Faded elegance sums up the visual aesthetic of Havana
Havana – Cuba
When one encounters a new place for the first time, the barrage of new information and stimulus on the brain usually causes it go scrambling to make sense of the situation by comparing it with a mental list of other known destinations. Such was the case for me with Havana, Cuba. As the scenery flashed by outside the window of the taxi from the airport, some of it seemed strangely familiar, whether it resembled a mishmash of other tropical islands I’ve seen before or if it was just the countless images of Cuba portrayed in books and films that I’ve watched, I cannot say for certain.
There are no shortages of stereotypes for Cuba, old American cars, grand buildings that have seen a better era, the weathered grandma puffing away on a great big cigar … yet what the photos often fail to convey is the sense of celebration about the place, a celebration of life itself, of which is often lived out in the streets. Everywhere you go, there’s always the sound of live music around the corner, and everyone seems to be out on the streets, or hanging out of their balconies, trading gossip with neighbours, and just sat in front of their doorways, watching life unfold on the streets. Apart from the slightly annoying habit of taxi touts and jineteros (hustlers trying to sell us everything from cigars, great restaurants to girls, whilst simultaneously attempting to guess our nationality/ethnicity).
‘Konichiwa! Japón? Chino? Corean?’ the would call out to us hopeful of some kind of instant kinship or acknowledgement.
Anyway, jineteros aside, it is easy enough to wander the age-old streets without too much bother.
The Winds of Change
Some of the handsomely dilapidated buildings are so ‘weathered’ that it is a wonder they haven’t already been reduced to a pile of rubble, taking down a couple of neighbouring buildings with it. But somehow, they still remain standing, whilst bearing the scars of decades of neglect. They do however, from a photographer’s perspective, imbue the entire city with a rich layer of texture and a distinct sense of history absent in cities sprouting with glass and steel skyscrapers.
No one seems to ever be in too much of a hurry, and despite the often crumbling buildings they live in, and the obvious fact that life is far from simple, seem content enough.
With Cuban strongman Fidel Castro keeping a tight rein on affairs since the Cuban Revolution, Cuba and Havana is a place where the ripples of time somehow flowed around, like a rock jutting out of a river, impervious to the currents on all sides, unaffected by the change swirling about, even as the rest of the world hurtled towards progress. But in recent years, Fidel’s brother, Raul has taken over and although initially almost imperceptibly, change has started creeping in. With rules loosening around private ownership of mobile phones and computers, and access to the internet (although still arguably prohibitively expensive), even that rock jutting out in the river slowly gets weathered and worn by the constantly running water, likewise, Havana is slowly swaying to the winds of change blowing in the air.
The decades-old American embargo on the island has meant that spare parts for anything is exceedingly hard to come by, and makeshift fixes and creative ingenuity is needed to keep cars and equipment running.
More than just visual icons of Havana, these old classic cars are a functioning and practical part of everyday life in the city
Patriotism and the national sense of identity is strong in Cuba
A life lived out in the streets
Everywhere we went, people were out chatting with friends and neighbours, a phenomenon I have not observed for a long while in other countries
Due to hard currency shortages, once grand buildings have long since fallen into disrepair and dilapidation
The original ideals of La Revolución are increasingly dim in the minds of the younger generation, craving for change
A common sight – Only one flavour on the menu today
Largely thanks to the secular communist government, the churches of Cuba are largely preserved artefacts, with dwindling practitioners
The winds of change are blowing in Cuba, and soon, the way of life might be unrecognisable
I left my job as an advertising Creative Director in August 2012 to travel Africa and South America for a year with my wife, documenting these beautiful places with my Fuji X-Pro1. View the rest of my RTW adventures on Handcarry Only and follow me on my journey by subscribing/following/bookmarking.
