The show must go on (part 2)
My second trip to Cuba happened in 2007 as a natural result. As photographer, I rushed reach Cuba before things change forever. Apparently everything is the same as before, but if you looked behind the curtains, you will be able to detect the tiny wind of change that is happening.
Fidel Castro has almost disappeared from the public eye, but he is omnipresent in his quotations painted on the walls, in his portraits and in the stories told about him in every establishment. On July 31, 2006, he passed power on a provisional basis to his younger brother, military chief Raul Castro, after undergo emergency surgery and begin a slow convalescence. The transition has started and speculations on what is going to happen are flowering. Meanwhile, Cubans do the best they can, scraping and scrambling to get through the day, through the month. They step in ballet steps over the line between socialism and capitalism, to earn something in addition to the allocated rations. The black and gray market is what drives this economy and society forward, with the political system pushing the brakes. The socialism had even some benefits, as it has created a friendly, colorful society with a high degree of national pride but the economic crisis and the difficulties of the daily life of the families remain the black marks to confront.
Cubans worry about their future. For almost 50 years of revolution and embargo, Cubans have been waiting from Fidel to receive the fruit of their sacrifices. Now they are waiting for Raul.
The show must go on (part 2)
My second trip to Cuba happened in 2007 as a natural result. As photographer, I rushed reach Cuba before things change forever. Apparently everything is the same as before, but if you looked behind the curtains, you will be able to detect the tiny wind of change that is happening.
Fidel Castro has almost disappeared from the public eye, but he is omnipresent in his quotations painted on the walls, in his portraits and in the stories told about him in every establishment. On July 31, 2006, he passed power on a provisional basis to his younger brother, military chief Raul Castro, after undergo emergency surgery and begin a slow convalescence. The transition has started and speculations on what is going to happen are flowering. Meanwhile, Cubans do the best they can, scraping and scrambling to get through the day, through the month. They step in ballet steps over the line between socialism and capitalism, to earn something in addition to the allocated rations. The black and gray market is what drives this economy and society forward, with the political system pushing the brakes. The socialism had even some benefits, as it has created a friendly, colorful society with a high degree of national pride but the economic crisis and the difficulties of the daily life of the families remain the black marks to confront.
Cubans worry about their future. For almost 50 years of revolution and embargo, Cubans have been waiting from Fidel to receive the fruit of their sacrifices. Now they are waiting for Raul.
