People I met in Cuba

[Kl@usW.]

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All photos were shot in December 2006 with a Leica D-Lux 2.  Thank you for watching !  And Thank You !  to all the wonderful people I met. 

 

One of the most impressive guys I met. He was a veteran and participant of Fidel Castros platoon. A  handful of guys on a small yacht, landing on the wrong day in the wrong bay but in the end overturned the Batista regime against all odds. 

When I asked him if i could take his  photo, he vanished for a while, and came back with his razor in the right hand ( he had shaved in the meantime )  and two IDs - the original military ID and one confirming he is a veteran. Far from senile, he offered his opinions in  a long political discussion. 

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Edited March 26, 2024 by Kl@usW.

[Kl@usW.]

The fifteenth birthday is an important day in the life of a cuban ( and latin american ) woman. From now on the girl is no longer a kid, but grown up enough to look for a husband. So every family which can afford it, will throw a big party. Those who can't, too.... 

The Quinceañera is being dressed up for the photo shooting. I came a bit early. 

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Edited March 26, 2024 by Kl@usW.

[Sparkassenkunde]

A terrific start of your series, Klaus! Hope for many more to come. Excellent photography with added value through your contextual writing. 

[fotografr]

Both are superb. Cristobal is quite the character. Your conversation must have been fascinating. 

[Louis]

Wonderful shots. Those DL cameras were really great; I had three versions of them and I enjoyed them very much. 

[Kl@usW.]

vor 7 Stunden schrieb Sparkassenkunde:

A terrific start of your series, Klaus! Hope for many more to come. Excellent photography with added value through your contextual writing. 

Thank you James ! Really appreciated.  

vor 7 Stunden schrieb fotografr:

Both are superb. Cristobal is quite the character. Your conversation must have been fascinating. 

Well, the conservation was a bit hampered by my restricted command of the Spanish language and his missing teeth. Apart from that he talked about his time in the military in the Fidel Castro platoon, later about his view on the future of Cuba. What he said was essentially ( Fidel had just fallen seriously ill with colon cancer and the Cubans were highly nervous. Actually the public was afraid of an imminent US-invasion) his hope for more freedom, but not for the price of a completely unrestrained capitalism. He ran a small farm, kind of family business. One of his daughters was a trained restorer of artwork and one of his sons an eye doctor.  So apart from a wild youth he had lived a successful life. 

vor 6 Stunden schrieb Louis:

Wonderful shots. Those DL cameras were really great; I had three versions of them and I enjoyed them very much. 

Thank you Louis ! I completely agree about the DL-I only had one, but 3 sensors.... when the Solms guys told me that only few sensors ( they exchanged them for free ) were left, I knew I had to leave the ship... 

Fun fact in the times of ever increasing pixel counts: the DL-2 sensor had a mere 5,3 MP..... or was it 5,7 ? 

Edited March 27, 2024 by Kl@usW.

[Kl@usW.]

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Cuban boxing was highly successful in internal rankings. I was lucky enough to sneak into the official, state run boxing academy in Havana-being told  to keep low profile.... What impressed me was the ambition of the young hopeful champions.

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DL-2--not the low light champion, but who cares? 

[Kl@usW.]

I can't offer any context here. Walking past that couple I could feel the tension and just tried my best to capture it. 

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[stuny]

These are all excellent.

[Kl@usW.]

Physical education class on a closed-off street. I obtained permission from the teacher through eye contact and then joined in. At the beginning of the class, a student stood in the center and declared unwavering loyalty to the homeland, revolution, and Fidel. The two girls sitting in front of me weren't too much impressed. After that, the physical education class began with relay races, ball games, and the like. 

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[Kl@usW.]

 The Cementerio Cristóbal Colón is said to be the largest cemetery in Latin America. This old men was sitting there on a bench and reading a periodical dealing  with nothing but the life of Fidel Castro. Being lost in anecdotes he must have heard a hundred times before, he was completely unresponsive-he didn't even look my way when I was busy finding a perspective for a photo squatting in front of him. Too bad, I'm sure he would have had some interesting stories to tell.   

The headline of the magazine is like:  "If there's one nation that has defended its independence, it's this one."

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Edited March 29, 2024 by Kl@usW.

[Aryel]

These are amazing, thanks a lot for sharing! Really enjoyed going through and reading. Hope you have more coming!

[Sparkassenkunde]

That portrait of the reader is awesome!

[Kl@usW.]

This lady belonged to the veterans family. She was / is a professional restorer of artworks-I met her working on a mural inside a pre-revolutionary palace.  I found it interesting they recognized these  "remnants of suppression" as memorabilia and part of their history, unlike other places where everything that does not fit in the current ideology is destroyed. 

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Available light apparently. DL-2 @ 90 mm.    Remember, this is a 5,3 MP camera. 

[Bateleur]

A thoroughly delightful series Klaus, to my mind you have captured the soul of Fidel's Cuba.  The first photo is particularly poignant and I'm sure it was a memorable encounter.

[Kl@usW.]

Am 2.4.2024 um 13:08 schrieb Bateleur:

A thoroughly delightful series Klaus, to my mind you have captured the soul of Fidel's Cuba.  The first photo is particularly poignant and I'm sure it was a memorable encounter.

Thank you so much, Charles !   About the soul of Cuba: In retrospect I was in a privileged situation: small group of photographers, two guides: Clotilde, a professor of german and  former translator appointed to Che Guevara,  and Sven, a photographer formerly working for AP,  covering Latin and South America, later for Stern and Geo, german but married to a cuban nurse and living in Havana for 13 years then. I wouldn't have seen halve of what I saw without these two... Since there is no free ride, Clotilde was not only our guide, but also our political instructor. We were seriously invited  to have a discussion about the state of international affairs every evening after  dinner..... But even that was enjoyable with the help of a mojito  and a --you guess-- locally sourced cigar sitting on the roof of a hotel overlooking Havanna. 

So, looking back, this probably was one of my less boring trips. I'm completely aware of the fact that Cuba was and is a totalitarian police state. But I have, my photos probably have discloses that already, a very soft spot for the people living there. 

K.

[Kl@usW.]

I visited the biggest food market for nearly a whole day. Alone. I just stood there until people forgot about me. 

Let´s start in the poultry section:  

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[Kl@usW.]

I wanted to buy something from the smiling lady, but there was a problem: While tourists were not allowed to own the local currency, but had to buy "tourist money" -CUC, the locals were not supposed  to deal with that money ... So I had a meandering  discussion with her how to proceed with the transaction. In the end, common sense prevailed.

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Edited April 4, 2024 by Kl@usW.

[Kl@usW.]

"Policia especializada" 

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Kl@usW.]

And finally, a snapshot from the farewell tour. 

Everyone knows them, the picturesque vintage cars of Havana. The youngest ones are 60 years old, and many, since no original spare parts are available, run with "implanted" engines from East German or Soviet production. A ride in such a vehicle through old Havana is about as authentic as flying over Neuschwanstein Castle in an antique biplane, but hey... who cares... 

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Edited April 6, 2024 by Kl@usW.