Collections

The Special Collections department at Florida International University (FIU) holds items collected by Kenneth (Allegro) Shartz aka Fr. Cyril Shartz between 1994 and 1996 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he worked as an English teacher, through the World Relief Organization. An important part of the collection is 433 photographs taken by Kenneth (Allegro) Shartz that detail the daily life of the refugees. Images also include pictures of the humanitarian workers, the detention camps, the wildlife, and the naval base. The collections also contains t-shirts, personal items and newspapers such as El Balsero, El Bravo, El Futuro, Exodo, and Qué Pasa, printed by the U.S. military.

This collection contains oral histories from prominent figures of the Revolution of 1933 in Cuba, including cassette tapes and handwritten transcriptions. The interviews all pertain to the Gerardo Machado administration (1924–1933) and events immediately following his exile. Many of the interviewees were members of opposition groups involved in the overthrowing of the Machado regime and subsequent administrations, including the ABC party, Directorio Estudiantil Universitario (D.E.U.), Joven Cuba, and Partido Auténtico.