LLCC welcomes Dr. Mario Masvidal Saavedra, a distinguished professor at the University of the Arts in Havana, Cuba as well as a popular Cuban radio and TV host.

Dr. Masvidal will speak TODAY at 10 a.m. in the Trutter Center to students, faculty and staff on Ernest Hemingway’s connection to Cuba. His morning presentation, “Hemingway and Cuba,” is a Dine & Develop program sponsored by Student Life. Breakfast snack foods and refreshments will be served. Encourage students to attend.

At 6 p.m., he will speak on “USA vs. Cuba? A Love Story,” taking an in-depth look at Cuban/American relations before and after U.S. involvement, and through the Castro regime, along with his outlook for future relations. The presentation is being held in the Trutter Center and the public is invited to attend.

For those unable to attend, both presentations will be  streamed live at the links below.

• Hemingway and Cuba – Dr. Mario Masvidal Saavedra
https://youtu.be/cHY7IfkbiYw

• USA vs. Cuba? A Love Story – Dr. Mario Masvidal Saavedra
https://youtu.be/KbMNurR3-iI

Currently, Dr. Masvidal is a full professor in the Linguistics Department, University of the Arts in Havana, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in semiotics, communication theory and other related disciplines. He also teaches courses at University of Havana (foreign languages, social communication, arts and letters), “Jose Marti” International Institute of Journalism, and The Center for TV and Radio Studies, all in Havana; as well as the International Film and TV School in San Antonio de los Banos,

Dr. Masvidal has also taught courses and workshops on the history of the English speaking countries, English as a second language, linguistics, English and Spanish stylistics and professional communication at the Enrique J. Varona Teachers Training College and the Paul Lafargue Foreign Language Teachers Training College, both in Havana.

He currently hosts the talk show “Catalejo” at Habana Radio Station and participates in four TV programs: “Cuerda Viva,” in which he interviews musicians; “X-Distante,” an animated show for adults in which he presents and comments on the cartoons; ”Ritmoclip,” a music video program where he presents and comments on artistic music videos; and “Banda Sonora,” where he is a script writer.

Dr. Masvidal’s visit is at the invitation of LLCC president Dr. Charlotte Warren and other Illinois community college presidents who met with him and several other Cuban academics last February. LLCC is his first U.S. speaking engagement before traveling to several other community colleges in the state.