The Cuban connection

So I started Aikido a couple of months ago, unfortunately here where I live no one seems interested in the Traditional MA. He had to close his school due to attendance. He to,d me to keep practicing and is sending me videos occasionally. This Sensei whom I was taking both Aikido and Kendo under was from Cuba. His Aikido he told me was not really “accepted” by the Aikikai. He had studied for 24 years and has been an instructor at various schools near me before he opened his own dojo which as I said he closed as I was his only student. I had followed him on social media for about 3 years. He used to got train in our local park by himself all year round, in rain, snow, etc. He would do numerous suburito daily. He said he did not believe in the “dancing” style of aikido although he was teaching me break falls for tori and uke. His Aikido was named after the Cuban town he is from. He told me his Kendo Sensei’s name and his Sensei was named Mujica. He also said he had a Japanese Sensei. He recently bought a house and said he was going to build his own dojo there. Anyways this brings me to the question….does he sound legit? I know by reading different books we did a lot of what traditional Aikido does, except he has the Japanese characters during seiza that represent his school and not the Aikido kanji. What is the connection of Aikido to Cuba? Maybe I’m a little sheltered in my thinking but would Castro have allowed MA training? I have a video he sent me of his Aikido Sensei. And his Kendo Sensei has the same name as a very recent Olympic gold medalist in kata. Although it’s not the same guy.

Karate was illegal in Soviet Union but people still found ways to practice it. As for the rest of it, it depends on his technique/form/etc. Not that it matters anymore, since you only practiced under him for 2 months.

I should start by stressing that I have no personal connection to aikido in Cuba (though I have visited the Miami Aikikai a couple times, which is the next best thing...). Google brought up a couple of interesting hits, though.

This thread is pretty old, but it refers to aikido politics in Cuba.

Also a video of a demonstration in Cuba, to give some faces.

Alex