CUBA
El Primero de Enero

I traveled to Cuba in late December 1998, to witness the events on and surrounding the celebration of Cuba’s 40th Anniversary of the Revolution.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba had lost significant subsidies as well as substantial political support and was, on my visit, still deep into the Special Period. In private homes I heard a quiet story of frustration and discontent about food rationing and shortages of every kind. The expression heard everywhere was, “no es fácil” - it’s not easy, yet there was a fervor in the air and people expressed the love and admiration they felt for their comandante.

In Santiago de Cuba, the city was electric with a frenzy of supporters at Parque Cespedes awaiting Castro’s speech on January 1, 1999 - a night of visual beauty and intense emotions.

In the days following, I was often invited into the homes of people that I had just met, for coffee and conversations that would last for hours. A young couple I met in the park gave me a book of poetry. I traveled alone, sometimes at night, across the island from Havana to Santiago and back again and I always felt completely safe and welcomed. I have not had experiences like these at home in the United States.

It was great pleasure and privilege to photograph in Cuba during this time, and I thank the Cuban people for their warmth, their openness and their generosity of spirit.