Soul de Cuba's philanthropic work

Currently we are involved in philanthropy efforts with the Cubanakoa Foundation, which is a charitable trust dedicated to promoting communication and cooperation amongst cultural organizations and communities in the Caribbean, Oceania, and Southeast Asia.

The main values on which Soul de Cuba grows are Sacred, Sustainable, and Savory.

Sacred. Aché: Understanding that our mission to rescue and preserve cultural artifacts and to promote messages of freedom, love, and justices started before us, is the cause of our being and will continue after we leave here.

Sustainable. Alofa: Our values are rooted in ancestral wisdom. This keeps us deeply mindful to practice respect and care for all living things. We build peace through our hospitality and find that we. Have taken care of the planet.

Savory. Baraca: Beyond ‘merely wholesome or acceptable’ and ‘having an appetizing taste or smell’ our realm of savory awakens untapped senses to provide nourishment for the soul as well as nutrients for the body. 

Getting involved

Jesus Puerto, founder of Soul de Cuba, and Henry Tamasese, created the Cubanakoa Foundation which serves to celebrate humankind's shared history, stories, and journey. Cubanakoa is a charitable trust dedicated to promoting communication and cooperation amongst cultural organizations and communities in the Caribbean, Oceania, and Southeast Asia.

Since 2009 Jesus and members of the Cubanakoa Foundation and Kahumana community have worked to improve relations between the United States and Cuba by way of cultural exchanges and anthropological studies linguistically linking the people of the Caribbean to the peoples of the pacific.

Peace, Hospitality and Sustainability 

Jesus and several community leaders in Hawaii, Samoa and Connecticut are working together to draft a hospitality industry educational course on the interconnection between peace and hospitality. His work is also inspired by teachings of His Highness, Head of State of Samoa, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, who stated that "we constantly need to search for meaning, nuance, and metaphor to find substance and establish context in our dialogue with our ancestors, with ourselves and with our cultures".

The emphasis on sustainability as defined in the crucial values of Pacific Island culture through alofa, aloha and fa'alo'alo and in South African ubuntu are the footprints we are creating today. When we think of the workplace with its many challenges we are reminded that "conflicts are products and reflections of disharmony, and that in the Samoan culture disharmonies are resolved through the co-existence of remorse and forgiveness on the one hand, and the privileging of alofa (meaning, love, and compassion) and Aiga (family) on the other.

Our goal for this educational program is to seek harmony. We are aware that peace exists when harmony exists. Linking the Peace and Hospitality serves our employees and customers, providing tools to uncover meaning and truths and substance to nourish and protect us as we navigate together to a harmonious existence.