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¡Habana, Si! |
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Last December, a group of photographers and I toured Habana
(Havana in English) on a photo expedition with renowned photographer, Nestor Hernández. Approximately
25 minutes after we took off from Miami International Airport, I spotted
my first glimpse of Cuba. From the air, I could not distinguish Havana, Cuba's
capital city, from many cities in the United States. However, I found that
this would not be the case once we landed. While waiting to deplane at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, the bounding wooden fence in dire need of paint and the numerous security guards (armed and unarmed) on the tarmac provided a striking reminder that we were no longer in the United States. The airport has three terminals. One terminal serves domestic flights, the second handles international flights, except those to and from the United States. Given the relationship between the United States and Cuba, I was surprised to learn that they dedicated the third terminal for flights to and from the United States. Once we entered the city, I learned that Havana offers a variety of accommodations including five-star luxury hotels like the refurbished, dazzling, art-deco Nacional Hotel de Cuba and the ultra modern Melia Cohiba. Since the late 1990s, the communist government has experimented with capitalism. The practice includes allowing individuals to run bed and breakfast inns, known as casas particulars, where one can rent a room or an entire home. I rented a room in a casa particular and found it to be both economical and a way to get to know a Cuban family in a way I would not had, if I stayed in a hotel. Though my innkeeper only offered coffee for breakfast, Raul and his wife at their nearby casa particular would serve me and some members of our group breakfast for only $3.00 each morning. While we ate eggs, Cuban bread, juice and coffee prepared by their house worker, we chatted about Havana, its history, and exchanged ideas. Raul studied business administration before the Revolution in Roanoke, Virginia. His wife, Magaly, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Cuban army for 25 years. It was a short walk from their casa particular in the Vedado neighborhood to El Malecón (The boardwalk) and downtown Havana. At first glance, one may view El Malecón as a sea wall along an eight-mile thoroughfare along the Caribbean Sea. For Habaneros (Havana residents), El Malecón is a place to recreate and contemplate. It is a Sunday outing destination and people watching paradise - - where lovers embrace, children play, and elders reminisce of days gone by. Over time, the power of the Caribbean Sea crashing against the wall has left much of El Malecón in disrepair. Walking though parts of Havana, one of the oldest cities in the Americas, is like walking through a movie set. Most of the buildings date back to the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. A building that was once the home of a Woolworth maintains its original 1950's era lunch counter, deep red art deco facade, and gold signage. Much to my surprise, Havana has some modern high-rise buildings, but much of the city looks like a city in need of urban renewal. However, the Old Havana neighborhood is going through major renovation. In 1982, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization placed this area on its World Heritage list. The neighborhood retains an interesting mix of Baroque and neoclassical monuments, and a homogeneous ensemble of private houses with arcades, balconies, wrought-iron gates and internal courtyards. Most of the famous tourist attractions are in Old Havana. Here, you will find the Museo de la Revolucion y Memorial Granma (Museum of the Revolution and Granma Memorial). They preserve the history of the Fidel Castro led revolution and participation in the Cold War. As I walked through the museum's exhibit halls, I noticed that the guards were studying the exhibits as though they were viewing them for the first time. Almost simultaneously, I realized that they were following me. After taking a moment to reflect, I realized that the guards were protecting their national treasures. It was also refreshing to discover that unlike what I have too often experienced in the United States, the guards followed everyone without regard to their hue. The museum was also a memorable experience since everything presented was from a Cuban perspective, which in many instances compelled me to reassess the history I previously accepted as truth. Next to the Museum is the Granma Memorial, a gigantic glass enclosure which houses the yacht Castro and more than 80 revolutionary fighters used to travel from Mexico to Cuba to launch The 1959 Revolution. Nearby is the ultra modern Museo Nacional De Bellas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts). The museum features 20th century art. El Capitolio dominates the Old Havana skyline. Modeled after its Washington namesake, El Capitolio was the seat of the Cuban Congress from 1929 until The Revolution. It now houses the Cuban Academy of Sciences, the National Library of Science and Technology, the National Museum of Natural History, and a 28-carat diamond that marks the exact center of Havana. Attractions in Old Havana seem endless. There are artist colonies, old Catholic churches, huge outdoor bazaars, and lots of interesting people. One day, while some in the group departed for more artist shops, (others) my group headed for lunch in the city's small Chinatown. Besides walking, we often took taxicabs, especially these little yellow three-wheelers called CoCos, to get around town. Of course, Havana has more than its share of vintage 1950s American cars working perfectly alongside new Daimler Chrysler cars. However, the oddest vehicles were long camelback buses pulled by diesel truck cabs. It was a brief, crowded ferry ride across Havana Bay to Regla, the sister city of Richmond, California. Regla has a large Afro-Cuban population and is the cultural center of Santeria, a religion practiced throughout Cuba with West African roots. There, we found our way to The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla (Our Church of the Lady of Regla) - dedicated to the Roman Catholic Black Madonna. Her counterpart in Santeria is Yemaya, the Goddess of the sea. I walked away from the Shrine somewhat perplexed because the depictions of Mary were unquestionably that of a woman of African decent, whereas, the depictions of Jesus had white skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. 
Like America, it is apparent that Cuba struggles with a color line. For
example, it was obvious that lighter skinned Cubans dominated positions of
responsibility in the stores, hotels and other venues we visited. While
in those same venues, darker skinned Cubans dominated unskilled and menial
positions. Suffice to say, I was disheartened to find that forty years after
the Revolution, the color lines are still vivid. Cuba's much admired universal
education system has the potential to eradicate those lines in the future.
Our trip coincided with the biannual 20th Havana International Jazz Festival and 24th annual International Festival of New Latin-American Cinema. Hosted by Afro-Cuban Jazz musician Chucho Valdés, the jazz festival featured many world-renowned jazz luminaries including Roy Hargrove, Regina Carter, and Taj Mahal of the United States. The roster also included Danilo Perez of Panama and Brazil's Egberto Gismonti. The festival took place in several venues throughout Havana, with impromptu jam sessions at various hotels after the performances that sometimes lasted until sunrise. The convergence of the film festival and the jazz festival brought a reported 50,000 tourists including Harry Belafonte and Danny Glover. The film festival offered more than 400 films, documentaries, and shorts from Latin America and the world. It also included nearly 50 mostly independent productions from the United States. Though the jazz festival provided many photo opportunities, my most memorable experience occurred 20 miles outside Havana in El Rincon. Annually, on December 17th Cubans celebrate the feast day of Saint Lazarus. In Christianity, Lazarus is most known as the close friend of Jesus Christ, who Jesus brought back to life. For followers of Santeria, Saint Lazarus also symbolizes the deity Babalu-Aye. For weeks, thousands of faithful come by foot, bike, horse, car, and truck to make the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Saint Lazarus. This was a moving experience because many of the pilgrims dressed in burlap sackcloth and completed the last few miles of the journey barefoot or on their knees. Others dragged themselves on their backs pulling bricks behind them in penance. By the time many of the faithful arrived at the chapel, they were bleeding and in obvious intense pain. In a mixture of Catholicism and Santeria, some ``Santeros'' reverently celebrated the completion of their pilgrimage by drinking rum and offering half-smoked cigars to Saint Lazarus. Under the guidance of Nestor Hernández, I attempted to capture these and other sights and experiences through photographs. Unfortunately, no camera lens can adequately capture the warmth the Habaneros extended to me throughout my visit. Without reservation, I can say that all of the Habaneros with whom I came in contact treated me not as a tourist with a camera, but as a brother, son, and cousin. Editor's Note: Don't miss Our Cuban Cousins Mini-Symposium, Th, Dec 4 |
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| Photo1: Havana skyline.
By Kevin Turner, Esquire Photo2: Cuban Woman. By Nestor Hernández |
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