The Writings of Michael Colina

Each summer of his early childhood, Michael Colina visited his father’s native Cuba to connect with loved ones, play in the sea and know a life that could have been his. The 1959 revolution brought an end to that. In July 1999, Colina took his father Gilberto home after 40 years.

“This was a very liberal moment in our politics,” he recalls. “At the time, this was the freest that it had ever been. It was the first time in many years that you could actually leave from Miami, but we didn’t.

“Other than the strange cultural background that Cuba provides my music making, it was a very integral part of me. This trip was sort of like a pilgrimage. My dad is getting older; he never got to go back to his mom and dad’s funeral. His sister Hilda was very sick.

“It was time.”

Cuba Diaries: Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4