Filmmaker Brin-Jonathan Butler and his team are looking to raise $15K to support their film on the life and struggles of Cuban boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux. You can be a part of their success by helping them fund through Indiegogo. Check out the trailer and info below….
The boxer’s struggle in Cuba is the Cuban struggle. All Cubans struggle from birth and they see the boxer’s struggle as a metaphor for their own.
Fidel Castro banned professional sports in Cuba in 1962. His decree created a difficult choice for boxers—stay in Cuba and fight for national glory or defect to a country where their talents could make them rich. In the 70s Teofilo Stevenson won three Olympic gold medals and turned down five million dollars to defect from Cuba and fight Muhammad Ali, asking those promoters who made the offer, “What’s a million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?”. In the 90s Felix Savon won another three Olympic gold medals and turned down tens of millions to travel to the US to fight Mike Tyson. What Fidel Castro was trying to use his boxers to prove was not just that his boxers were defeating Americans in the ring, but that Cuba and her system were defeating America itself, most noticeably in their sacrifice of financial reward for service to their country.
We meet Rigondeaux as a national hero, 243 fights with only four losses, two Olympic gold medals, captain of the Cuban team, numerous world championships and national championships. Rigondeaux is well on his way to becoming the greatest amateur fighter the world has ever seen. The Cuban state has looked after Rigondeaux following his victories, providing him and his family with a car and Havana home. At this point Rigondeaux feels his sacrifice deserves a greater reward.
In the summer of 2007, Guillermo Rigondeaux fails to show up for his scheduled bout at the Pan Am Games in Brazil. It’s announced that Rigondeaux is turning professional and joining his fellow Cuban Olympians Yan Barthelemy, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Odlandier Solis, who’d defected earlier in 2006. Following the lead of the previous Cuban defectors, Rigondeaux signs a promotional deal with Arena Box-Promotion. Then, on August 2nd 2007,Rigondeaux is taken into police custody in Brazil, pleading that he wants to return home to Cuba.
Upon his return, Fidel Castro states publicly Rigondeaux is a traitor to Cuba and the Cuban people and he will not box again for the Cuban team. His car is seized, his home under constant watch, all former teammates, coaches and friends are forbidden from contact with him. Teofilo Stevenson, Cuba’s most decorated champion speaks out against this publicly and defends Rigondeaux, pleading for his reinstatement to no avail. He’s banned from competing for a 3rd gold medal in Beijing. Rigondeaux, set adrift in the prime of his career, is held hostage by the state and banned from any possible return to boxing.
Secretly Rigondeaux engages in negotiations with foreign parties to arrange for his escape from Cuba and into the world of professional boxing at the cost of losing his wife and child and everything he’s ever known with little or no prospect of ever being able to return.
February 2009, Rigondeaux risks his life to defect with smugglers via Mexico City, into the waiting arms of Miami exiled-Cuban promoters. A legal battle between his Irish manager Gary Hyde and the Miami promoters begins for control of Rigondeaux’s career before it even has a chance to begin. Rigondeaux’s career stalls as the power struggle over his career persists. He is nearly 30 when the issues are resolved and he finally signs a contract with Bob Arum, the largest boxing promoter in the world.
Rigondeaux discovers that the biggest obstacle to his career’s success lies in the fact that the 95% non-black exiled-Cuban community in Florida offer no support of black Cuban fighters. As Bob Arum points out, “Cuban Olympic champions can’t sell out the front row of a dancehall in Miami.”
Shortly after signing his contract in April of 2010, Rigondeaux is nearly knocked out while sparring in Los Angeles with a very limited youthful amateur. He promptly severs ties with his trainer, Freddie Roach, and returns to Miami. From his corner, Roach chillingly points out, “Someone was exposed here today.” At the most important moment of his life, Rigondeaux stands on the brink of either a championship or total professional and personal collapse. After 6 successful fights, Bob Arum steps forward to offer a contract to Gary Hyde, dangling a title shot. If he wins, the American dream could still come true for Rigondeaux. If he loses, he could become just another defector from Cuba who’s lost everything in search of that dream. Like nearly all the defected Cuban fighters who came before him, the biggest opponent Rigondeaux faces is coping with American life. Every time he steps into battle in an American ring, Rigondeaux wears the flag of the nation he has left behind on his trunks. Just what Cuba he is fighting for remains a mystery.
Tosh’s One Love Peace Concert performance overlooked
Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer
Peter Tosh is renown and revered for a number of songs, many with rebellious bent. Among Tosh’s better known tracks are Legalise It, Fight Apartheid, Stepping Razor, Equal Rights, Creation and Johnny B Goode.
However, there is one track, over seven minutes long, which was not recorded in a studio which made Tosh a legend. It was made on April 22, 1978, at the National Stadium during the landmark One Love Peace Concert.
Perhaps lost in the news of the reelection of President Barack Obama last week was the question of Puerto Rican statehood. For the first time in their history as a United States commonwealth, the people of Puerto Rico spoke with their votes on the issue, favoring statehood by a slim margin.
Check out the details below, via CNN:
In an overshadowed Election Day contest, Puerto Ricans voted in favor of statehood in a nonbinding referendum, marking the first time such an initiative garnered a majority.
Puerto Ricans were asked about their desires in two parts. First, by a 54% to 46% margin, voters rejected their current status as a U.S. commonwealth. In a separate question, 61% chose statehood as the alternative, compared with 33% for the semi-autonomous “sovereign free association” and 6% for outright independence.
While the results may be an indicator of what Puerto Ricans want, statehood will not be possible without congressional action in Washington, something that is not guaranteed….
Only time will tell if we will soon welcome a 51st state into the union, but this certainly, at very least opens things up for conversation on a more serious level.
What’s your take? Voice your opinion in the comments.
Recently, the Republican nominee for POUTS, Mitt Romney, held a closed door meeting that was secretly taped where he stated that his chances of winning the election might be better if he were born in Mexico.
Actress Rosie Perez offers a rebuttal. Check out the video below….
Mitt thinks he’d have a better chance of become president if he was Latino. In the first video of the Actually… series Rosie Perez explains why it will take more than being Latino for Mitt to win the election.
For anyone who’s ever wondered what life can be like for young Blacks and Latinos living in NYC, check out the video below which brings to light how some can be treated by the NYPD & their controversial ‘Stop & Frisk’ policies.
Set to release later this year, Ghett’a Life explores the harsh realities of urban Jamaican life.
Check out the film’s trailer below…
GHETT’A LIFE is an “against the odds” action drama set in a politically turbulent inner city community of Kingston. Derrick, a determined inner city teenager realizes his dream of becoming a champion boxer despite a country, community and family conflicted by divisive political system.
Derrick dreams of being Jamaica’s next world light weight boxing champion. He knew from an early age that he had the ability to out box even the bigger boys on his lane but it’s election year and politics divide the country and Derrick’s community. His father, a loyal party supporter, forbids Derrick from going to the boxing gym, as to do so he has to cross party lines.
Derrick defiantly follows his heart and is confronted with the serious repercussions of his decision. The don of Derrick’s community, Sin, is set on keeping him from crossing over to the “other side” even if it means destroying Derrick’s dream and Derrick’s father is so blinded by political tribalism that he sees Derrick’s actions as betrayal. On the “other side” , at the gym, is a coach who becomes Derrick’s mentor and someone who shows him that Jamaica is bigger than just one community and that Derrick’s dreams are worth fighting for.
Derrick’s journey of discovery takes the audience through his coming of age and the realisation that anything that divides cannot be good for anyone. The ignorance of divisiveness gives way to the triumph that comes with unity.
GHETT’A LIFE is a wholly Jamaican film with all investors, cast and crew being committed to an authentic depiction of what life is and what life can be in the inner city of Kingston. This film with it’s positive message of overcoming adversity and ignorance will inspire audiences at home and abroad.
As part of Caribbean-American Heritage month, Soca star Machel Montano is set to perform at the White House today. This is a great look for Machel and Caribbean Americans in general. Check out the details below…
…Since the declaration, the White House has issued an annual proclamation recognising June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month. This year marks the sixth anniversary of the occasion and official recognition by the US Government that “since the 16th Century, the destinies of the peoples of the Caribbean and the American continent have been inextricably linked”.
In a Presidential Proclamation dated May 31, 2011, the Obama Administration states:
“The fabric of our Nation has been woven together and enriched by the diversity of our people. Our legacy as a Nation of immigrants is part of what makes America strong, and during National Caribbean American Heritage Month, we celebrate the rich history and vibrant cultures Caribbean-Americans have brought to our shores”….
Interesting feature from the folks at the BBC. Check out their interview with Antonio Imbert, one of seven men who ambushed and assassinated Rafeal Trujillo, bringing an end to what is considered one of the most brutal periods in the history of the Dominican Republic. An excerpt is below…
Before his assassination on a dark highway on 30 May 1961, the Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo, ruled with an iron fist for almost 30 years. Tim Mansel meets one of the men who shot him…
The new film Fire In Babylon, has brought a lot of attention to the dominance of the West Indies Cricket team of the 70′s & 80′s. The folks at BBC Radio 4 sat down with former player Colin Croft and journalist Darcus Howe, to speak on their past glory and to recount the racial and political ramifications of their dominance in the sport, not only in the West Indies, but throughout the world.
Check the audio below….
A new film charting the past dominance of West Indies cricket has shed light on its political importance to black people in South Africa living under apartheid, as well as those who emigrated to the UK from the Caribbean.
The former West Indian cricketer, Colin Croft, who played on the South African rebel cricket tour, and Darcus Howe, the broadcaster and journalist who was involved in the Brixton riots of 1981, discuss the wider impact of the team’s success.
The company that brought you Diaspora: A Global Mixtape Movement, Nomadic Wax is back again with their latest release, the Democracy in Haiti Mixtape.
Serving as the sister project to the upcoming Nomadic Wax documentary film, “Democracy in Haiti,” the Democracy in Haiti Mixtape highlights the political, cultural and social issues facing Haitian youth after the earthquake that struck the country in January 2010.The third film in the “Democracy In…” series, “Democracy in Haiti” presents to audiences Haitian youth who have been active in the rebuilding of their country. In Haiti the youth make up the largest percentage of the population, yet, their voice is often ignored in discussions of political importance.
Serving as an outlet for Haitian youth to bring forth their voice, “Democracy in Haiti” spotlights several young artists who have taken active roles in the reformation of Haiti’s cultural and political stature.Lena Jackson, the Nomadic Wax Director of Photography for the “Democracy in Haiti” film, recently returned to the country to document the events of the second round presidential elections and further capture the voice of Haitian youth on film.“Democracy in Haiti” helps audiences understand the important role Haitian youth must play in the foundation of Haiti’s political and social future.Featuring talent from Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora around the world, the Democracy in Haiti Mixtape brings together a diverse group of hip-hop artists contributing verses that emphasize the socio-political issues currently facing Haitian society.As the audio backdrop to the “Democracy in Haiti” film, the Democracy in Haiti Mixtape encourages Haitian youth to stand up and take part in the successful rebuilding of their nation’s society.
The Democracy in Haiti Mixtape is mixed by DJ Nio of Zero Plastica and produced by Magee McIlvaine of Nomadic Wax, Vox Sambou and DJ Nio. Mastered and engineered by Dan Cantor of Notable Productions.
