schoolgirl, at lunchtime
School attendance is mandatory in Cuba between the ages of 6 to 16. This girl’s uniform indicates that she’s in primary school. Cuban primary school curriculum includes dance and gardening, lessons on health and hygiene, and Cuban revolutionary history. All levels of curriculum focus on the principles of hard work, self-discipline, and love of country.”
Some students may go on to attend the University of Havana, which was founded in 1727. In case you were wondering about long-standing Cuban traditions of higher education.
Playa Larga, Cuba
photographed 11.10.2022
curbside mechanic
This gentleman spent a long time working on a motorcycle. His shop was a little space along the street and the curb served as his toolbox.
I am sure that a clot of photographers aiming their lenses right into his space was distracting; and I am not particularly proud that I contributed to that distraction. (This is the sort of internal conflict I felt every day in Cuba and am still trying to get my head around since I got back.) (More on that later, if I ever feel coherent enough to address it.l)
Cienfuegos, Cuba
photographed 11.9.2022
boxing gym, after practice
Our days in Cuba were of course filled with photography. And it wasn’t just the things you’d expect, like old cars and older buildings. We spent part of one morning at a boxing gym, watching the men work out. It was an open-air gym, it was hot, it was muggy, and they were sweaty. It was rich with history and aspirations.
The gym is named for famed revolutionary Rafael Trejo González, who was killed leading student protests in 1930; his killing was a turning point in the battles against the dictatorship of Gerardo Machado.
Aspiring boxers train here under the coaching of Nardo Mestre Flores, whose goal is to keep alive Cuba’s rich boxing heritage.
Gimnasia do Boxeo Rafael Trejo
Havana, Cuba
photographed 11.11.2022
¡patria o muerte!
Homeland or death – that’s what the sign on the wall says. I do not know if there is any connection between that and the headless statue (other than the connection I made in my mind, that is), but at any rate, those things did all fit within my viewfinder.
Havana, Cuba
photographed 11.7.2022
car + driver
Me (pantomiming taking a photo)
This guy (giving a very brief nod of agreement)
And here’s the result.
Cienfuegos, Cuba
photographed 11.9.2022
One Day | One Image 