“The Story of Many of Us” - Iconic Cuban Director Gloria Rolando Discusses Her Films and Challenges of Afrodescendants at Schomburg Symposium Opening

By Gabriela Watson-Burkett. March 6, 2025.

Gabriela Castillo, the Second Secretary of the Embassy of Cuba, Evelyne Laurent-Perrault, creator of the Schomburg Symposium and moderator of the conversation and Cuban filmmaker Gloria Rolando (left to right). Photo: Burkett Photography | Inti Media.

On Feb. 21, the community gathered at Taller Puertorriqueño, to present “Flores para Gloria” (Flowers for Gloria), a free event that kicked off the Schomburg Symposium.

As one of the few gatherings celebrating Afro-Latinidad during Black History Month in Philadelphia, the event featured a screening of a film series followed by a Q&A with Gloria Rolando, iconic Afro-Cuban film director and screenwriter.

Photo: Burkett Photography | Inti Media.

Rolando’s documentaries play an important role in documenting the African diaspora in the Caribbean, helping to preserve its culture and spiritual values. Oggún: An Eternal Presence (1991), her first documentary dedicated to those who upheld the African Yoruba religion in Cuba, won the Premio de la Popularidad at the Festival de Video Mujer e Imagen in Ecuador in 1994. Since then, she has produced more than a dozen award-winning documentaries. She is currently developing a film on the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first Black Catholic religious order in the United States.

Gabriela Castillo, the second secretary of the Embassy of Cuba, joined the conversation. Much of the heartfelt discussion following the screening focused on Rolando’s most recent film, Dialog with My Grandmother (Diálogo con mi abuela) (2016). Anchored in a 1993 conversation between Rolando and her grandmother, Inocencia Leonarda Armas y Abreu, the film beautifully unfolds their special bond. Archival photos played a key role in transporting the audience to different moments in their lives, while performances by Grupo Vocal Baobab highlighted the significance of Afro-Cuban spirituality. The film also included scripted fictional scenes that carried deep emotional weight.

“Yo traigo azucena para su sana’,
ahi viene ma’ Francisca,
Viene a la boda.”
(lyrics from music used in Dialog with My Grandmother)

Poster of Dialog with My Grandmother (Diálogo con mi abuela), documentary by Gloria Rolando.

Gloria Rolando, iconic Afro-Cuban film director and screenwriter. Photo: Burkett Photography | Inti Media.

“This documentary is about my grandmother, my mother, and my family, but it’s an homage too. Because it is also the story of many common Black women, who [survived] doing laundry, ironing, and were the foundation of our families,” said Rolando in this interview.

Community members asked Rolando about the symbolism of the azucena flowers (known in English as the Madonna lily) used in the film during spiritual rituals. The discussion also addressed racism on the island, illustrated by a poignant scene where Rolando critiques Afro-Cuban ceramic dolls—commonly sold to tourists—that exaggerate Black women’s features. (No spoilers—you need to watch the film!). Rolando noted that these racist representations are not discussed on a national level in Cuba but are widely acknowledged in private conversations. Furthermore, she emphasized that these are challenges faced by the African diaspora beyond just the Cuban context.

Another highlight of the discussion was the film’s depiction of segregated societies in Cuba, categorized as negros (Blacks only), mulatos (mixed race only), and blancos (Whites only). Black-and-white photographs showcased residents impeccably dressed at social functions, yet restricted to their designated groups. This division underscored not only racial discrimination but also the imposed fragmentation among Afrodescendants, a colonial and post-colonial strategy used throughout Latin America to weaken Black solidarity. Rolando also pointed out the lack of research on Black societies in Cuba, remarking, “There is probably more research done here than on the island.”

velyne Laurent-Perrault, creator of the Schomburg Symposium. Photo: Burkett Photography | Inti Media.

Evelyne Laurent-Perrault, creator of the Schomburg Symposium and moderator of the conversation, reflected on the film’s reenactment scenes of Black couples dancing at social gatherings. She shared that they reminded her of her own family: “It made me think of my parents, uncles, and grandparents, who were not from Cuba but from Haiti (...) yet carried the same dignity.”

Gabriela Castillo, the Second Secretary of the Embassy of Cuba. Photo: Burkett Photography | Inti Media.

Castillo, Cuba's Second Secretary, praised the film, highlighting that Dialog with My Grandmother tells a “micro-story that forms the history of a nation.” The film establishes connections between the past and present, as well as the personal and collective experience.

Photo: Burkett Photography | Inti Media.

Gloria Rolando traveled from Havana specifically for this and other special screenings in the city, as part of an initiative organized by Kolectivo Sin Nombre (@kolektivo.sin.nombre), a group that “practices creative resistance.”