Cuba Pix

I went to Cuba in September, 1997. I met a lot of people, saw a lot of things, and took a lot of pictures. I wish my trip had been a few weeks later, though, because I missed all the ceremonies and pomp with the display of Ché Guevera's coffin in Havana and the reburial of his remains at Santa Clara.

People in Cuba are very friendly to Norteamericanos and don't blame American citizens for hardships caused by the blockade. Following are some of the better pictures I took of people I met.
Misael is a student learning English, French, and German -- the Norteamericanas are Theresa, Kate, and myself
Linda, seen with her husband José and their son, is an air traffic controller at Havana's airport -- the Anglos are my friends Brenda and Ben
story time at the "Little Seeds of the Future" daycare, Pinar del Rio
a doctor and a senior at a regional clinic in Pinar del Rio province
two seniors dancing at the clinic (my favorite photo from the trip)
workers raking out coffee for drying in Pinar del Rio

I also met Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), a former Black Panther who has been living in Cuba for several years. I won't post her photograph here (she is still wanted by U.S. authorities). If you want to learn about her, I recommend that you read her autobiography, Assata, in which she discusses American politics, issues regarding the Black Panthers, and life in Cuba.

Most of the two weeks I was in Cuba I spent in Havana. Havana is a lovely town, but its residences could use some repair. Building materials are hard to come by.
"año 1906," Habana Vieja
architecturally decorative corner apartment
blue door near the catedral
fanciful fountain near the catedral
the Capitolio

stained glass in a hacienda outside Havana -- this hacienda and its surrounding acreage is an AIDS clinic where patients live, college campus-style, and are treated for AIDS and its complications
main entrance to the catedral

Instead of advertisements, revolutionary slogans are painted on walls and billboards along streets and highways in Havana and western Cuba. Most of it has been done by the government, but I found one amateur expression of frustration about the Helms-Burton law.
"Señores Imperialistas ..." ("Mister Imperialists, we have absolutely no fear of you") across the street and facing the Center for American Interest in Havana (48K)

"Creemos en la Revolucion" ("We believe in the Revolution")
trade union (?) sign, Havana's Chinatown
"Por la solidaridad ..." ("For anti-imperialist solidarity, peace, and friendship"): a slogan of the July, 1997, world festival of youth
"Salud para todos ..." ("Health for all in the year 2000") mural in a health clinic, Pinar del Rio
"ley Helms Burton," Vedado, Havana

Following are some pictures I took outside the Museum of the Revolution in Havana and in Pinar del Rio province.
ObFlag
montage of photos of "camel buses" (69K) camel buses are like cargo containers with windows, hauled by tractor-trailer rigs; the rigs are often fairly new, American-made trucks and I saw one with a recent U.S. state inspection sticker on it
a frog that hopped onto the leg of a travelling companion!
burlap sacks of dried, pressed tobacco leaves for shipment to a cigar factory
the head of Frederick Engels at the 1200-student scientific high school that bears his name
coffee bushes with shade trees for workers in Pinar del Rio province
delivery truck used in Castro's failed coup attempt in the 1950's
small artwork depicting Ché Guevara

I Went to Cuba, an essay I wrote several months after my trip
if you go to Cuba (for Americans)
suggested reading links about the embargo and Cuba
official press release from the organizers of the group I traveled with