Fidel (and Cuba)--Then and Now

Photo by Tito Alvarez

 from Havana Times, April 9, 2013

 I had the good fortune to host two photo historians from Havana as visiting faculty at our university 7-8 years ago. One who is the archivist at the Fotateca in Havana brought a large number of negatives of Tito Alvarez who was active as a photographer in Cuba during the 1950s and 1960s. I scanned them and cleaned them up as well as I could, negatives do not fare well in the humidity and dirt of Havana especially over fifty years. The portrait of Castro on the left was during an early radio address to the country. The one on the right was in the Havana Times this past Sunday. It is fascinating to see the extended forefinger of the left hand as Fidel makes his point, see the intensity of his facial expression and to notice how carefully the journalist is listening. The point of this post is not to take sides on the Castro-anti-Castro debate but to show he is still alive and seems quite  alert. That makes him a rather amazing person no matter what your political leaning. I have heard several of my older friends (my age) say, "Communista, No! Fidelista, Si!" Many of the older middle class-lower classes  do love him. Change is coming though, and it is definitely overdue.

Writer of Article on Racism Loses His Job

This past Sunday I wrote about my black Cuban friend Roberto. I referenced an article published in the NYTimes. In this morning's times there is a  follow-up article detailing the circumstances of how the journalist who wrote that article lost his job. According to the Times this AM, "The author, Roberto Zurbano, in an article published March 23, described a long history of racial discrimination against blacks on the island and said 'racial exclusion continued after Cuba became independent in 1902, and a half century of revolution since 1959 has been unable to overcome it'.” He was subsequently removed from his position as editor at the Casa de Las Americas Cultural Center.

Mr. Zurbano states that the NYTimes editorial staff changed the title of his article from "For Blacks in Cuba, the Revolution Has Not Yet Finished" to “For Blacks in Cuba, the Revolution Hasn’t Begun.”  According to Mr Zurbano this change was made without his approval and makes as considerable difference in the intent and weight of the article. The Times defends its translation and says it is sorry for Mr. Zurbano's troubles, but it feels that it did nothing wrong.  That stance is not substantiated by the fall out on the Cuban side of the issue.

Zurbano's statement seems to be the truth as demonstrated by a follow-up article in Havana Times by Esteban Morales, a leading thinker, writer, and scholar in Cuba. Morales, considered one of the   go-to authorities on matters of race relations, opens his discussion with the article's headline. Morales states "Claiming that “For Blacks in Cuba, the Revolution Hasn’t Begun,” his (Zurbano's) argument doesn’t hold up, not even within the complex reality of Cuba today." On the website for UNEAC, the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, there are at least eight essays and opinion pieces regarding the article and almost each one starts with the headline as being to extreme and absolutist.

Certainly there is no intentional harm done by the NYTimes. The point of this post is how carefully words must be chosen when writing about such sensitive topics. It is also the case that not understanding the situation the writer of the article was in can cause it to worsen. Again not an intentional fault, but a common one. Most of the world does not think like the US nor does it share our can do attitudes. I became aware of this latter fact when I took college students on workshops to Cuba. It was always fascinating to talk with them after we had had a meeting with Cuban teachers. students, artists, and photographers.

Roberto

Roberto is one of the best friends I have. I met him in 2000 while at a photography workshop in Havana. He was hanging around the Ambos Mundos Hotel where most of the participants were staying and getting jobs as a guide and translator. We stayed another week after the workshop and secured his services during that week. Turns out he was an officially licensed guide, spoke four languages, was working on his fifth, and was a graduate of the University of Havana. During that first year he was also spending his year of reflection and denial to become a Santeria priest. He wore all white, did not drink alcohol, and prayed frequently.
Over the next few years I depended on him to help with student workshops and other things when visiting Cuba. He was a very capable fixer. He could arrange most anything we wanted to do in the context of education and photography. He had only a few rigidly fixed guidelines; these were: he did not supply or arrange for drugs or women. The first few times that we were walking down the street together and were stopped by the police I wondered what was going on. Roberto would say it was nothing. Then I realized that he was being stopped to check papers and to see if he was a hustler or less savory character trying to exploit some naive tourist. These were sort of like the controversial stop and frisk activities that are presently causing so much consternation in New York City. The issue was that he was black and I was white. I later came to realize that even some of my light skinned Cuban friends did not like him because of his blackness. On the other hand, there were some of them that Roberto did not care for because of their gay-ness. Although I did not agree with much of this, I learned a lot about race relations and social attitudes even in what was supposed to be an idealistic society of equality and acceptance.
I would get this in much larger dose several years later when escorting several Cuban friends around the UNC campus in Chapel Hill in the summer and several college students walked past. The wife of the Cuban couple loudly exclaimed. "Oh, look, they have n*****s here." She was stroking her forearm with two fingers, the Cuban sign of colored skin. Subsequently I have had to deal with Roberto not being able to get a room in houses where we were sleeping, not eating at the same table the rest of us were sharing, being stopped while driving our rental car from its garage to the house where we were lodging, and being treated with disdain by lighter skinned mulatto or white Cubans, mostly Cuban intellectuals or artists. Now that the government is more seriously promoting tourism his independent free lance business has suffered. Most people with a tourist visa have to arrange their tours through the government's tourist agencies that have their own guides. It is not clear what will happen to him but it is of interest that the first effect of capitalism Roberto experienced came from his socialist government.  Roberto is too stubborn and independent to go to work for the government Tourism company. This is just another of the many paradoxes that are Cuba. For those interested, there is a nice article in NYTimes today re: the subject of racism in Cuba..

Old and New--Happening in Cuba

The photo illustrates the changes and the conflicts that Cuba faces. The new modern double bus in front of the shabby, run down buildings with tattered clothes hanging out to dry. This contrast of the old with the new was made even more dramatic this past Sunday when Raul Castro announced that this term would be his last. It is a five yer term and it is not clear that he will survive until 2018 or that he will not have to join Pope Benedict in cloistered retirement. 

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez was named second in command and presumably first in line of succession as leader. Already the Cuban American contingent is complaining that this is not democracy but a perpetuation of the dictatorial socialist regime. That seems fairly obvious and also predictable. There will be many firsts though-a middle aged leader-not a wet behind the ears amateur as there was post Revolution, and not some old stodgy Revolutionary as there has been mostly ever since. Canel Bermúdez is an engineer, presumably he understands how to make things work, he has served his obligatory time in the military, and he is from an area of Cuba that was a hot bed of the resistance to the status quo during the Revolution. This will be the first time since 1959 that a Castro has not been in charge! Raul has shown that he is more moderate than Fidel although not so much or so fast as to satisfy the impatience of the anti-Castro contingent. Remember this group is well represented in the more rightward wings of our own Republican party which seems dedicated to nothing changing, ever. So they are already leading a confusing life (see Rubio, Marco). Still when you see the nice new Chinese bus that has replaced the noxious, uncomfortable camellos of the recent past, there is a less than subtle sign of forward movement.

Senators Talk with Castro!

Big news this week! US senators visit Cuba and meet with President Raul Castro. The ostensible goal is to work for the release of Alan Gross, American citizen who was arrested in Cuba when discovered to be bringing in sensitive electronic communications equipment to assist a democracy promoting program of USAID. In short he broke Cuban law and was arrested. The senators ate at an "upscale restaurant in Old Havana," always a dicey thing to do. In spite of all the difficulties with Cuba and our relationship with the country, the US is now the second largest source of tourists ranking just behind Canada. Food sales to Cuba increased by $100 million, making the US one of Cuba's top ten trading partners. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell's assistant Secretary of State once referred to the economic blockade of Cuba as America's dumbest foreign policy ever. So much of the issue with Cuba has to do with angling to get the Cuban Vote in America, a small part of the Latino vote that has traditionally gone to the Republicans until recently. Raul has been more open to allowing Cubans to purchase homes and cars and things like that. Last hear when I was in Havana a good friend of mine bought her first house. It was a huge step up for her and her family, all of whom had been living in a one room efficiency apartment for years. Working as a photographic assistant and guide she had amassed $15,000 dollars to make the purchase. That's a veritable fortune for the average Cuban citizen.

Further evidence of the foolishness toward Cuba was contained in a statement from Cuban diplomats who pointed out that "even North Korea, which earned global condemnation when it conducted an underground nuclear test earlier this month, is not on the terror sponsor list."(Paul Haven, Associated Press) The most dangerous thing in Cuba are the piles of rotting mangoes on the corners when they fail to collect the garbage on time! With large enough catapults they could wreak havoc on South Beach!

La Vida en la Calle

Life transpires in the street in Havana. In the morning people stand in their doorways having coffee, stand in small groups talking and planning their day, and some are walking their children to school. A few might even be going to work. In Habana Centro the buildings are dilapidated, the stairways are dirty and most of the plaster has fallen off, and often they are dark. Sometimes the contradiction in technology and color is striking. Here there is this bright new motor bike almost certainly of Chinese origin, the young guys in their brightly colored clothing, the new athletic shoes (Nikes?), and the dilapidated building, and the mix in skin tone/color that is the soul of Cuba. Life is incrementally getting better, but much of the country's infra-structure and many of its buildings are beyond salvage.  Nonetheless the closeness of the neighborhoods makes for strong relationships and a lot of mutual concern, not a bad thing. Now if the government's social arms can get enough resources to improve things further for the people the country will be on the road to a better life.

A Poor Country

Many of the buildings along the Prado have been abandoned. They are not maintained at all. The columns that support them are weathered, damaged, and in a general state of disrepair. Some of the area looks more like the scenes of rubble from the recent wars in the middle east; just without the rubble, gore, and unexploded weapons.  There are still people who walk along the way and nearby are excellent hotels and restaurants. Havana is a constant surprise, it changes dramatically from one block to the next. This photo made from Parque Central which is full of people talking, families out and about, and kids on their skate boards and roller blades. Sadness lies in the fact that no matter how nice or good the people seem (and they are), it is not possible to escape the omnipresent sense of poverty and hopelessness that pervades the society.

Ponchera--24 Hora

These sorts of small independent very small businesses are all over the city of Havana as well as being frequent;y seen in the country side. I was attracted to this one by the colors, the shapes of the various elements in the photo and how it all worked together as if it had been purposely painted or staged. Some are just set up in the street with no shop at all, others have an awning or small umbrella in the edge of the street just outside their front door. The number of old cars, the number of  potholes and the fast driving all work together to make this a fairly successful venture for most tire repair people.

Along the park at Prado, so called "Central Park," there are several fallen in, decrepit, crumbling buildings. Most are fenced in and the fences have provided canvases for some of Havana's most talented graffiti artists. It provides a very colorful and abstract feel to the otherwise calm and restful environment. There are many benches along the way and the park is a great place to relax, meet people, and watch kids play. If so inclined, one can even enjoy some post-modern art.www.pacmclaurin.com

Both of these portrait shots were made outside the Cathedral in Regla. It was a bright, crisp morning and many people were stirring about. I like both of these images because of the intensity that shows in the profiles of the faces. According to Carl Sandburg, "The real story is in the faces." Older people have expressive faces. One can see the lines of worry, the scars of experience, and often the kindness within. It is infrequent that a person in Cuba will refuse to let you make their picture.  I purchased a portrait once in an art gallery in Richmond VA. Later I met the person who had posed for the portrait and she asked why I bought it. I told her, "I liked it and I wanted it." "Why,' was the response, 'You don't know me?" I simply repeated,  "I liked it and I wanted it." The only reason I know of to purchase art.

This bright morning was spent in Regla, across the bay from Old Havana. It is a small village with a special Cathedral that has both Roman Catholic saints and Santera orishas in it. Here is a typical street scene--cool January morning requiring the Cuban flanneur to wear a sweater, and a beautifully restored old car polished to a brilliant shine. I recognize the post card quality of the old cars, but they some times are really cool. This one struck me that way. Today a year ago we were packing up to depart Havana and return to North Carolina after a great trip-good memories.

Monument de San Lazaro

This Cathedral is a fascinating place. We went on a Saturday and there was a good crowd, not overwhelming but enough to make it interesting. Saint Lazarus is the patron saint of lepers, the sick, and those with AIDS. Often depicted as a thin man on crutches, clothed with rags, with leprous sores on his body. It is obvious why a figure as wretched as Lazarus should be petitioned for relief from chronic illness, immobilizing pain, and skin diseases -- but it is also a fact that Lazarus is a favorite saint whose help is sought by those who are poor and in need of money, especially those who hope to receive charitable gifts, government grants, and other forms of philanthropic assistance. To some extent the people who are at the Cathedral reflect this. In the adjacent parking lot there are vendors selling all sorts of kitschy statues, post cards and other trinkets. In mid-December there is a processional of penitents for several miles some of whom walk on their knees while others use small whips or switches to flagellate their backs. Inside many light candles, pray and meditate.

Stilt Walkers in Plaza Vieja--Januasry 6, 2012

On the afternoon of January 6, 2012,  there was a large festival in Plaza Vieja, the heart of Old Havana.  These are a few of the stilt walkers who were roaming around the Plaza having a fun time. There was a distinct Santeria flavor as many were in the colors of the various Orishas. The music was great, the people were happy, there was good behavior all around. As you see here, these guys and gals are able to dance on their stilts.