inventiveness since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the start of the 'special period' beginning in 1990. The film will be especially useful and instructive for viewers looking to solve the riddle of how Cuba has survived a depression-like upheaval while struggling to maintain enviable standards of social security for its people."
"Engaging, substantive....Both parts of this visually pleasing documentary would make an superior accompaniment to print materials in classes on Caribbean history, international health or social welfare."