Cuba, 1961: 250,000 volunteers taught 700,000 people to read and write in one year. 100,000 of the teachers were under 18 years old. Over half were women.
MAESTRA explores this story through the personal testimonies of the young women who went out to teach literacy in rural communities across the island—and found themselves deeply transformed in the process.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS
Black Maria Film Festival, Winner Director’s Choice Award, Indie Fest, Winner,
Best Woman Filmmaker Award, Ojai Film Festival, Honorable Mention




Purchase Maestra DVD
Educator Resources and Study Guide
Maestra, 8-minute version
Maestra | One Page Promo Flyer
Maestra | Undergraduate Curriculum Guide
Vanderbilt University Center for Latin American Studies
Maestra | High School Study Guide
English | By Natalia Fernández


Bibliography
On The 1961 Cuban Literacy Campaign
By Jessie English
On Creating Digital Community Oral History Archives
By Jessie English
UNESCO: 1965 Report On The Cuban Literacy Campaign
By UNESCO
Women Gender In The 1961 Literacy Campaign
By Ann Halbert-Brooks
Gender & History Journal: An Army of Educators
By Rebecca Herman
Perspectives On The Cuban Literacy Campaign
By Ruth Supko
NACLA Review: Freedom Through A Pencil
By Sujatha Fernández
UnBoxed Article
By Timoteo Delgado
UNESCO: Understandings Of Literacy
By UNESCO
You must be logged in to post a comment.