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GUEST: Gregorio Luke, International Lecturer, Former Director of the Museum of Latin American Art

Forty years after the capture and murder of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Cuban teachers have significantly reduced illiteracy rates in the Bolivian town of Vallegrande. Che Guevara was buried in an unmarked grave for decades in Vallegrande before his remains were exhumed and transferred to Cuba. A former CIA operative and Cuban exile who was present at the time of Che’s capture, cut a lock off of the revolutionary’s hair, which recently sold at an action for $100,000. A bookseller from the United States was the only bidder after accusations were made that Che’s death was being co-opted for profit. From international literacy campaigns to controversial auctions, the legacy of Che continues to the present day. As interest in the historical figure shows no signs of waning, international lecturer and former director of Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art, Gregorio Luke is giving a multimedia presentation on Che Guevara: The man, the icon, the myth. With hundreds of images, rare video footage and historical documents, Luke chronicles Che’s life from an asthmatic youth to his death in the jungles of Bolivia.

For more information, visitwww.carpenterarts.org